The Lark's Lament: A Fools' Guild Mystery

In 1204 A.D., the Fools' Guild is in hiding, under attack from the forces of Pope Innocent III. Theophilos and Claudia, jesters with the Guild, are sent to enlist the help of a former guild member - the minstrel Folquet, now the abbot Folq at a Cistercian monastery - to intercede with the pope on their behalf. But while they are at the abbey pleading their case, a gruesome murder takes place - a monk is killed in the librarium and a cryptic message written on the wall in his blood. In the wake of the murder, Folq issues an ultimatum to Theophilos. If he learns the meaning of the message and finds the killer, Folq will help the Guild. But if the Jester fails, Folq will have the pope declare the Guild anathema. With the future of the Guild on the line, Theophilos, his wife, and their apprentice go off in search of Folquet's past and the meaning of the message, uncovering a long-ago series of events that were as deadly then as they are proving to be now.

From Publishers WeeklyAt the start of Gordon's winning sixth medieval mystery (after 2004's An Antic Disposition), series hero Theo and his wife, Claudia, both members of the Fool's Guild, visit Cistercian Abbot Folc—previously a troubadour known as Folquet—to solicit his help preserving the guild from enemies in the church. But that night, someone murders one of Folc's monks and leaves a threatening message for the abbot next to the body. When Folc demands that Theo find the man responsible, Theo and Claudia's quest takes them deep into the recesses of domestic and religious life in 13th-century France. At the center of the mystery lies a haunting song, which implores "Sweet Lady Lark, why will you not fly?" To discover who's threatening Folc, Theo and Claudia must identify the Lark. While Gordon makes confusing and distracting shifts in first-person point-of-view between Theo and Claudia, the husband-and-wife jesters are charming, the story behind the murder unpredictable yet entirely believable. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From BooklistThe sixth Fools Guild mystery opens on a cheerless note. It's the year 1204, and the guild is under attack from Pope Innocent III, its members in hiding. (Gordon's delightful premise posits that the thirteenth-century Fools Guild, made up of court jesters, functioned as an intelligence organization run by the government.) Series hero Theophilos the Jester, one of the guild's top spies, is sent to negotiate with Folquet, a former guild member (and our hero's old friend), who is now an abbot with connections to the pope. The hope is that Folquet will provide aid in keeping the guild alive. But Theophilos' mission grows more complicated when a monk is murdered, and Folquet makes him a deal: you find out whodunit, and I'll do what I can for the guild. But if you fail, I'll bury all of you. Theophilos' investigation takes him to some surprising places, including the distant past of his old friend. As usual, Gordon's vivid writing style and his smooth blending of history and mystery make the book a delight to read. David PittCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved