The Nicholas Feast
This is the second book in the Gil Cunningham series and begins, ‘Gil Cunningham said later that if he had known he would find a corpse in the coal house of Glasgow University, he would never have gone to the Arts Faculty feast.’
One of the students is found dead and although it appears to have been a prank that went wrong, Gil, a young and rising notary, is not convinced and sets out, with Alys to whom he is betrothed, to discover the truth. In the process he uncovers a web of espionage and blackmail involving both the students and tutors, and makes the acquaintance of Socrates, a grey, shaggy puppy.
The story moves along well, twisting and turning in all directions. The characters are diverse and interesting and the detailed descriptions of university life in 15th century Glasgow are good. To add to its authenticity, the author has included the staff who were lecturing or working in the University at the time.
