52 in 52 Review: "A Trail of Ink" by Mel Starr

I actually finished 2 books this week, so I’ll be back soon to post another review from a book I read to get caught up on my 52 in 52. 🙂

This week, I read A Trail of Ink by Mel Starr.  This book follows a surgeon in the medieval village of Bampton, near Oxford named Hugh de Singleton.  When some books are stolen, Hugh de Singleton is called upon to investigate the disappearance.  Several mysterious events begin to occur and he must use his specialized skills to get to the bottom of it all.
The humor in this book is quick-witted and the storyline is rich and flowing.  If you’re looking for a quick beach read, this book is NOT it.  However, if you have time to drink in a book, slowly as to savor it, perhaps this book will fit the bill.  Its language is Old English style and requires more brain-power to process, but it is worth it. 🙂

I will admit that reading it took a bit to get used to as the language is so rich and colorful.  (This is not a quick, easy read.)  I love that the author takes you back to the 14th century in such detail; he even describes the foods they ate in some parts of the books (which sound amazing, by the way!).  It’s just a really neat window back in time even though it’s a fictional account.

I will also tell you that it is the third in a series of books about this character, but you don’t have to have read  The Unquiet Bones or A Corpse at St. Andrew’s Chapel to enjoy A Trail of Ink.  It is an outstanding stand-alone book as well.

Mel Starr is the author of A Trail of Ink.  Mel Starr was born and grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After graduating with a MA in history from Western Michigan University in 1970, he taught history in Michigan public schools for thirty-nine years, thirty-five of those in Portage, MI, where he retired in 2003 as chairman of the social studies department of Portage Northern High School. Mel and his wife, Susan, have two daughters and seven grandchildren.  www.melstarr.org

I am posting this as my participation in the Blog Tour surrounding this lovely book.  Check out more information on the Blog Tour and a contest for a $50 Amazon gift card they have going on here!

Disclaimer: This book was provided for review as part of the Lit-Fuse Publicity Blog Tour.  All opinions expressed are my own.