Exeter, 1195: At a local jousting day, there's a serious altercation between Hugh Peverel, lord of Sampford Peverel, near Tiverton, and a stranger by the name of Reginald de Charterai. Two days later, Hugh's body is found in a barn, stabbed in the back. Is de Charterai to blame? The county coroner, Sir John de Wolfe, soon finds plenty of other suspects for the killing of the almost universally hated Hugh Peverel. All three of his brothers had a motive: two for the succession and the third to steal Hugh's attractive young wife, Beatrice. It's no secret that Beatrice herself detested her adulterous husband, as did his mother-in-law, Adelina. Another suspect is Godwin Thatcher, a Saxon villager whose two sons were hanged some months earlier, being arbitrarily sentenced by Hugh at his manorial court. Then there's the manor reeve, Warin Fishacre, who harboured a deep grudge against his master for taking the virginity of his daughter, Maud, just before her marriage. With so many suspects to choose from, Sir John is confronted with one of the most difficult cases of his distinguished career.
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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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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Morpeth Ken
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book series is excellent, a good read with historical content to boot. It would help if the books were numbered in some way so the reading order could be easily identified
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Bz
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This series should be read in sequential order, which can only be achieved by checking the publication dates. However, 5 minutes of research is worth the effort ........ Once achieved, you'll find the over-all picture gradually revealed throughout the series : a picture painted with a subtlety rather than a harsh, in-your-face, historical lecture. Each story is 'self-contained', the foreground if you wish. The middle-ground is Crowner John's family story which develops gradually, whilst the background or third level is a view of life in the late 12th Century -a time when England was settling into an organised society one hundred years after the Conquest. The author is building a '3 dimensional' story in a rather clever way, subtle enough to inform by placing the story within a time-line of historical events.
The stories are well told, the books easy to read - overall, it's like sitting with an old friend telling yarns. By the end of the series, you're left wanting more. Surely, the sign of a 5-star series ...... Well, it is in my opinion.
The stories are well told, the books easy to read - overall, it's like sitting with an old friend telling yarns. By the end of the series, you're left wanting more. Surely, the sign of a 5-star series ...... Well, it is in my opinion.
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By J. Chippindale
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Bernard Knight's books are always a good read, well researched and authentic without overpowering the reader with information he either does not need to know or is not interested in anyway.
This case for Crowner John revolves around the tournament scene. These events took place regularly, but not always with the blessing of the King (Richard the Lionheart) and other later Kings, who quite rightly thought that a large gathering of heavily armed men was not always conducive the their own health and their grip on the throne.
Crowner John is called from the inauguration of the new sheriff and preparations for the tournament that is about to take place to an unidentified body. The death is not accidental, but a brutal murder and Sir John has to start tracking down who the man is before he can set about finding his killer or killers.
His inquiries lead him towards a well known family in the County the Peverals. Hugo who has already disgraced himself in the tournament is now head of the family after his father William was killed in somewhat strange circumstances at a tournament held earlier in the year.
Hugo has an older brother, who has been overlooked as Lord of the Manor because of the falling sickness, and Hugo has greedily taken the title. He also has two younger brothers, one of them Ralph is also well known on the tournament circuit.
The family do everything they can to block Sir John's inquiries and the relationship becomes so bad between them that it could have serious consequences for the Crowner . . .
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cracker - best so far
This is the ninth in a series of novels by Bernard Knight, featuring Sir John de Wolfe. Knight and former bodyguard to Richard the Lionheart, now coroner for the county of Devon. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Dodster
5.0 out of 5 stars
Figure of Hate
Utterly engrossing, well written, such a pleasant read. The only downside is that the story ends. Life in medieval England is so well described and so well explained. Truly superb.
Published 21 months ago by Mr. A. J. Clarke
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent reading
I love historical mystery's, and this is a new author to me. I find her stories exhilerating, the convoluted way the story is told, finishing with a solution, that isn't always... Read more
Published on 18 Mar 2011 by Mr. W. J. Pritchard
4.0 out of 5 stars
Grusome who done it
This is one of a serial by Bernard Knight, who is the killer, a good read, bt the Crowner gets his man in the end.
Published on 23 Aug 2009 by Mr. Stephen J. Jackson
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant
discovered two john crowner books at tescos and was hooked had to order all the others. What great books husband discovered them when i took them on holiday nice to find a book... Read more
Published on 21 July 2007 by A. Roobottom
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