Apothecary Melchior and the Mystery of St. Olaf’s Church
In Tallinn, capital of Estonia, in 1409, a serial killer appears to be in the midst of the townspeople – merchants, brewmasters, engineers – and one savvy apothecary cum detective, Melchior. Considered a physician of sorts, yet one who wields a seemingly mystical power, Melchior is called upon to help solve the murder of a much-maligned foreign knight who is viciously killed at the imposing castle fortress of Toompea. As the body count increases, the panic in the town mounts. Who is responsible for these seemingly unconnected deaths? Is the mystery of St. Olaf’s Church and the deaths associated with its construction somehow related to the recent murders?
I decided to review this book because I am a stranger to medieval Estonia and wanted to learn about it. There is much here to absorb about piracy and guilds, the Church’s growing influence, the townspeople themselves, and their customs and attitudes. Despite the clumsiness of the translation – or perhaps the somewhat stilted, archaic style of the author (who has become renowned for this series, of which this is the first installment) – I found myself becoming distracted by the plodding nature of the plot construction. And I still can’t figure out what kind of curse Melchior suffers from.
With all the worthwhile books out there to read, I think it’s doubtful that I’ll be choosing another Melchior book in the future.
