Mary Hoffman and Falconer's Knot

I'm just finishing reading Falconer's Knot by Mary Hoffman. I picked it up because I was attracted to the cover (in the style of medieval illuminations), to the subtitle 'Of friars, flirtation and foul play' and since the Scarborough Summer Reading theme this year is mysteries, I thought I should pick up a young adult mystery or two to recommend.

It is a good story, but not excellent--though that may just be my complete lack of enthusiasm for the mystery genre influencing me. The writing seems a bit redundant, to me and her characters, while generally convincing, don't always seem quite true to the way I believe they would have thought and lived in the 13th Century Italy, when the story is set.

There is a whole lot about religious art and how colors were created for the gorgeous decorations painted onto cathedral walls (by friars and nuns) that I find fascinating. The lives of Catholic religious people (saints as well as cloistered folks) are interesting too. So far there have been several murders, with a plot that grows ever more twisted. I am mostly just plodding through to see who dunnit because I like the historical tidbits. Hoffman has written several other books, including Amazing Grace, Boundless Grace, and  the Stravaganza series, which I think I will try out.