The story took me a while to get into, i found the writing a bit heavy. I am not sure if I would buy this, because i need to care about the characters more, I do enjoy religious elements in a story, but this needs effective plotting.

Really enjoyed this book - my kind of read - a medieval mystery at a religious house

Characters well developed & believable.

Good historical detail & well researched about the period.

Would recommend to anyone who likes Brother Cadfael books

I loved this book for it's honest, sympathetic portrayal of life in an abbey in the twelfth century. It felt a bit like a female version of Brother Cadfael. The book seems well-researched; the characters are intriguing and multi-layered. I think the book would have been stronger without what felt like a tacked on, didactic final scene, where a returning nun drives home the spiritual message which had actually been quite clearly and more subtly presented throughout the novel. A minor complaint in an enjoyable book. I plan to go back and read the first in the series, and I hope there are more to come.