Plague Land by S D Sykes

Plague Land (The Somershill Manor Mysteries, #1) (Oswald de Lacy)

by S D Sykes

Oswald de Lacy was never meant to be the Lord of Somerhill Manor. Despatched to a monastery at the age of seven, sent back at seventeen when his father and two older brothers are killed by the Plague, Oswald has no experience of running an estate. He finds the years of pestilence and neglect have changed the old place dramatically, not to mention the attitude of the surviving peasants. 

Yet some things never change. Oswald's mother remains the powerful matriarch of the family, and his sister Clemence simmers in the background, dangerous and unmarried.

Before he can do anything, Oswald is confronted by the shocking death of a young woman, Alison Starvecrow. The ambitious village priest claims that Alison was killed by a band of demonic dog-headed men. Oswald is certain this is nonsense, but proving it—by finding the real murderer—is quite a different matter. Every step he takes seems to lead Oswald deeper into a dark maze of political intrigue, family secrets and violent strife.

And then the body of another girl is found.

Sarah Sykes brilliantly evokes the landscape and people of medieval Kent in this thrillingly suspenseful debut.

Reviewed by wyvernfriend on

3 of 5 stars

Share
wanted to like it but no, didn't really dislike it either, it fell soundly into meh.

Oswald de Lacy has inherited the family estate. He wasn't supposed to, he was in a convent while he had two older brothers who were hale and hearty, but then the plague struck and took with it his father and two brothers and now he has to learn how to be the lord of the manor.

When one girl, who is rumoured to be one of his father's by-blows turns up dead and the locals are blaming the supernatural, he has to investigate and the twists and turns continue to complicate things.

And I honestly didn't care what happened to the characters. The writer isn't bad and I wouldn't reject another book by them out of hand but I'm not hunting more up.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 10 June, 2015: Finished reading
  • 10 June, 2015: Reviewed