The Bone Fire, Sykes - B +

                           I must admit that reading and enjoying a series set in the late 14th century and featuring the plague's impact on Kent in England is a bit odd. A few decades ago, I enjoyed the Cadfael mysteries in print and on Masterpiece Theater. This current series is enjoyable, fun and better than the 'pleasant diversion' I previously used to characterize it. In this, the 4th in the series, Lord Oswald de Lacy has packed up his wife, son, mother and a valet and moved to an island off the Kent coast. They are there for the winter in the expectation that the secluded castle of Godfrey of Eden will save them from the plague. Soon, the bodies are dropping like flies over a contested paternity issue and, most importantly, Sir Godfrey's translation of the Bible into English. It is important to remember translating the Bible into the vernacular was an earth-shaking event that in reality did not actually happen for another century. A pleasant diversion with a solid mystery and an enlightening dose of history.