Review of a Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel

A Corpse at St. Andrew’s Chapel
Mel Starr
Monarch Books
287 pages
Who said the Middle Ages was boring. Well if you ask Hugh Singleton, surgeon and bailiff to Lord Gilbert Talbot he’ll tell you, not so much. As he was awakened at dawn to be notified of a murder, now he has to solve it and with the help of his tenacity, his curiosity and his puzzle solving ability he just might do it before the culprits make a corpse out of him.
Mel Starr gives us a unique look at the mid 1300’s in his new novel A Corpse at St. Andrew’s Chapel, through the eyes of surgeon and bailiff Hugh Singleton. Being a teacher of History and student of medieval surgery and English Mel gives us a realistic feel of the life and times of that era, filled with language, rituals and lifestyle. After the first few pages you’re able to pick up on the dialogue, which is rife with humor as well as vivid narratives of the community and surrounding countryside of Brampton England, which is a town that still exists today in the Cumbrian countryside. His characters are wonderfully portrayed in commonsense and earthy detail and you’ll soon know them well as the author is gifted in his descriptions and knowledge of them. Hugh is such a likable fellow he is obviously always in search of justice, his faith in God is indisputable and his wish and search for a wife is funny and heartwarming.
So if you’re in the mood for a little something different in your search for a good mystery read I think this one might be right up your alley.
A Corpse at St. Andrew’s Chapel is Hugh’s second adventure, it reads well as a stand a lone. Make sure to check out the first in the series The Unquiet Bones and his third in the series is due out soon and is titled A Trail of Ink. Check him out you’ll be glad you did.