The Moonlit Door

Starred review from January 19, 2015
A particularly dark mystery distinguishes the pseudonymous Lake’s outstanding third Rev. Nick Lawrence whodunit (after 2013’s Dead on Cue). Nick’s quiet Sussex village is gearing up for a medieval fair, whose proceeds will benefit the steeple-preservation fund. The festivities are enhanced by the presence of a minor celebrity, singer Patsy Quinn, who quickly attracts the attention of the single cleric. But things turn grim when the corpse of a young boy is found, bound to a maypole and transfixed with an arrow. The cruelty of the murder stuns the community, and Nick and his friend on the force, Insp. Dominic Tennant, search desperately for the killer before another life is claimed. Lake (historical novelist Dinah Lampitt) keeps things creepy, with suggestions that the murder was committed as part of a blood sacrifice to ensure a robust harvest. The identity of the murderer is a stunner, even though clues pointing toward it are planted fairly throughout.

March 1, 2015
The Reverend Nick Lawrence series (Dead on Cue, 2013) takes a decidedly dark turn as children in the peaceful village of Lakehurst are taken from their beds and murdered. The friendly young reverend is organizing a medieval fair; schoolchildren are winding ribbons around the maypole; and grownups are excited to see Mr. Grimm's men, a troupe of Morris dancers. The fair is a huge success, but the day after, a local orphan is found tied to the maypole with an arrow through his heart. Days later, a little girl is found propped up like a scarecrow in a field. DI Dominic Tennant is sent in to investigate. The villagers are only too eager to insist that this had to be the work of an outsider. But could a killer be living in their midst? Lake (the pseudonym of historical-novelist Dinah Lampitt) continues to write Reverend Lawrence as a refreshingly well-rounded character. Some cozy fans may bristle at the violence against small children, but thicker-skinned readers will enjoy seeing their Sussex friends again, and be keen to catch up again soon.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)