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Bernard Knight has long been one of the most reliable and sheerly entertaining practitioners of the historical crime novel, and it's not hard to see why. His particular skill is the marrying of astute historical detail with ingenious plotting, and The Noble Outlaw is a perfect example of that synthesis. In 12th century Exeter, a school is in the process of being renovated when a mummified body is discovered in the rafters. Inevitably, it is the county coroner Sir John de Wolfe who is commissioned to investigate. In fact, it is Sir John’s brother-in-law, Richard de Revelle, the founder of the school, who supplies an instant (and rather too glib) an explanation, blaming a youthful rebel knight who has been reduced to sleeping rough on Dartmoor. Sir John discovers other corollary evidence against the young man, but he is never one to accept the obvious explanation, and digs deeper. And then a second violent murder takes the whole investigation into a critical phase.
All of the things that have made Bernard Knight's previous outings in the historical crime field so pleasurable are evident here (without, perhaps, quite the verve of earlier books); the best writing involves that crucial sleight-of-hand of the genre: refracting ancient sensibilities through modern modes of speech (who could accept a whole novel written in the authentic idiom?), but convincing us -- at every opportunity -- of the verisimilitude of what we’re reading. The Noble Outlaw adds more lustre to Bernard Knight's already solid reputation. --Barry Forshaw
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"Brings medieval Exeter to life with gritty realism, smells and all, but with an underlying sympathy and humor." --"Historical Novels Review"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just as Good, if not Better than the Others in the Series,
By
This review is from: The Noble Outlaw (A Crowner John Mystery) (Hardcover)
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. He has now written eleven books in the much read Crowner John series and Bernard Knight is certainly one of my favourite authors among those who write medieval mysteries. Crowner John or to give him his correct title, Sir John de Wolfe, is one of my all time favourite characters in medieval mysteries and if you read or are going to read this or any other of Bernard Knight's Crowner John Mysteries, you will probably understand why.. Dour and more than a little fierce looking but totally honest and incorruptible and a staunch follower of King Richard the Lionheart. He is the total opposite of his brother-in-law the ex-Sheriff of Exeter, apart from the fact that the both have an eye for the ladies. The place is Exeter, the year 1195. Renovations are taking place at the new school in Smythen Street, a school funded by Crowner John's brother-in-law and ex-sheriff Richard de Revelle. A partially decomposed body is found in the loft of one of the out-buildings. John as Coroner is called to investigate. When it becomes apparent that the dead man is the missing treasurer of the guild of Cordwainers, de Revelle immediately seeks to put the blame on a young outlaw, a Cornish knight by the name of Nicholas de Arundell whose Devon manor the wily ex-sheriff has appropriated while Arundell was away at the Crusades. Richard claims that the body has been dumped there in order to discredit his new school. The investigation becomes even more complex when another guild-master is found dead on the road from Tavistock to Exeter. Is Nicholas de Arundell, really responsible for the deaths, or is the ex-sheriff just putting up a smoke screen to confuse Crowner John?
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Medieval Coroner will thrill,
By Gareth Wilson - Falcata Times Blog "Falcata T... - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Noble Outlaw (Crowner John Mystery) (Paperback)
The continuing tales of Crowther John and to a new reader of the series is a tale that can be picked up and read without having read the previous installments. As to who this book is perhaps best for I would suggest that fans of Ellis' Brother Cadfael as well as fans of crime novels. Whilst this may confuse the odd reader, being exposed to the medieval world is not only refreshing but allows the reader to become fully engrossed within its pages and if that isn't enough, theres also a list of terms and an explanation of them within the book. What more could you want. For those who are currently wondering as to whom Bernard Knight is, he is perhaps Britain's most predominant retired Coroner and as such brings what many would term as his macabre expertise to the tale. It is this that adds another depth to the tale and for many a reader will increase their enjoyment no end.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From a girls point of view,
By Wysiwyg (Isle of Wight) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Noble Outlaw (Crowner John Mystery) (Paperback)
Like the others who have written reviews, l also have now read all the Crowner John books...l too wish l could read at a slower pace...Dr Knight, has the ability to incorporate actual facts from the 12th centuary, with fun, laughter and a real sense of taking you into the castles, taverns and villages, bringing the characters to life, and no, l defy anyone to guess who done it before being well into their lives.
Although John De Wolfe is a real man's man, Bernard Knight also shows that he has a soft spot for the ladies, one in particular. So girls, turn the phone off, put the kettle on and get into the life, loves and mysteries that are Crowner John.
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