"Halfdan and his master, Winston the Illuminator, are guests in a monastery when theyre awakened in the middle of the night and asked to solve a crime. A monk praying in the church has been brutally murdered, and his severed hand offers the first clue of a motive. As they investigate who could have committed such a heinous atrocityand whyHalfdan and Winston must negotiate bitter rivalries within the monasterys hierarchy, a sensitive class structure, and the tension between the new laws King Cnut has sworn to uphold and the codes of honor that precede them. With peace in England on shaky ground and the kings favor of paramount importance, Halfdan and Winston follow a precarious path toward answers that no one is sure they want. A gripping medieval mystery, 1032, delves deeply into a chaotic world where alliances change, but oaths are forever."

I enjoyed this story immensely, was totally intrigued by the way of life then and how the people responded to it. Was amazed as to how much, except for the Oaths, the people sort of lived like we do! I fell in love with the little twelve year old girl that helped in the murder so much just by being the inquisitive little brat she was. She also put a lot of humor into the story. Also made me mindful of how the colors we have today --- they didn't have back then. Also how much more difficult it was to get all sorts of things that we just take for granted today! Also enjoyed how each village, farm shared what they had with most everybody! I had never heard of King Cult so also learned a lot --- helped me to understand "oaths" a lot more also. Good read!

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