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A review by styxx
The First Murder by Susanna Gregory, Bernard Knight, Philip Gooden, Karen Maitland, Ian Morson, The Medieval Murderers
3.0
'The First Murder' is an historical mystery by the Medieval Murderers, these being a group of published authors who specialise in historical mysteries, mainly set during the medieval period. The authors have fluctuated slightly over the series (this is the eighth, I believe), but on this occasion include Susanna Gregory, Bernard Knight, Karen Maitland, Ian Morson and Philip Gooden.
The idea behind all of the series is a kind of literary relay race with each book featuring some sort of artefact, in this case a medieval play called the Play of Adam. Each chapter is a separate story by one of the authors featuring this artefact and then passing it on to the next author so that you get a series of episodes in the object's history.
In the prologue, Ian Morson explains how the Prior of Oseney Abbey comes to write the Play during the 12th century and how the story of Cain and Abel exposes dangerous tensions within the priory's community, resulting in brutal murder and the idea that the play is cursed. From that point on the play reappears in medieval Carmarthen and Ely in stories by Susanna Gregory and Karen Maitland, but travelling to London where Philip Gooden's Jacobean playwright Nick Revill is dragged into Shakespearean drama. Ian Morson picks up the story in Georgian London and we finally concluded with Bernard Knight and the Second World War.
Like a lot of anthologies, this has strengths and weaknesses. None of the stories are bad, but some are stronger than others. I thought Susanna Gregory's and Philip Gooden's stories were the best of the bunch, but I didn't hate any of the rest. I think these books are also a very good way to test the waters with new authors.
The idea behind all of the series is a kind of literary relay race with each book featuring some sort of artefact, in this case a medieval play called the Play of Adam. Each chapter is a separate story by one of the authors featuring this artefact and then passing it on to the next author so that you get a series of episodes in the object's history.
In the prologue, Ian Morson explains how the Prior of Oseney Abbey comes to write the Play during the 12th century and how the story of Cain and Abel exposes dangerous tensions within the priory's community, resulting in brutal murder and the idea that the play is cursed. From that point on the play reappears in medieval Carmarthen and Ely in stories by Susanna Gregory and Karen Maitland, but travelling to London where Philip Gooden's Jacobean playwright Nick Revill is dragged into Shakespearean drama. Ian Morson picks up the story in Georgian London and we finally concluded with Bernard Knight and the Second World War.
Like a lot of anthologies, this has strengths and weaknesses. None of the stories are bad, but some are stronger than others. I thought Susanna Gregory's and Philip Gooden's stories were the best of the bunch, but I didn't hate any of the rest. I think these books are also a very good way to test the waters with new authors.