Plague Land, Sykes - B

                                              This is a delightful little historical novel set in 14th century England in the aftermath of the Plague. Young Oswald deLacy returns from a Benedictine Abbey to take up responsibilities as Lord of Somershill upon the death of his father and two older brothers. He is met by two gruesome murders which the dim-witted priest of the community attributes to the devil manifested as a creature with a dogs head and an uncertain body. Furthermore, his older sister up and marries a neighboring lord of devious character.  The wheels of fortune turn in Oswald's favor as he secures his inheritance, discovers the shocking truth about his own paternity and establishes his role in the village.  This is probably a better mystery than it is historical fiction, but nonetheless, it is a pleasant diversion.