A Play of Piety by Margaret Frazer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It’s impossible to review this book without the context of the previous five in the series (A Play of Isaac, A Play of Dux Moraud, A Play of Knaves, A Play of Lords, and A Play of Treachery), not to mention the context of the Dame Frevisse mysteries, in which Joliffe first appeared. And there’s the fact that this is the last Joliffe mystery, as Margaret Frazer died last year.
I’ve enjoyed both the Dame Frevisse and the Joliffe mysteries very much throughout the years. The writing is spare, almost austere, but elegant. The characters are full of life and so well rounded. And the history is impeccably researched (as far as my amateur historian self can tell) and well integrated into the story. If the plots in the later books are not as intricate as they were in the beginning of either series, the pleasure I found in the characters more than made up for that.
A Play of Piety is no exception. Reading the book was bittersweet, knowing that no more would be forthcoming. And either because of that or because of the writing, I found the secondary characters compelling and enjoyable in their own right. Margaret Frazer’s descriptions of medieval hospitals are detailed and fascinating, showing how much of our “knowledge” about the state of medieval medicine to be incorrect. And if the mystery itself was not as well plotted as some of her other books, the characterizations and the descriptions of the details of medieval life more than made up for it.
I am sorry that this is the last of Joliffe and the players. But I am grateful that the author has given me such pleasure over the years with her writing.