Trouble at the Scriptorium by Anne E. Johnson

Harley, the jester’s son, lives in a castle in medieval England. He admires the Lady Margaret, with whom he was raised. But now the difference in their birth and rank means she hardly speaks to him—until they find a common purpose in deciphering a coded message in an illustrated chantbook. Then they find out the truth behind the appointment of the strange new head of the scriptorium.

Jewels have been stolen. Harley is attacked. With a plot that thickens on every page, the story takes us right into the life of the castle and the nearby monastery. It is a world of feasts and festivals, but also of greed and misdoings, and the dangers that lurk outside the castle walls. A unique aspect of this enthralling book is the thread of Gregorian chant that is at the heart of the secret message.

Anne E Johnson has a Master’s Degree in Music Theory and History, and taught music history for fifteen years at Mannes College, The New School for Music in New York City. She is now a full-time writer.

She says: I like to present music history in engaging storytelling. That’s what I am trying to do with Trouble at the Scriptorium, to take the arcane topic of Gregorian chant and weave it into a mystery and adventure.

The support website for this book has background notes, a video of Psalm 50 being sung and a copy of a 13th century Gregorian Chant Book similar to the one described in the novel.