Book Review: “Sacrilege” by S.J. Parris

The third book in the historical fiction/mystery/thriller series featuring Giordano Bruno by S.J. Parris. Each book is a stand alone story, but there are a few significant references to the events to the events in the previous two books. In particular, one of the major characters in this story is a returning character from the first book. Further, the first book really introduces Bruno, presenting some key elements to his background. So, it does help to have read them all. Its been a while since I read them, so it was a bit frustrating at first trying to recall the specific background with that character.

The setting for these books is Elizabethan (late 16th century) England. One of the challenges with historical fiction is placing characters into well known events and locations to really evoke that history, while having them enough removed from it to feel like fictionalized events make sense. Bruno is an actual historical figure, but I wasn’t aware of him before reading the books. His real biography places him firmly in some of the key disputes of the time, particularly the effects of the Reformation, and the rise of Philosophy and Science, especially Astronomy, and the relationship of these pursuits to the Church. So, he seems a good, interesting choice as a main character, as opposed to say Galileo, where it would make more sense just to have a real biography, or on the other hand, a total made up person, who would not seem to really have the same place in society.

In this story, Bruno is confronted by a suspicious encounter with a girl he met in Oxford. She solicits his help to solve a murder in Canterbury, a murder where she is the prime suspect. The key piece of evidence is a woman’s bloody glove (I won’t reveal whether the glove fit). As Bruno delves into the mystery, he must confront his own feelings for the girl. As he investigates, of course the plot soon becomes far more complex that it first appears. Bruno must maneuver through questions of social class and issues of superstition, both of the supernatural and foreigners, as he uncovers the secrets buried in Canterbury.

I found the story to be quite enthralling. It moved at a fast pace and kept me turning the pages. I recall the first two getting a little bit bogged down at times, but this one flowed well throughout. I think the author does a great job evoking the feel for Elizabethan England (not that I can claim to be an expert on it). One thing I liked about this one versus the last one is that its a more personal story, whereas the second one was heavily involved in politics and the royal court, which kept a nagging doubt in my mind if Bruno really would have been that involved. One complaint I have with all three is that it seems like really good timing bails Bruno out just a bit too much. That does seem to be pretty standard in the thriller genre though (Dan Brown comes to mind), so it didn’t bother me too much, although I think it could have been done a bit more realistically. I found the ending very satisfying, with a touch of bittersweet, in a way that made good sense.

Overall, I found this an enjoyable read. Anyone interested in historical fiction should take a look at the series. A very good book, but I don’t think it’s great enough to transcend the genre.