Pat McIntosh

Davie Drummond, a talented choir singer, was 16 when he was supposedly kidnapped by the Good Neighbours (aka the fairy folk) for his fair voice. Now, 40 years later, he’s reappeared, not a day older. Is there a non-supernatural explanation for this? And is this tied to the disappearance of other choir singers in the area? Gil Cunningham is sent to investigate.

This is another solid installment in the series. Medieval Scotland makes an interesting setting, and this one especially because it show more focuses on Dunblane and Perth and that sort of area. On my most recent trip to Scotland, I visited Perth and St. John’s Kirk, so that was a nice bit of literary serendipity. As with the first book in the series, I liked that Alys had some role to play in solving the mystery as well, and I liked how the author represented Gaelic, Scots, French, and Latin dialogue while writing in English. The only thing that would have made this better was an actual appearance by Maistre Pierre, Alys’s father. He was mentioned but didn’t show up. I’ll have to find another installment and hope he appears. show less

Well, if you like to read about people standing in a room talking to each other in a variety of dialects, this book is for you! If, however, you feel mysteries should have a modicum of suspense and intrigue, this book may disappoint. I understand that this is the fourth book in the series, so there is clearly an audience for it. The character development is minimal, although I'm willing to grant that I may be feeling the distance as I haven't read the first three books in the series. Alys show more seems like a smart woman and a far more interesting human being than Gil Cunningham (the protagonist), yet she is given a ridiculous subplot (which I will not spoil for you here). I was torn in giving this two stars, as the last 20% of the book did seem more interesting both in terms of narrative and character development, but that isn't enough to give it three stars. I love medieval mysteries (e.g. Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma mysteries, Eco's The Name of the Rose), and was looking forward to investing in medieval Glasgow, but I'm afraid this book really didn't give me that glimpse into history. show less

First Line: At the May Day dancing at Glasgow Cross, Gilbert Cunningham saw not only the woman who was going to be murdered, but her murderer as well.

I am a fan of both historical mystery series and of mysteries set in Scotland. Many of the historical mystery series I've found are set in the eastern part of Scotland. Having more than a drop of Highland blood in my veins, I'm a firm proponent of the idea that there's more to Scotland than Edinburgh and its environs. As a result, I was show more thrilled when I found this mystery series set in fifteenth-century Glasgow.

Gil Cunningham is a newly qualified lawyer whose family expects him to join the priesthood. Although Gil likes the idea of practicing the law, he's not so sure about his vocation for the priesthood. During the May Day celebrations, Gil notices an attractive woman. Later that evening he stumbles upon her body in a building under construction at Glasgow Cathedral, and he's asked to investigate along with Maistre Pierre, a French master mason. The victim was the runaway wife of a cruel and unpleasant nobleman. She had left him to live with a blind harper to whom she bore an infant son. Will Gil be able to find her murderer?

Even though the book was filled with unpleasant people, the murderer's identity was rather easy for me to deduce. I didn't find myself caring much because McIntosh's skill in characterization and her richly appointed setting more than made up for that one small weakness. The Harper's Quine is an excellent beginning to this historical mystery series, and I'm looking forward to reading more. show less

This is a historical mystery set in Glasgow in the 1400s. Gil Cunningham is a newly qualified lawyer, almost ready to join the priesthood. But one year, shortly after May Day, he turns detective: a woman has been found murdered on a building site at Glasgow Cathedral, and Gil is asked to investigate. Maistre Pierre, the master mason in charge of the building site, lends his assistance, as does Pierre’s daughter, Alys, whom Gil finds fascinating on many levels.

I’m a bit tired of show more historical murder mysteries these days, but the setting was enough for me to give it a shot. I liked it well enough — it felt a bit slow in places, although that could have been because I was reading it as an e-copy through Overdrive and the formatting was horrible. But I did like that Gil and Pierre and Alys solved the mystery together, and there was a nice Gaelic element, and the dialogue wasn’t *too* faux-medieval. I’ve put the second book on my to-read list. show less