Nicholas=s steward, Matthew Hayward, is found murdered. At first it=s believed he must have been killed by thieves but then there=s word that he may have overheard something while visiting his girlfriend Bess who was a companion to the wife of Sir Roger Mortimer, a neighbor.

It is an uneasy time for England. Memories of the devastation of civil war still linger. King Henry is at odds with the pope following his marriage to Anne Boleyn (who is in the late stages of pregnancy with their second child). Sir Thomas More is in the Tower and soon to be executed. Inspectors are being sent to each monastery and convent to inventory their property and chattel. Nicholas is convinced the ultimate purpose is to close the monasteries and divert the ecclesiastical wealth to the crown. His warnings to the Prior and other monks fall on disbelieving ears.

A neighbor=s daughter, Jane Warrener, informs Nicholas that she has heard rumors of a treasonous plot against the king. The group of conspirators calls itself Dies Irae, the Day of Wrath. Moreover, Bess, who is carrying Matthew=s child, is sickening; Jane suspects that more than merely grief is involved. Nicholas doubts there could actually be a plot but asks her to be his assistant in spying out more information. Jane is unusually intelligent and well educated; as a woman she has access to places and information beyond Nicholas=s reach.

Nicholas is recalled to court. One of his neighbors, Sir Roger Mortimer, has been arrested for treason. The king=s spies are fully aware of the plot. Mortimer is put to the torture to learn the names of other members of the plot, but he dies with his secrets.

Henry tells Nicholas he is coming with his entourage to stay at his estate. The financial burden of the visit as well as fears for the king=s security add to Nicholas=s troubles. While he was with the king, Bess died, and now there is local unrest and rumors of witchcraft against the local herbalist. Nicholas has good reason to believe that another conspirator is still at large in the area. What=s more, the Prior still refuses to take the threat posed by the King=s Inspectors seriously.

,b>Day of Wrath is a well woven mixture of historical novel and mystery. Many historical mysteries use the historical time period to add creative interest to the mystery. In Day of Wrath the historical framework is pivotal to the plot. Henry=s need for additional funds to support his lavish lifestyle as well as the dissension raised by Henry=s estrangement from the church in Rome contribute directly to the story line. Moreover, fears of another civil war instigated by Yorkist loyalists are woven into the plot.

A variety of distinctive characters populate the story. Nicholas is the main character but Jane, the Prior, and the larger-than-life King Henry also play important roles. The Prior (Nicholas finds him eminently likable but aggravating in his deliberate blindness to the danger threatening his religious community) and King Henry are vividly portrayed. Jane, who becomes Nicholas=s love interest, makes frequent appearances during the story but remains somewhat undefined. The romance between Nicholas and Jane is very low-key. They are obviously well-matched, but Jane=s merchant class origins and her irascible father pose obstacles to married bliss.

Nicholas is not a particularly talented sleuth. His main method of detection is checking everyone=s alibi. Without Jane=s assistance and information from others, it=s doubtful he could have solved Matthew=s murder and unmasked the surviving conspirator. He is, however, a very sympathetic character; he=s an honorable man trying to walk a tightrope in a perilous time.

There is no indication if Day of Wrath is to be the first of a Nicholas Peverell mystery series, but this one title provides sufficient character and historical foundation for additional installments. Nicholas is an intriguing hero; he=s worth following in future books.

--Lesley Dunlap