A review by rebelbelle13
The Novice's Tale by Margaret Frazer

3.0

This book did not pretend to be anything it wasn't, which is refreshing. It is essentially a short murder mystery in a nunnery in 1400's England. That's what it was billed as, and that's exactly what it was. It was just as long as it needed to be, and was appropriate to the time period and the location. Frevisse, our sleuth, is a nun who doesn't take herself too seriously, and actually rolls her eyes at the super pious Thomasine, who is the focus of this first tale (I found this quite amusing). There were a few red herrings, which made the story interesting, along with the fact that Frazer managed to squeeze author Chaucer into the tale- which feels neither inappropriate nor forced. The one thing I would like to point out is there are actually two murders here, not just one. Also, the story takes place in sort of a bottle- the entire novel unfolds within the confines of the nunnery. As secular as I am, I still find myself fascinated by religion and the practices of its followers. I will be continuing on in this series, for sure.