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TRAITOR OF ST GILES: 'Colourful the medieval world might have been, courtly and glamorous, but Michael Jecks exposes the seething hatreds, the primitive passions and the latent brutality lurking below the surface' Northern Echo 'Absorbing, light-hearted' Birmingham Post BELLADONNA AT BELSTONE: 'A commendable achievement' Kirkus Reviews 'Jecks draws his characters with a craftsman's hand, evokes atmosphere with the touch of an old master and keeps you wriggling on the hook of suspense as skilfully as Christie at her best. Enjoyable to the very end' Northern Echo 'Wickedly exciting' Newcastle Evening Chronicle SQUIRE THROWLEIGH'S HEIR: 'An inventive plot, memorable characters, steadily absorbing period background' Kirkus Reviews 'SQUIRE THROWLEIGH'S HEIR...[is] one of the most wickedly plotted medieval mystery novels' The Times 'Jecks has a real knack of bringing to life the medieval era of the West Country...SQUIRE THROWLEIGH'S HEIR has enough twists and turns to satisfy everybody... An excellent adddtion to the series' Shots 'A very well told story with a violent yet convincing plot. Jecks succeeds in writing both a book which smells of the Middle Ages and yet is a detective story. No mean feat' Crime Time Praise for Michael Jecks: 'More superlative stuff from Jecks' NORTH LONDON NEWS "A neatly constructed tale ..." "... an absorbing page-turner ..." "The combination of Jecks's historical research, his caring descriptions of the Devon countryside, his neat way of drawing characters, are shown to their best advantage in this book." SHOTS 'A tortuous and exciting plot... The construction of the story and the sense of period are excellent' Shots 'A gem of historical storytelling...authentic recreation of the modes and manners, superstitions and primitive fears that made up the colourful but brutal tableau of the Middle Ages' Northern Echo 'Girt about with a goodly helping of period authenticity...ends up with a thrilling cop and robber chase on horseback' Oxford Times 'A goodly tale in the vein of Cadfael, and equally enjoyable' Coventry Evening Telegraph 'Like Ellis Peters' Cadfael, Puttock is a carefully drawn character who combines the whodunnit format with a loving attention to detail, with lively, intriguing descriptions. It...will help you turn back the pages of history and enjoy the depth and texture of a long-vanished England' Croydon Advertiser 'A medieval mystery to rank with the best' Northern Echo 'Brisk medieval whodunnit' Literary Review 'Tremendously successful medieval mystery series' Sunday Independent 'Jecks' knowledge of medieval history is impressive and is used here to good effect' Crime Time
Product Description
1322: Lord Hugh de Courtenay’s plan to host a tournament is a fantastic opportunity for the money-lenders of Oakhampton. When the defeated knights find themselves unable to pay the traditional ransoms to their captors, they will have only one avenue open to them – and will accrue interest by the hour. But when the most prominent money-lender, Benjamin Dudenay, is found brutally murdered a month before the festivities, Sir Baldwin Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock find themselves on the trail of a sinister killer...
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Behind the chivalry and pageant of the tournament lie financial double-dealings, crooked contractors and personal grudges. Jecks' regular characters investigate a series of murders in a world of sport which has it's similarities to football or even the F1 circuit, with it's stars and underdogs! If you thought you had a vague idea about tournaments, read this and think again .....
Format:Hardcover
First Sentence: Benjamin Dudenay, known to most people as "Ben the moneylender", was not popular, so his murder caused no distress except to his three outstanding creditors, whose demands for compensation where stolidly rejected by his widow, Maud.
Lord Hugh de Courtenay is hosting a tournament and Bailiff Simon Puttock has been tasked with organizing it. He is there at Oakhampton with his wife, Margaret, new baby, and rebellious daughter, Edith. Simon's friend, Sir Baldwin Furnshill, is also in attendance. They have more than the tournament to occupy them.
First there is the murder of Benjamin Dudenay, money-lender to many of the participants. Shortly thereafter, Wymond, the carpenter preparing the grounds for the tournament, is murdered. When Simon is accused, his and Baldwin must find who is behind the killings.
Jecks is such a wonderfully visual, descriptive writer. His sense of time and place add so much to the reading of his books. I also appreciate that Jecks, rather than present the fairy-tale version of the middle ages, provides a very realistic view of the life and people of the time. While chivalry and honor may have been the aspiration for knights, the reality was a far cry from it.
This book was interesting as you knew the motive from the beginning, but not the identity of the killer. There were multiple threads and characters under threat for various reasons. An interesting element was dealing with homosexuality in that Baldwin, a knight, former Templar and widely traveled, was much more tolerant than his friend Simon.
There were a lot of characters in this story and it would have been confusing if not for the Cast of Characters in the beginning of the book. The primary characters of Simon and Baldwin are ones I very much enjoy, particularly the banter between them. Jecks has done an excellent job of giving life progression and growth to both characters through the series.
The plot was interesting, the dialogue always well done, and the ending unexpected but appropriate for the period. I often think of Christie when I finish a book by Jecks in that both end of with a lot of bodies.
My one critical point is that there seemed to be a fair amount of redundancy. I assume this was done to make a point, but it did become tiresome. This was another solid book in a very well-done series.
Lord Hugh de Courtenay is hosting a tournament and Bailiff Simon Puttock has been tasked with organizing it. He is there at Oakhampton with his wife, Margaret, new baby, and rebellious daughter, Edith. Simon's friend, Sir Baldwin Furnshill, is also in attendance. They have more than the tournament to occupy them.
First there is the murder of Benjamin Dudenay, money-lender to many of the participants. Shortly thereafter, Wymond, the carpenter preparing the grounds for the tournament, is murdered. When Simon is accused, his and Baldwin must find who is behind the killings.
Jecks is such a wonderfully visual, descriptive writer. His sense of time and place add so much to the reading of his books. I also appreciate that Jecks, rather than present the fairy-tale version of the middle ages, provides a very realistic view of the life and people of the time. While chivalry and honor may have been the aspiration for knights, the reality was a far cry from it.
This book was interesting as you knew the motive from the beginning, but not the identity of the killer. There were multiple threads and characters under threat for various reasons. An interesting element was dealing with homosexuality in that Baldwin, a knight, former Templar and widely traveled, was much more tolerant than his friend Simon.
There were a lot of characters in this story and it would have been confusing if not for the Cast of Characters in the beginning of the book. The primary characters of Simon and Baldwin are ones I very much enjoy, particularly the banter between them. Jecks has done an excellent job of giving life progression and growth to both characters through the series.
The plot was interesting, the dialogue always well done, and the ending unexpected but appropriate for the period. I often think of Christie when I finish a book by Jecks in that both end of with a lot of bodies.
My one critical point is that there seemed to be a fair amount of redundancy. I assume this was done to make a point, but it did become tiresome. This was another solid book in a very well-done series.
Format:Paperback
This book is very well constructed with a brilliant cast of characters and has clearly been well researched. Although it is one of a series it is not necessary to read the others before hand. I highly recommend it to any fan of mystery or historical novels- you won't be disapointed!
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