Gilbert de Rideford is a Knight of the Temple of Solomon, and an old acquaintance from Crowner John's crusading days. He claims to have come into possession of a secret that could shake Christendom to its foundations - and he desperately needs John's help to escape from the secretive order of warrior monks. Suddenly swept into a world of religious intrigue and dangerous politics, Crowner John finds himself undertaking a life-threatening mission to the Island of Lundy - inhabited solely by notorious pirates - until finally the awful secret itself is revealed.
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INTRIGUE, MURDER AND DECEPTION IN THE 12TH CENTURY
THE AWFUL SECRET is the fourth outing of Bernard Knight's 12th Century coroner, John de Wolfe. Filled with wonderful detail about life and crime at the time of Richard the Lionheart, Bernard Knight also brings to the books his own experience as one of the foremost Home Office Pathologists. In THE AWFUL SECRET, Crowner John finds himself crossing paths with Knights Templar, the pirates of Lundy and a mystery which could rock the certainty of the Medieval World. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
THE AWFUL SECRET is the fourth outing of Bernard Knight's 12th Century coroner, John de Wolfe. Filled with wonderful detail about life and crime at the time of Richard the Lionheart, Bernard Knight also brings to the books his own experience as one of the foremost Home Office Pathologists. In THE AWFUL SECRET, Crowner John finds himself crossing paths with Knights Templar, the pirates of Lundy and a mystery which could rock the certainty of the Medieval World. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, became a Home Office Pathologist in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology, University of Wales College of Medicine, in 1980. During his 40-year career with the Home Office, he performed over 25,000 autopsies, and was involved in many high profile cases, including that of Fred and Rose West, and the child killer, Mary Bell. The author of numerous popular and academic non-fiction books, he has written thirteen novels in the Crowner John mystery series. Professor Knight lives in Cardiff.
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The disabled ship drifted rapidly towards the lee shore, a rugged coast seen dimly in the dusk. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The plot summary for this fourth episode in the Crowner John series was quite intriguing...piracy, Templars and a secret awful enough to rock the whole Catholic church to its foundations. Unfortunately the book failed to live up to its promise and turned out to be a pretty mundane adventure for the Coroner of Devon. The "Awful Secret" is only introduced late in the story, almost as an afterthought whilst a particularly promising plot thread involving a suspected pirates nest on the Island of Lundy turned out to be a bit of a damp squib. All the usual characters are given another run out whilst the characters introduced just for this story are pretty uninspired. Bernard Knight writes well enough and De Wolfe and his aides ( Gwyn of Polruan and Thomas De Peyne ) are likeable enough, but the whole book comes across as somewhat tired and formulaic. Hopefully this is a one off, and the series will recover some of its vigour in the next few books. It would be a shame if this original and very human "hero" becomes little more than a formula detective.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the fourth in the Crowner John series, and while 'The Awful Secret' is a good read, its claim to rock Christendom to the roots never quite gets there.
The plot revolves around two rogue Templar knights who discover in the Temple vaults in Jerusalem, 'the awful secret', that causes them to desert their calling and reveal to the world the 'truth'.
An Inquisitor from Rome and Templar Knights are sent to bring the deserters back. It is here they clash with Crowner who has already decided to help the runaways escape.
There is a subplot of piracy involving the Sheriff, John's brother in law, who decides to flex his muscles and lead the expedition to root out the criminals.
I enjoyed the twist in the ending, that saw Crowner caught in a trap of his own making.
From reading other reviews, perhaps not for dedicated aficiandos of the Medieval period, but I certainly found it an entertaining read despite the criticism that has gone before.
The plot revolves around two rogue Templar knights who discover in the Temple vaults in Jerusalem, 'the awful secret', that causes them to desert their calling and reveal to the world the 'truth'.
An Inquisitor from Rome and Templar Knights are sent to bring the deserters back. It is here they clash with Crowner who has already decided to help the runaways escape.
There is a subplot of piracy involving the Sheriff, John's brother in law, who decides to flex his muscles and lead the expedition to root out the criminals.
I enjoyed the twist in the ending, that saw Crowner caught in a trap of his own making.
From reading other reviews, perhaps not for dedicated aficiandos of the Medieval period, but I certainly found it an entertaining read despite the criticism that has gone before.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
This is the fourth outing for coroner John de Wolfe - although it's the first time I've come across this series. The period flavour is excellently done and there's a map of medieval Exeter at the beginning of the book and a really useful glossary -even if the author didn't describe an aventail correctly (it's attached to the hauberk, not the helm) and seemed to have obtained his costume descriptions from some sadly out of date reference works. The writer's voice comes over as slightly patronising in places and almost sexist. I could imagine him patting my knee and calling me 'my dear' if I was to meet him. Some of the language is distinctly old-fashioned. Horses are called 'steeds' for example. The main character is one for the ladies has two luscious mistresses (and more off stage so it's suggested!) who exist to hang on his every word and tussle with him in bed. When his wife makes eyes at one of the Templar knights in the story, de Wolfe belittles her as a foolish, middle-aged woman. The author never seems to stop and think that de Wolfe is himself a grubby middle-aged man! I think that this novel is more likely to appeal to men than women. The part I enjoyed the most was the gritty portrayal of the period detail which was so well done that at times I could almost feel I was there in Medieval Devon. Not as good as the best of Cadfael, but considerably better than the worst!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
The awful book!
This should be re-titled to "The Awful Story" , it really is that dull and boring. Its not even an original story line.
Published 7 months ago by Andre2000
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fab murder mysteries
I love historical fiction and murder mysteries so this ticks both boxes. Crowner John is an intriguing character and the books are just the right length for a holiday read.
Published 23 months ago by Toril Larsen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellant
I have just stumbled across Bernard Knight and have now read 5 of his Crowner novels. You can't put the books down. A superb read.
Published on 14 Oct 2009 by Mrs. P. Hartley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fourth Book in an Excellent Series
Bernard Knight, or to give him his correct title, Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, was a pathologist to the Home office until 1980 when he was appointed Professor of Forensic... Read more
Published on 16 Dec 2006 by J. Chippindale
1.0 out of 5 stars
disappointing
Having just read all four Crowner John novels back to back, I must say I am disappointed by the lack of development in the characters and the stories. Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2000
4.0 out of 5 stars
Grim but gripping
If you like Brother Cadfael, you probably won't like Crowner John! Cadfael's Shrewsbury may be in an England riven by civil war, but it is essentially so comfortable you could... Read more
Published on 10 April 2000 by tackaberry1@fsmail.net
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