Easter Sepulchre opens with several priest's clerks guarding the Easter Sepulcher, where the host and crucifix are stored between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. An Easter Sepulcher is a niche in the wall of a church where the host and a crucifix are placed on Good Friday and removed on Easter Sunday. A velvet cloth is placed over it. It is a privilege to keep watch over it so it is shocking when it is discovered that a priest's clerk named Odo has abandoned his post. When the cover is removed on Easter Sunday in front of the congregation a dead man's body is there along with the host and crucifix. It is Odo. Surgeon Hugh de Singleton is called upon to investigate the death. Hugh is also the bailiff to the powerful Lord Gilbert.
This story has alot of action. There are thefts and more dead bodies piling up. Hugh organizes several all-night stakeouts in order to determine who the killer might be. The pace is quick which makes this a fast read. The characters are quite interesting, especially a homeless, mute holy man who lives in a run down cabin in the forest. At first he seems a little sketchy but it turns out that he has noticed much of what happens outside during the late hours when he goes out for walks. Hugh's medical skills are interesting. Given that this story takes place in the medieval era, he uses poultices to draw out bacteria. The food consumed by the characters has a prominent place. They are served meals such as sops in fennel, eels in bruit, peas and beans pottage, fraunt hemelle, dighted crab and leach lombard. I am curious about what these meals taste like but would be afraid of tasting them if placed in front of me. The names of the foods certainly add to the medieval flavor of the novel.
All in all, this book was a great read. The fact that I read it yesterday, on Good Friday, added to my enjoyment. 5 out of 5 stars.
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