16th century England was not just medieval it was also on the road to inquisition. Catholics were persecuted and despite this Catholicism prevailed in pockets. Such was faith. The punishment for even having a holy book was horrendous and you'd think that people would be more cautious of having priests around and having mass but this they did. The 16th century part of the novel set in Hailes Abbey and its subsequent surroundings and inhabitants dealt with exactly that.
We then move on to modern Cheltenham 2015 and a bunch of archaelogists, forensic scientists and a TV personality dealing with the discovery of a skeleton and a vial described as Holy Blood. The trail of murder and mystery surrounding this discovery and the unraveling of a sordid personal history is the second part of the story.
My second read from this author - Paternoster was very good, this was also excellent reading taking you into two time lines both intriguing.
Sent to me by Netgalley for an unbiased review, courtesy of Sapere Books Limited.
On another note, since weather seems to be a prevailing topic these days, we are having blindingly hot weather - going out after nine am seems precarious. I try to do any chores early returning as quickly as possible to the cooler haven of my flat. Its dangerously hot out there.
I hope the heatwave breaks soon but in the meantime you I hope you get more time for reading indoors! Thanks for sharing about this book.
ReplyDeleteI hope the weather improves for you soon. That heat sounds terrible.
ReplyDeleteHoly Blood sounds interesting. I think I like the idea of the two time lines.