Now finished reading
The Secret Report of Friar Otto, by Sam Smith, which I enjoyed immensely. Intriguingly, it's dedicated to the memory of Dr David Kelly. Historical fiction, set in the 13th Century, with fascinating references to
Lundy, a name that will be familiar to listeners of R4's shipping forecasts. Superstitious pagan Welsh thought it was a gateway to that other world, full of fairies and demons. The story is a reinterpretation of Friar Otto's report, about a group of 17 renegade knights who were condemned to death by
King Henry III of England, for piracy and treason - they could just as easily have been accused of heresy. This Franciscan friar is assigned the task interrogating them, while they are incarcerated in the Tower of London, Newgate and Fleet prisons. His dialogues with them challenge his faith, courage and resilience, bringing him face-to-face with the absolutely appalling conditions in those places, revealing extraordinarily rich detail of life at that time.