The Noble Outlaw (Crowner John Mystery) [Paperback]

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

"Brings medieval Exeter to life with gritty realism, smells and all, but with an underlying sympathy and humor." --"Historical Novels Review"

Exeter, 1195. Renovations at the new school in Smythen Street are disrupted by the shocking discovery of a partially mummified corpse hidden in the rafters - and Sir John de Wolfe, the county coroner is called to investigate. Richard de Revelle, Sir John's brother-in-law and founder of the school, immediately tries to blame Nicholas de Arundell, a young outlawed knight living rough on Dartmoor. As Sir John discovers, Nicholas has good reason to bear a grudge against the unscrupulous de Revelle. But is he really a killer? With the victim's identity unknown and the motive a mystery, the murder remains unsolved. But then comes news of a second violent death - and Sir John is forced to track down the 'noble outlaw' in order to find the answers.

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.