In 1154, Prior Wigod of Oseney Priory writes The Play of Adam, about the world’s first murder (according to some). Trouble is, when the play is acted, maybe some folks get a little too method. So the prior adds a warning about the play: “Beware the sins of envy and vainglory, else foul murder ends your story.” Like modern times, people back then weren’t real keen on avoiding envy and vainglory, so as the play makes its way through the ages, death and foul murder […]

There is a series of these books (I think I’ve already covered one of them) all basically containing short mysteries written by authors who specialize in different parts of the Medieval era. Each story/mystery revolves around a common theme or idea. In this book, all the stories center on a relic – a piece of the true cross. Oh, and a murder or two. Or are they? (Murders, that is). The relic starts out in Jerusalem in 1100, during the Crusades. It makes its way […]

The Medieval Murderers are a group of writers who, you guessed it, write medieval murder mysteries. There are a series of books, with a rotating cast of authors and characters. Each book is based around a theme, and each author writes about the theme (or object, or whatever) in his or her time period. In this book, all of the stories revolve around what may be the relics of King Arthur – which are sacred, especially to the Welsh. The bones are initially discovered in […]