When supper was ended…

Michael G. T. Stokes' When Supper Was Ended offers a complicated mystery that spins out slowly, with always just enough new information to keep the reader motivated. The novel centers around the murder of a priest—found bludgeoned in a priest hole that he and a scholar are excavating. In 2002 a priest hole has been found on an estate that originated as a monastery, but was transferred to private ownership under Henry VIII's program of dissolution spearheaded by Thomas Cromwell. The estate's history includes a tale of a lost treasure, a chalice originally kept in Glastonbury Abbey. For me, the central delight of this mystery was its religious context, both during the dissolution and more recent times. Faith—or lack of faith—provides a number of possible motivations for the murder. If you enjoy substantial mystery novels in which solving a crime takes time and many leads need to be pursued and re-pursued you will find When Supper Was Ended a delight. I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

Harry Hood is a marvellous creation, flaws and all. The plot is an interesting one, bringing very different worlds and perspectives together as the team seeks to solve the mystery. A bit like Colin Dexter, the author has done a great job.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Matador for a review copy of When Supper was Ended, the second novel to feature DCI Henry "Harry” Hood of Northamptonshire Police, set in 2002. Benedictine monk Dominic Renville is found dead in a priest hole in a country manor. He has been battered, so it's a case of murder. DCI Hood has to determine who and why. Is it linked to the newly discovered priest hole and rumours of treasure or is it something more personal? I enjoyed When Supper was Ended, which is an engrossing, if low key police procedural. It is, however, an extremely long novel (2-3 times as long as a standard novel) so the reader should allow for that. On the plus side it makes for a detailed investigation, but on a more negative note it is drawn out with few summaries of events. Personally I loved the detail as I found the investigation fascinating. The novel starts with Hood arriving at the murder scene, which I thought was quite impactful as he takes in the ramifications of a murdered priest in a location with no clues. It then follows standard procedure with suspects developed and discarded as more facts come to light. False trails are followed with some surprising results and privacy is invaded on a regular basis. As I said it is all low key, but it covers a fair amount of ground and has an intricate motive and execution behind it all. I was glued to the pages as Hood and DS Wendy Knight argue about interpretation of the facts and devise strategies to obtain more information, but, then, I like a good procedural and this is definitely a good example. The novel has a slightly old fashioned feel to it as it is all about the plot with characterisation in a supporting role. I like this as it means that I don't have to get aggravated by outlandish characters and can concentrate on trying to solve the murder. I don't think I got there before the detectives although some of it is easier to guess than other bits. When Supper was Ended is a good read that I can recommend.

A priest is killed, and his body is found in a priest-hole. What is relevant, what is circumstantial, what is done to deceive? A well-written novel, with interesting well-written characters - both the police, the suspects and witnesses. There are several red herrings which lead the reader astray; but the plot's conclusion is realistic, and all the clues are there. With thanks to Matador and NetGalley for an ARC.

An entertaining modern mystery! 2002. DCI Henry Hood and his team are called in to investigate when the body of Benedictine monk Father Dominic Renville is discovered in a priest-hole at Eaton Grange. Home of Sir Robert Southall, and a former Augustinian Priory. What could the possible motive be. An entertaining and interesting police procedural told in great depth.