A review by bennought
Morality Play by Barry Unsworth

5.0

An interesting murder mystery that is not only set within the fascinating world of late medieval England, but is also solved through the impromptu acting of a travelling troupe of players who attempt to present a play about the murder to the townspeople. As a historian who studies, among other subjects, both theatre and medieval England, this book obviously caught my interest. I'm often put off by murder mysteries/thrillers, because they're all too often formulaic and sensational. But Unsworth uses beautiful prose and the unique methodology of 'forensic science' to create a novel that is fascinating in its style, plot, characters, and historical world. Instead of trying to beat the reader over the head with the history of the novel-- a distracting and annoying failing of many authors-- he often slides the historical facts, tidbits, etc. in smoothly so that they flow along with the story itself seamlessly. I read the entire book in a single day, in almost one sitting! While it is a fairly short book (and a quite read), this does not detract from the pull which the book had; it was a page-turner which I had much difficulty putting down.