The virtual bookclub for A Play of Heresy is starting tomorrow. You’ll want to check in here for my first behind-the-scenes essaylet and then join the discussion at Facebook and Twitter.
In the mean time, here are some early reviews for the book:
Nobody does the Middle Ages better than Margaret Frazer…
There are a number of plot threads here, all intriguing in their own right: the goings-on within Joliffe’s regular troupe; the creation of a remarkable dramatic production by an experienced director, whose mostly amateur cast is endowed with wildly divergent skills; the amorous pursuit of a young widow by two men; and Joliffe’s relationship with the secretive and obsessive Sebastian, who’s also part of the spy network.
One of Frazer’s talents is making even her minor characters distinct and well-rounded. There are no cardboard stereotypes here! These people live and breathe and stride right off the page, which makes them remarkably appealing despite the hundreds of years between their world and ours.
Roberta Alexander – January Magazine
Margaret Frazer takes readers back to the fifteenth century in her latest book, A Play of Heresy, the seventh book in the Joliffe the Player series. This is an English historical cozy that will have fans of both genres enthralled. Joliffe first appeared in Frazer’s Dame Frevisse series and has gone on to become quite the crime solver himself. Joliffe, a stage performer makes a wonderful sleuth and spy taking Coventry by storm in this latest installment to the series.
This is my first experience with Joliffe the Player and Margaret Frazer, but it won’t be my last…
The mystery aspect of the novel was well written and very tightly plotted. Everything had to fall into place just right. The clues were well drawn and hard to figure out, a hallmark of a good mystery writer. I didn’t nail this one down until very close to the reveal. Frazer throws in many twists and turns and her work is full of historical referencing and side stories that will interest the mystery reader with a penchant for history.
The rich historical detail brought the story alive in my imagination and included how plays were run, how official murder investigations were done, and information about the Lollard’s beliefs…
It’s more like how a real murder would be solved than a clever puzzle-mystery. The characters were varied… The suspense was created by the mystery of whodunit and wondering if they’d be able to pull off a play that was poorly written and had few good or experienced players in it.
If you’ve written a review (or just spot one out in the wild), please link it in the comments!
I’ll see you all tomorrow at our virtual bookclub!
– Margaret
