UNHOLY PASSIONS AND DEMONIC DEATHS...In the fair autumn of Our Lord's grace 1431, the nuns of England's St. Frideswide's prepare for the simply ceremonies in which the saintly novice Thomasine will take her holy vows. But their quiet lives of beauty and prayer are thrown into chaos by the merciless arrival of Lady Ermentrude Fenner and her retinue of lusty men, sinful women, and baying hounds. The hard-drinking dowager even keeps a pet monkey for her amusement. She demands wine, a feast...And her niece, the angelic Thomasine.The lady desires to enrich herself and her reputation by arranging a marriage for the devout novice. She cares nothing for the panic and despair she leaves behind her.But all her cruel and cunning schemes are brought to a sudden end with strange and most unnatural murder.As suspicious eyes turn on the pious Thomasine, it falls to Sister Frevisse, hosteler of the priory and amateur detective, to unravel the webs of unholy passion and dark intrigue that entangle the novice and prove her innocence... or condemn her.THE FIRST VOLUME OF THE NATIONAL BESTSELLING SISTER FREVISSE NOVELS!  PRAISE FOR THE NOVICE'S TALE"Frazer uses her extensive knowledge of the period to create an unusual plot ... appealing characters and crisp writing." - Los Angeles Times"A fast-paced and seamless story." - St. Paul Pioneer PressPRAISE FOR THE SISTER FREVISSE MEDIEVAL MYSTERY SERIES"It's a fine time to introduce yourself to this smart and sensible nun... Weaves a budding romance and a grand, unrequited passion with a bold and dangerous plot... A historical tale that teems with period detail. Great fun for all lovers of history with their mystery!" - Alfred Hitchcock Magazine"I look forward to more murders at St. Frideswide." - Carolyn Thompson, The Mystery Review"Frazer's books will be among those I read as soon as I see them... The author's note at novel's conclusion, in which Frazer reveals the historical facts and actual people behind the story she created, adds immeasurably to its interest." - Houston Facts"Exquisitely written... a brilliantly realized vision of a typical medieval English village, peopled with full-blooded men and women who experience the human range of joys and sorrows. Suspenseful from start to surprising conclusion." - Publisher's WeeklyA Romantic Times Top Pick.Twice nominated for the Minnesota Book Award.Twice nominated for the Edgar Award.

Novice's Tale

Literature & Fiction

Margaret Frazer

British & Irish

Jove

In an exercise in Christian charity, the sisters of St. Frideswide take a troupe of actors in from the cold, but one or more of their new guests might be a killer.

The Servant's Tale (Sister Frevisse Medieval Mysteries)

Genre Fiction

ACT OF MERCY, ACT OF MURDER Leaving the safety of her nunnery walls behind, Dame Frevisse is drawn into an unholy web of treachery and deceit. Waylaid on the King's Highway by a band of outlaws, Frevisse is shocked to discover that their leader is her long-lost cousin Nicholas. When he pleads with her to help him obtain a pardon for his crimes, she finds herself trapped between the harsh edicts of the law and the mercy of her vows. But even as she struggles to restore his fortunes, Frevisse must fight to save his soul... and his life. Before the outlaw's tale can be told, the saintly nun will find herself trapped in a manor house of murder, caught between the holy passions of the heart and the sinful greeds of man. PRAISE FOR THE OUTLAW'S TALE "A tale well told, filled with intrigue and spiced with romance and rogues." - School Library Journal "...a meticulous recreation of not only how people lived more than five hundred years ago, but how they loved, suffered and sinned. Just the thing for anybody who usually disparages the genre to show how well it can be done, in the right hands." - Myshelf.com "Dame Frevisse is well-born, well-educated, and not at all afraid to stick her inquisitive nose into anything which just does not seem right." - Tower Books Mystery Newsletter PRAISE FOR THE SISTER FREVISSE MEDIEVAL MYSTERY SERIES "Frazer's writing is both erudite and vivid, and she has the ability to bring characters to life within a strong, clear story." - Drood Review of Mystery "This series is full of the richness of the fifteenth century, handled with the care it deserves. Margaret Frazer's tales are charmingly and intelligently contrived." - Minneapolis Star Tribune "Accurate period detail, adroit characterization, and lively dialogue add to the pleasure." - Publishers Weekly A Romantic Times Top Pick. Twice nominated for the Minnesota Book Award. Twice nominated for the Edgar Award.

The Outlaw's Tale (Dame Frevisse Medieval Mysteries)

BERKLEY

The Reeve's Tale

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Robert Hale, Ltd.

"MAY GOD STRIKE ME DOWN WITHIN THE HOUR!"To the guests at the mourning feast for Thomas Chaucer, the last words of Sir Clement Sharpe had been enough to damn him in the eyes of God. Detested by all who knew him, his final blasphemy had turned even God's anger against him and his death would be a lesson well-remembered. None among them would ever forget the sight of God striking down a sinning man, and each would keep in their heart the need to honor God's charity and love in all the hours of their lives.But the crafty Dame Frevisse and cunning Bishop Beaufort suspect that there may be an all-too-mortal hand at work in Sir Clement's death. If their suspicions can be proved, then the only lesson to be learned is the bleakest secret of the blackest heart.PRAISE FOR THE BISHOP'S TALE"The setting for another tale of mystery, intrigue, jealousy and ambition, well drawn, well paced, and a pleasure to read." - Historical Novels Review"Rich period detail, canny characterization, and a lively plot should endear Sister Frevisse and her tales to anyone who enjoys historical mysteries." - Minneapolis Star Tribune"Truly this is a winter's tale, wintry in setting and in themes. The most powerful emotions are chilled and subdued: Cool authority, icy determination, cold despair - these are stronger than the widow's stormy, self-pitying grief, the petulant anger of a pair of young lovers, the heat of a proud man's anger, and the fiery rash which clutches and kills him." - Jeanne M. Jacobson, Drood Review of MysteryPRAISE FOR THE SISTER FREVISSE MEDIEVAL MYSTERY SERIES"Frazer is writing one of the most consistently excellent historical series in print today." - Murder Ink"Frazer successfully captures the essence of 15th century England - the sights, smells, and sounds fill the pages, drawing us in as we become immersed in the language, manners, and customs of a far off time and place." - Rendezvous"Dame Frevisse, the pious and perspective nun gives focus to this sober series... [Frazer] shows a meticulous detail that speaks of trustworthy scholarship and a sympathetic imagination." - New York Times Book Review"Once you begin to read this series, you will want to follow your new friends to the end of their personal story." - Cross Point Book Reviews"Exquisitely written... A superbly researched medieval mystery series!" - Publisher's Weekly"Everything about it bespeaks quality and care... Frazer draws us into a medieval village in England with a story of lust, greed, and murder." - St. Paul Pioneer PressA Romantic Times Top Pick.Twice nominated for the Minnesota Book Award.Twice nominated for the Edgar Award.

The Bishop's Tale

Romance

Historical

TRAPPED BY REBELS, THREATENED BY THE INQUISITION... AND A GOLDEN FORTUNE IN THE BALANCE!Since  the death of her husband, Anne Blakhall has carried on their shared business as a tailor and embroiderer in the heart of London. Rather than  remarry as prosperous London widows usually do, she has taken a lover -  David Weir, a foreign merchant who is secretly a Jew and therefore in constant deadly peril so long as he remains in England, where Jews have been banished for over a hundred years. Anne, sharing in his secrets, knows that both his life and hers would be forfeit if ever he is found out.Dame Frevisse of St. Frideswide's nunnery is in London to arrange the funeral vestments for her cousin's murdered husband, the Duke of Suffolk. But she is also charged with secretly recovering - and then conveying to her cousin - the gold the late duke sent out of England shortly before his death. But her duty and their love become more dangerous a rebel army advances on London - and a murdered body is discovered in the crypt of a London church, mutilated with what a Franciscan friar of the Inquisition claims are Hebrew letters.Frevisse must discover not only who is guilty... but whether anyone is innocent at all."What  Frazer, a meticulous researcher, gets absolutely right in The Sempster's Tale are the attitudes of the charactrs." - Detroit Free Press"Medieval English society, culture, and politics come to life in Margaret Frazer's skillful application of vivid imagery, complex  characterizations, and an intriguing plot." - BookLoons

The Sempster's Tale

Mystery

A Play of Isaac

THROUGH A MURDERER'S EYES... Caught under the tyrannical thumb of her new prioress, Dame Frevisse finds welcome relief in leaving St. Frideswide nunnery on pilgrimage. But the road brings with it unwelcome company: The wealthy Lionel Knyvet has been possessed by a foul demon. Seeking relief from the horrific terrors visited upon his body each fortnight, Lionel has dragged his entire household on an endless pilgrimage across the breadth and length of England. Frevisse wants nothing more than the peaceful bliss of travel, but must instead endure the incessant chattering of a mob. Lionel's possession, however, may only mask a darker sin. When the pilgrims make their way to the manor house at Minster Lovell, Frevisse begins to unwind the bitter poisons of jealousy and betrayal eating at the hearts of both Lionel and his brother Giles. Against her will, the innocent nun is drawn into the vilest depths of the human soul and there she unlocks the mysteries of a blackened heart. But even when the truth comes out, can justice be done? The pure of heart will find no peace when murder and death come knocking at the manor's door... PRAISE FOR THE MURDERER'S TALE "Frazer has created the most despicable villain since Iago." - Patricia W. Julius, Detective as Historian "Historical readers will be charmed with the story; feminists will be delighted with the strong female characters. Ellis Peters has a worthy successor in Margaret Frazer." - Meritorious Mysteries "Expertly captures the flavor of the period with vivid descriptions and creates dimensional characters true to the times." - Rendezvous "A diabolically smooth and logical frame-up... Frazer springs substantial surprises. A moving portrait of how afflictions torment body and mind and a meditation on selfless friendship. It's a treat, with memorable characters and a thoughtful, bittersweet ending." - S.M. Tyson, The Armchair Detective PRAISE FOR THE SISTER FREVISSE MYSTERIES "Within the graceful prose rhythms that have garnered her two Edgar nominations, Frazer's tale of 15th-century nun Dame Frevisse transports the reader to a medieval England made vivid and a world of emotions as familiar then as now." - Publisher's Weekly "Mystery... Suspense... Frazer executes with audacity and ingenuity." - Kirkus Reviews "Margaret Frazer is on a rip. Each book is better and stronger than the last, and it's almost a privilege to be on the journey as the skillful Frazer takes her heroine, Dame Frevisse, all over Britain solving crimes." - Aunt Agatha's "There is action aplenty and intrigue in abundance." - Historical Novels Review A Romantic Times Top Pick. Twice nominated for the Minnesota Book Award. Twice nominated for the Edgar Award.

The Murderer's Tale. Margaret Frazer

Robert Hale Company

This collection of criminal conundrums are more than whodunits, they're howdunits and are intended to stretch your powers of deduction to the limits.

Mammoth Book of Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes

Politics & Social Sciences

Amy Myers

Lois H. Gresh

JOHN DICKSON CARR

Edward D. Hoch

Robert Weinberg

Clayton Rawson

Michael Kurland

Kate Ellis

Melville Davisson Post

Lawrence, Block

michael-collins

Martin, Edwards

Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Lynne Wood Block

Social Sciences

Robinson Publishing

Book One of the Dame Frevisse mystery series. Large Print hardcover edition.

The Novice's Tale (Linford Mystery Library)

Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Margaret Frazer. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Margaret Frazer