Jack Montefort isn’t the sort for flights of fancy, so when he starts writing in Latin it’s more than a little concerning. However, before too long a small odd group has assembled to help him dive into the mystery which seems to be linked to Glastonbury’s famous abbey. It’s a motely crew consisting of a book seller, a scholar, a pregnant teen, an eccentric potter, and Jack’s girlfriend Winnie who is an Anglican priest. When Winnie is almost killed one evening by a hit and run, Jack begins to think that it might not be a simple accident and calls his cousin, Duncan Kincaid. Duncan brings Gemma along, and the pair quickly find that another member of the group has been murdered, and it’s unclear if Jack and the others are in danger as well.
Lots of things are changing in this installment of the series, and a lot of it is for the better in my mind. Gemma has finally been promoted to Inspector which means reassignment away from Duncan, and while both of them are adjusting to the change in their professional relationship, it means that there isn’t nearly as much of a power imbalance in their romantic one. It’s also looking like Kit might be coming to live with Duncan permanently. It is a lot, but I think that overall it will make for a better dynamic for the characters as well as make for interesting future scenarios. The supporting characters we meet are also very interesting in this one, especially Jack and Winnie. I hope we see more of them in future book. Duncan needs more people in his life besides Gemma, Kit, and Toby. Gemma has gotten to develop friends and hobbies outside of work and her relationship, and Duncan needs to do the same. We also get to meet Duncan’s new sergeant, though we don’t seem much of him.
The mystery itself was good as well, and it took some interesting turns. The one odd aspect was until this book there was nothing to indicate that this wasn’t just our real world. Part of the plot hinges on the supernatural or at least, the book never actually provides a logical explanation for Jack’s spontaneous writing in Latin. I didn’t mind that element, but I can see how it might turn some people off. But after the last installment of the series being probably the most disappointing of these books so far, this one was pretty great and got me excited to keep reading the series again. Four out of five stars.