Medieval Mysteries

I first read Sharan Newman when I was in middle school, and discovered her terrific Guinevere series. I read the first book in this series, Death Comes As Epiphany, back in 1996, but never got around to reading the followups.

The Devil's Door by Sharan Newman
(1994, Medieval Mystery) 7/16/07
Grade: 3.5

The second book in the series. Although Catherine is engaged to Edgar, she remains at the Paraclete while he travels to Scotland to sell his land. While there, she is drawn into the sad story of Alys, the wife of a local count, who was beaten to death outside the convent walls. If Catherine investigates her death, will she put herself and Edgar in danger?

Not as compelling as the first book of the series. Although the historical background is still intriguing, there’s nothing particularly new. The mystery of Alys turns out to be complicated and interesting, but for most of the book, it’s interspersed with long sidetracks about Abelard’s problems with the church leaders and way too much background information. It was distracting, and I kept wishing she’d get back to the main story. Still, it was well written and the pace picked up in the last third or so.

Strong as Death by Sharan Newman
(1994, Medieval Mystery) 7/18/07
Grade: 3.5

After several miscarriages, Catherine has a dream, and feels that she must go to the monastery of Compostela to pray for a child. She and Edgar (along with some of her Jewish relatives) join a group of assorted pilgrims heading for Spain. But when a group of old knights and onetime Crusaders begin to die one by one, Catherine and Edgar must investigate.

As usual, the author does a great job in depicting medieval life, both Christian and Jewish, and showing how religion permeates every aspect of daily life. This book has a clearer storyline than some of the other books in the series, and the mystery is more compelling. Catherine and Edgar are interesting characters, but there aren’t a lot of new notes in their relationship. The tensions between Catherine’s Jewish relatives and Christian society are still interesting, but not really new. Although I enjoyed the book, this series seems to be losing steam, repeating the same themes instead of introducing new ones.

Although I tried to read later books in the series, I just didn't find them all that interesting. The medieval background that was so compelling in the first books isn't enough to sustain my interest without something new to add more depth.