| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'Michael Jecks has a way of dipping into the past and giving it the immediacy of a present-day newspaper article...He writes...with such convincing charm that you expect to walk round a corner in Tavistock and meet some of the characters...Jecks writes with passion and historical accuracy. Devon and Cornwall do not seem the same after reading his dramatic tales' Oxford Times
Product Description
It is the summer of 1322 and two playmates have uncovered the body of a young girl up on the moors. The body is that of Aline, the ten-year-old daughter of Swetricus, who went missing six years ago. Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, and his friend Bailiff Simon Puttock are summoned to investigate, and soon discover Aline is not the only young girl to have been found dead in recent years. It seems that the villagers have been concealing not only a serial killer, but a possible case of cannibalism. Or even, if the rumours are to be believed, a vampire!
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
The strife nearly overwhelmed the story,
By
This review is from: The Sticklepath Strangler (Hardcover)
First Sentence: They were out there.
It started with the death of young girls, and the accusation of cannibalism, the murder of an innocent man and his curse on the village. Now a young girl's skull has been found and Sir Baldwin de Fernshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, Bailiff Simon Puttock and Coroner Roger de Gidleigh travel to the village of Sticklepath; a place of death and secrets. The death toll keeps rising. Jecks is so good at not only establishing a sense of time and place, but creating an atmosphere. The depth and extent of his research is always evident. He clearly expresses the hardship and cruelty of life from disease, nature, as well as the abuses by those in power and the extent to which the desperate can be driven. In spite of the power of the Catholic Church over people lives, this is still a time of superstition and fear of witches and spirits. Jecks' Author's Notes at the beginning of the book are informative and interesting. Having a Cast of Characters is such an asset and I'm glad Jecks included it. Even without it, the characters are distinctive and memorable, particularly the two protagonists; Baldwin and Simon. They are friends but, due to their backgrounds and experiences, very different in outlook and attitude. Baldwin is an ex-Templar knight and who's experiences have resulted in his being more accepting and open minded. This book is filled with characters, quite a few are very unpleasant, yet I never identified the killer. This brings me to the plot. In some ways, I found it so depressing, it was hard to get through. If anything I felt Jecks was so caught up in bringing the period to life, he lost the tautness of the story. The positive side is that there were no portents or clues one could pick up so I certainly never saw the end coming. Justice was served but I wasn't completely happy with the way in which it was done--but that may be just me. As an author of historical mysteries, Jecks ranks among the best for accuracy. It will be interesting to see how the series progresses. THE STICKLEPATH STRANGLER (Hist Mys-Sir Baldwin de Furnshill/Simon Puttock-England-Middle Ages/1322) - Good Jecks, Michael - 12th in series Headline, ©2001, UK Hardcover - ISBN: 074726919X
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sricklepath Strangler,
By
This review is from: The Sticklepath Strangler (Medieval West Country Mysteries) (Paperback)
We have read 12 of the first books in the Templar Mysteries, and both of us think the Sticklepath Strangler is one of the best. As usual, you don't really know the culprit until the last few pages. A really great read. We plan to read the remaining books in the series.
3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
a depressing tale,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Sticklepath Strangler (Medieval West Country Mysteries) (Paperback)
Unlike Jeck's earlier novels this one is relentlessly depressing - it really drags you down with it. It describes a village where murder, incest, rape, famine, cannibalism and superstition reign supreme. Jecks evokes a truly chilling atmosphere but for me this was unrealistic because there was no glimmer of hope or light in the darkness of the life there. Even the end of the book leaves you with a feeling of despair at the human condition - but I don't agree that it is this bad or that mediaeval life was so unremittingly terrible. The book also seems to be very drawn out and would be improved by some judicious cutting.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
