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Product Description
In fourteenth-century Devon, runaway villeins were brutally punished if apprehended by their masters. But when Peter Bruther flees the home of Sir William Beauscyr, he puts himself in the protection of the king by setting up as a tin miner on the moors. And the bailiff of Lydford, Simon Puttock, has to inform an irate Sir William that he has no legal claim on his wayward servant.
When Bruther's body is found hanging from a tree, Simon, assisted by the former Knight Templar Sir Baldwin Furnshill, finds himself investigating cold-blooded murder. And there's no shortage of suspects, from Sir William himself, to his feuding sons, to Thomas Smyth, a wealthy tinner who runs a ruthlessly enforced protection racket funded by landowners. The pressure is on Simon and Baldwin to unravel the truth before further violence ensues.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great historical whodunit,
By
This review is from: A Moorland Hanging (A medieval West Country mystery) (Hardcover)
I have not read any other of Michael Jecks' similar novels, but by all accounts, this is in a very similar style. I was a little put off at first glance by the way in which the historical context seems so important, but fortunately only a passing knowledge of Freemen and Villeins in the 12th-13th century is needed.In many ways, this can be compared to an Agatha Christie novel set a few hundred years ago. At it's most basic, an escaped Villein has been found hung on a tree after claiming the protection of the King, and the book investigates the suspects and clues as you would expect. Overall, as light reading, this is a book well worth bothering with. The conclusion is perhaps disappointing if you have spent a lot of time pondering over the various clues, but this is still a fun read, requiring much less knowledge of the times than the cover may seem to convey.
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
ENTERTAINING MYSTERY TALE,
By A Customer
This review is from: A Moorland Hanging (A Medieval West Country Mystery) (Paperback)
This is the third in the author's series of mysteries set in fourteenth century Devon and as could be expected, the main characters Bailiff Simon Puttock and his friend the ex-templar Baldwin have settled into a familiar rythym of investigation and interaction. The plot here is a fairly mundane one...a tin miner is murdered on Dartmoor and at first sight there seem to be quite a few suspects, but as the tale unfolds that list is gradually narrowed down. I'd be hard pressed to claim that Simon & Baldwin were my favourites amongst the current crop of old world detectives - they seem too stilted and reserved in eachother's company to be the firm friends that the story claims , but Jecks writes in a flowing style which edges the story along at a fair pace. It's a good job, as I reckon this book could have been 100 pages shorter without losing too much in the way of storyline as several interesting threads involving the generally well defined characters are allowed to fizzle away into nothing. The ending too is a bit disappointing after so many pages of careful (and at times tortuous) sleuthing. I mustn't be too harsh though - the historical detail is as excellent and fascinating as ever and the supporting characters are often intriguing enough to overcome the rather low-key 'heroes'. There are plenty more entries in this series in which our detective duo may become more engaging.
5.0 out of 5 stars
CSI-Medieval Style,
By Edward Rex "King Arthur" (Kent, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Moorland Hanging (A Medieval West Country Mystery) (Paperback)
Michael Jecks has continued to astonish me with his writing. The Moorland Hanging was even better than the Merchant's Partner. You could be suspicious of the murderer in The Merchants Partner, but you could even guess at the murderer in this one. You will be kept guessing till the very end, and that is the best thing that could could say for a crime novel.
Trust me, you will love this book. It brings out the Best in Michael Jecks, and I would strongly recommend it.
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