Clare, Alys. The Joys of My Life, 2009.
This is the twelfth book in the Hawkenlye series, featuring Abbess Helewise and Josse d’Acquin,  set in 1199 England and France. This story  is somewhat mystical, including pagan characters, especially Joanna, Josse’s lover. Helewise is the abbess of a mixed abbey, where Queen Eleanor wants a memorial chapel built. Josse is asked by the queen to find out if Richard the Lionheart was involved with the Knights of Arcturus,
whose practices have become evil. Josse & Joanna share the upbringing of their daughter Meggie, who has some of her mother’s mystical traits. The first book in the series is Fortune Like the Moon.
Brenda O’Brien, Woodridge Public Library

Doherty, P.C. The Magician's Death: a Hugh Corbett medieval mystery, 2004.
The 13th installment of the Hugh Corbett Medieval Mystery series, set in England and France in 1303, begins with a botched theft of Roger Bacon’s secret manuscript from the king of France’s palace.  The king of France, Philip IV, uses this opportunity to pressure the king of England, Edward I, into combining forces to decipher this manuscript, and sends a delegation of scholars to work with a delegation of Englishmen, including Hugh Corbett.  They meet at Corfe Castle, a lonely isolated castle on the coast.  There have been several mysterious murders of young women in the town, and Hugh promises to try to solve the mystery.  As the men try to decipher the manuscript of Roger Bacon, several of the Frenchmen also die mysteriously.  Are the murders connected?  There are many suspicious characters in and around Corfe, including the coven of outlaws, the priest who doesn’t know the proper way to give communion, pirates that are attacking the coast, and Sir De Craon, the leader of the French. 
The historical setting is very well researched, and the story can be enjoyed without having read the previous books.  Hugh Corbett is a Sherlock Holmes type detective, full of deductive reasoning and endless supply of knowledge, while his friend Ranalf is a rather clueless king’s man who is easily distracted by pretty women.  Over all, it was an enjoyable mystery with tastefully handled sex and violence. 

Other books in the series include
Satan in St Mary's (1986)
The Crown in Darkness (1988)
Spy in Chancery (1988)
The Angel of Death (1989)
The Prince Of Darkness (1992)
Murder Wears a Cowl (1992)
The Assassin in the Greenwood (1993)
The Song of a Dark Angel (1994)
Satan's Fire (1995)
The Devil's Hunt (1996)
The Demon Archer (1999)
The Treason of the Ghosts (2000)
Corpse Candle (2001)
The Magician's Death (2004)
The Waxman Murders (2006)
Nightshade (2008)
The Mysterium (2010)

Anna Dombrowski, Calumet City Public Library

Franklin, Ariana. Mistress of the Art of Death, 2007.
This is the first in a series set in England in the 12th century.  Adelia is a doctor and forensic expert trained in Sardinia.  She is sent to Cambridge to look into a series of child murders which are being blames on the city’s Jews.  In England she must be careful to not be taken as a witch for her healing powers and does her work under the shield of a male protector.  This was a good read, but Adelia has too many modern sensibilities to make her a satisfying historical fiction heroine.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie Public Library

Frazer, Margaret. The Apostate’s Tale, 2009.
The 17th book in the Sister Frevisse series, set in 15th century England is thoroughly enjoyable. Runaway nun Cecely returns, with her son Ned, and plenty of secrets. She pretends to be repentant, but Dame Frevisse is suspicious. This book finds Dame Frevisse taking more responsibility within the abbey, and searching for a poisoner. The first book is The Novice’s Tale.
Brenda O’Brien, Woodridge Public Library

Gordon, Alan. The Moneylender of Toulouse, 2008.
This is the 7th in a series set in 13th century Europe.  The Fool’s Guild is a collective of secret agents who roam the countryside, posing as jesters and keeping the Christian world safe from evil.  Theophilas arrives in Toulouse with his wife, infant daughter and young female apprentice.  His assignment is to become the town’s chief jester and manage to oust the local bishop so that he may be replaced by a cleric more open to the Fool’s Guild.  Soon after arrival, however, the local moneylender is murdered and Theophilas and his crew must solve the crime as well as pull off their assignment.  The book was full of humor and wit and was a thoroughly likable read.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie Public Library

Harrison, Cora. Secret and Unlawful Killing, 2008.
Set in 1509 in the independent coastal kingdom of Burrens, Ireland, Mara O'Davoren, is the Brehon, or judge, of the kingdom, and runs a law school on the side.  On the day before the Michaelmas Celebration, the steward, Ragnall MacNamara, demands exorbitant taxes.  The next day, two of Mara’s students find his body in the church cemetery, beaten to death.  Many people were angry at the man, so there are many suspects.  A few days later, the miller is also found dead, his head trapped in the waterway.  A secret and unlawful killing is a murder that occurs without witness or confession.  The Gaelic law is very specific in this, and the punishment is severe.  As the judge, Mara must discover the perpetrator and bring the killer to justice! 
The book had an amazing sense of place and was very well researched and well written.  Each chapter begins with a bit of Gaelic law.  As the Brehon, Mara is both judge and police detective, and the second most powerful person in the kingdom (after the king, who has proposed marriage multiple times).  Those who like strong female protagonists, well-researched historical novels, and police procedurals would like this book.  Young adults might also enjoy this book.

The books in this series are
1.  My Lady Judge (2007)
2.  Secret and Unlawful Killing (2008)
3.  Sting of Justice (2009)
4.  Writ in Stone (2009)
5.  Eye of the Law (March 2010)

Anna Dombrowski, Calumet City Public Library

Penman, Sharon Kay. The Queen’s Man, 1996.
It is 1193, and Eleanor of Aquitaine is governing England in the absence of her son, King Richard (the Lionheart).  Meanwhile, Prince John is maneuvering to take over the throne in Richard’s absence, a plan given new life when it appears that Richard is either dead or captured by his enemies.  Into this maelstrom rides Justin de Quincy, the bastard son of a high cleric who educated him but never acknowledged him.  When de Quincy tries to save a dying man set upon by two assailants, he is thrust into the middle of intrigue as the King of France and Prince John work against Eleanor and Richard, and finds himself appointed as a Queen’s Man – answerable only to Eleanor, he can go places she can’t and uncover the secrets hidden to her.  Penman is an elegant writer and very familiar with this period, making for an exciting historical mystery. 
Nancy Bent, La Grange Public Library

Peters, Ellis. A Morbid Taste for Bones, 1977.
The first of the Brother Cadfael mysteries not only establishes the character, it establishes Peters’ primacy as the author of medieval mysteries.  Brother Cadfael is a fifty-something Benedictine brother with a past as a former crusader and sailor.  This secular experience not only serves him well in bearing with the cloistered life, it also helps him to solve a murder precipitated by his order’s removal of the bones of a Welsh saint.  The Abbey of Shrewsbury sharply feels the lack of housing saint’s relics of their own, and when one of the Brothers has a vision of a virgin saint in Wales the Prior is determined to remove her bones to Shrewsbury.  The objections of the local population are heightened when the most vociferous protestor, who also happens to be the largest landholder, is found murdered.  How Brother Cadfael determines who the murderer is, and the satisfying way he resolves both the crime and the removal of the saint’s bones, makes the reader eager for the next book in the series.
Nancy Bent, La Grange Public Library

Royal, Priscilla. Forsaken Soul, 2008.
In the fifth historical mystery to feature Prioress Eleanor, set in 1273 in England, Eleanor has problems of her own, including a mysterious new anchoress who only gives counsel at night, conflict with Sister Ruth, who wanted to be prioress herself, and Brother Thomas, who may not be loyal to her.  However, these seem like small matters when Martin, the local cooper, died of poison while he lay with a prostitute.  He was a brutish man who was disliked by many, including Sibley, the niece of the innkeeper, Tibia, the herb woman, Ivetta, the prostitute, and his cousin Will.  Ralf, the crowner suspects Ivetta, until she is murdered by the same poison! 
All plot points come together in a logical conclusion, and the characters are complex and realistic.  The book is very well researched, and has a strong sense of time and place.  The series has received several starred reviews.  The series in order is:

1.  Wine of Violence (2003)
2.  Tyrant of the Mind (2004)
3.  Sorrow Without End (2006)
4.  Justice for the Damned (2007)
5.  Forsaken Soul (2008)
6.  Chambers of Death (2009)

Anna Dombrowski, Calumet City Public Library

Tremayne, Peter. Council of the Cursed, 2009.
This is number 17 in the Sister Fidelma series about an Irish nun and lawyer in 7th century Ireland.  In this installment Sister Fidelma and her husband Brother Eadulf are in France for a council to determine the course of the church.  The more liberal Celtic church is at odds with the Roman church.  When one of the Irish delegates is murdered Sister Fidelma steps in to solve the case.  What was most interesting in this book was the look at the development of the early church and the politics behind the course it ultimately took.
 Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie Public Library