susan monica my favorite murder susan monica

#Susan monica my favorite murder susan monica series

Not only is there terrific detail about the way the combat equipment is handled (and how even rattan swords and pole-arms hurt, according to my acquaintance in the SCA) and the differences (as in any type of reenactment group) between those who are purists and those who are willing to settle for verisimilitude, those who make their own and those who want to have the experience without that much effort (I know. Not only is Murder at the War an interesting mystery, but anyone in the least curious about SCA and their annual “war” in the Midwest/Mid-Atlantic will be intrigued. For example, I had the motive early on, but fell for one of the “red herring” suspects early on. He was marked for trouble and it was one of those joyous things (at least, from the reader’s perspective) where there were more suspects than the house of guests in the parody movie, Murder by Death. Of course, even if the book jacket hadn’t spelled out the identity of the murder victim (Surprise! There’s a murder in a book with “murder” in the title!), every reader would have spotted him right away. So, I was already amused when I opened the book and I wasn’t disappointed as I paged through it, smile on face.

Also, I remembered hearing a law enforcement officer in Kentucky who was as clueless as one of the officers in Murder at the War ask something about the Society for Creative Anarchy. Some of the inner court politics described in the book amused me as they reminded me of real-life stories which I had heard from people who were really into the organization.

#Susan monica my favorite murder susan monica series

It is up to Lord Stefan and Lady Katherine, with their inside knowledge of the SCA, to clear their names and solve the crime.Īlthough this is the first published book in the series (originally known as 'Knightfall', it is second in the series chronology.Īlthough Joan Hess once set a murder at a Renaissance Faire, Murder at the War is the first time I’ve read a mystery set within a Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) event. The local police, anxious to find the culprit, turn their attention to Peter and Kori as suspects once they find the two have quarreled with Thorstane. But the revelry turns deadly serious when a known troublemaker, Thorstane Shieldbreaker, is actually murdered. In Murder at the War, policeman Peter Brichter (known in the SCA as Stefan von Helle) and his wife, Kori (known as Katherine of Tretower) go to the war for the fun. Once a year, they meet to display their handiwork and stage a mock medieval war. At their events, they wear historical clothing and call each other by medieval-style character names. The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is a group of enthusiasts who research and selectively re-create the Middle Ages for knowledge and for fun.