The butcher bird

The second Somesrhill Manor mystery brings medieval England to life with vivid descriptions of frigid cold, starvation, phlegmy ailments, and brutal death. Despite the harsh lessons Oswald de Lacy, Lord Somershill, learned in Plague Land (2014), he is flummoxed by the butcher-bird case. No one is quite what they seem: not the accused madman, nor the foolish servants, nor the priest, and certainly not the women witches, healers, whores, and flibbertigibbets. Unfortunately, Oswald understands little of governance and less about human nature, as he blunders his way toward solving two babies' murders and his nieces' disappearance, while also battling his own villains and tenants, who are impoverished and prone to hysteria. Sykes masterfully keeps tight rein on a mob of well-developed, colorful characters; creates a strong setting no one would mistake for a backdrop; and winds a twisted path of clues that, when unraveled, will surprise even seasoned puzzle-solvers. This is top-notch writing to rival Oliver Potzsch's Hangman's Daughter tales for gruesome-yet-amusing storytelling, Owen Archer's raw medieval world in Candace Robb's mysteries, and Susanna Gregory's character-centric, complex Matthew Bartholomew chronicles.--Baker, Jen Copyright 2016 Booklist

British author Sykes establishes herself firmly as a major talent with this hard-edged sequel to 2015's Plague Land. In 1351, Oswald de Lacy, the lord of Kent's Somershill Manor, learns that his life is a lie. He's actually the son of a peasant, switched at birth with the true heir, Thomas Starvecrow, who died in infancy. The revelation leads him to seek out Starvecrow's grave, which turns out to contain only an effigy. Meanwhile, Oswald's manorial court must deal with madman John Barrow, who claims to have been confronted by a monstrous bird that escaped into the night. Barrow becomes the target of a lynch mob after the corpse of a newborn girl, only just baptized, is left impaled on a thorn bush, as if by a butcher bird or shrike large enough to carry off a child. Sykes artfully integrates both puzzles with the politics of the time, as the survivors of the recent plague, which killed about half the English population, deal with its economic repercussions. Agent: Gordon Wise, Curtis Brown (U.K.). (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Following the death of the heir to Somershill Manor, Oswald de Lacy has been removed from his life in the clergy to assume the mantle of leadership over the family estate. The year is 1351, and the Black Plague has decimated England's population, putting enormous strain on the social and political landscape. With so many dead, the poorest people are suddenly in a position to demand higher wages for their labor. When those demands are refused by the order of King Edward III, serfs can choose either to starve or run away and take their chances on the streets of London. Oswald is placed in the unfortunate spot of trying to keep enough people working the land without breaking the law. His task is complicated by sudden deaths of infants in the village and the rising panic that an enormous bird is responsible. Verdict From his small village in Kent to the seamy underbelly of London, Oswald's mission to rid his land of the Butcher Bird is enthralling, chilling, and vastly entertaining. Though this title can be read as a stand-alone, readers would be wise to tackle Plague Land, the first volume in Sykes's historical series.-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage P.L., AK © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.