Hangman Blind by Cassandra Clark

Recently widowed, Hildegard is left with a handsome fortune. Wanting to put her new unexpected wealth to good use, she decides she would like to set up her own house of nuns. There, she could teach the young and tend the sick. She already has the support of her prioress, but she still needs the support of the Abbot of Meaux. Without it, her new purpose in life won't become a reality.

However, on her travels to Meaux to see the Abbot, accompanied by her two canine companions, Hildegard comes upon a most gruesome scene. Five crow-picked bodies swing from a gibbet among the trees. Nearby, she finds a young man's corpse with his throat torn out. She wonders who he is and how or if he is connected to the five bodies hanging nearby. Upon closer inspection, she finds a glass phial clenched tightly within his fist. She has no idea what it is, but it may be a clue that will help her satisfy her curiousity.

After she gathers the support of the Abbot of Meaux, Hildegard journeys to her childhood home, Castle Hutton. But even there, it is not safe from murder. The local magnate, Lord Roger de Hutton, is poisoned and Hildegard winds up turning sleuth. Hildegard has to use all of her resources and strength to get to the crux of the matter. Hildegard's status as a nun allows her plenty of room to move through the different strata of society while she investigates.

Deeply detailed in the medieval period, Hangman's Blind is an engrossing debut. The writing flows seamlessley and the main character, Hildergard, is a very intriguing and multi-faceted character. The plot twists and turns and completely engrosses you until the final climax. The first in a new medival series, I am sure we will be hearing much more from Cassandra Clark.