The summer day that had promised so fair at its beginning with a primrose sky banded by cream colored clouds above the sunrise had kept its promise through to a warm, clear afternoon this June day in the year of Our Lord's grace 1434. The good citizens and others of Oxford had come out from their dinners after Trinity Sunday Mass ready for sport of some kind, and those who wanted something less bloody than bear- baiting on Gloucester Green or less brutal than the half-barrel-boating fight on the Isis beyond Greyfriars, the company of players had been more than ready to oblige them with The Steward and the Devil in the innyard of the Arrow and Hind.

Sweet but a bit of a snooze. The actual mystery is teeny tiny. I read it on a plane and struggled to stay interested. ( )

Joliffe is a fascinating character and Frazer a master at medieval mystery. This book explores religious complications in mid 14th century England. ( )

When his band of traveling players are taken in by a patron, Joliffe and company find that murder has taken their place in the spotlight--and it's up to them to catch a killer in the act.

These are the first two in a series by Margaret Frazer. Apparently they are a spinoff of her Dame Frevisse series, but since I've only read one or two of those, I missed that one. Joliffe, one of a group of traveling players, is also called on to investigate mysterious deaths.

In the first book, A Play of Isaac, the players are performing in a religious festival in Oxford. A merchant hires them to also stay at his house and perform for his guests before the festival. While there, they get caught up in the family dynamics there. Master Penteney has a married son and a single daughter, as well as two wards. The oldest of these is an 'Eden child', with what we call today Down's syndrome. The more deeply the players are drawn into the situation, the more complications are uncovered. And when a murdered man is found, only Joliffe can spot the murderer and clear the innocent.

The second book, A Play of Dux Moraud, finds the players in better circumstances. They have been adopted by Lord Lovell, and under his patronage, things are looking up. But it comes at a price - he sends them off as a wedding gift to an underling, but with a secret mission. The bride's previous fiance died mysteriously. Lord Lovell wants to make sure it doesn't happen again. This book is darker than the first, with nasty little secrets at every turn and a much more adult feel. It also has a more dramatic and tragic ending.

I liked the first book better, partly because the second was darker, and partly because I figured out how the title works. I don't want to give away too much, but let's just say that it's a strong hint about what's going on in the book. So the "dramatic revelations" in the second book were not a surprise at all. Some nasty characters in that one too. I think I will read the next one, as I got the first four from the library book sale, and see if that one is closer to the first or the second. I liked Joliffe well enough, so I'm willing to give it another try. ( )