The Stockholm Castle Mystery: A Lute Player Mystery

At the outset of this engrossing first in a trilogy from Moore (The Tapestry Shop), Johan Sokolewski, a lute-playing soldier, flees his native Warsaw in the fall of 1649 to avoid the war in his home country. He travels to Stockholm, where he becomes the lutenist for the Swedish queen. When a dead body turns up in the royal library and the queen mother discovers that one of her treasured books, a sixth-century codex, has disappeared, suspicion falls on the court astrologist, Zofia. Johan thinks Zofia is innocent, and with the help of his new friend, Gunne, a dwarf, he sets out to clear Zofia’s name by finding the murderer and the thief. The setting of a medieval castle with secret passages and bat-infested tunnels, a colorful cast of characters, and an intriguing plot make this historical a joy to read. (Aug.)