The Last Days

Written by Lindsay Jacob
Review by Niki Kantzios

In the 9^th-century reign of Athelstan of East Anglia, the aeldorman Aelfric is sent to look into a strange attack on monastery lands and the appearance of wandering monks preaching the end of the world. He brings along a tonsured friend, Father Eadred, who is celebrated for his powers of investigation. But all the powers of Church and king will be needed to fight what they uncover in the northern fens. The old ways are far from dead in these remote cloisters, and bodies begin to pile up as the king’s troops seek the truth. While torrential rains break the long apocalyptic drought, ugly truths are brought to light, and the good are dangerously hard to tell from the evil. Our sleuths’ resolution takes on urgency when the diabolic endgame is revealed.

A fast-paced, atmospheric whodunnit, The Last Days is marked by curiously awkward language in places, as if the author is trying to be too original and ends up misusing the King’s English here and there (e.g., incorrect prepositions). But it doesn’t spoil the fun. If you like the Anglo-Saxon world with its harsh justice and gory murder mysteries with a Satanic twist, you’ll read this with delight.