The Wolves of Savernake (Domesday Books)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
`The crouching figure who moved quickly and furtively along the river-bank paid no heed when birch and oak and ash came to life to bend and whisper all around him. He was a creature of the forest and knew its whims and willfulness of old. When a weeping willow dived angrily downwards to sweep the ground then thresh it with violent malice, the man did not even lift his eyes. Alric Longdon was a miller, one of eight in the area, a low, squat, round-shouldered man of forty or more with a compact strength in his hunched frame and a face as big, white, and plain as a sack of his own flour. He was carrying something in his hand and scurried along with a stealth born of long acquaintance with Savernake. Tied to the river for his livelihood, married indissolubly to the swift current of this tributary of the Kennet, he listened to the restless surge and followed water to his destination.'
The murder of a wealthy miller beckons two of King William the Conqueror's cleverest men to the town of Bedwyn to uncover dark secrets and find a two-legged killer more savage than any beast.
The murder of a wealthy miller beckons two of King William the Conqueror's cleverest men to the town of Bedwyn to uncover dark secrets and find a two-legged killer more savage than any beast.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
First Sentence: Savernake Forest trembled in the fading light.
Set 20 years after William the Conqueror becomes king, royal tribunals are sent throughout England to compile a comprehensive assessment of his land and resources and the extent of taxes he could raise.
Although one tribunal has already visited Bedwyn, a letter received from the town's miller has prompted the sending of a second tribunal consisting of knight, Ralph Delchard, lawyer Gervase Bret, Canon Hubert and Brother Simon.
Before they arrive, the miller has been brutally killed, apparently by a wolf. Ralph suspect the cause of death was more human than animal.
This is another of those authors I can't believe I've not previously read. His writing is so visual and his descriptions so lush, I was drawn in from the very beginning. I love that he almost anthropomorphized nature: "...a weeping willow dived angrily downwards..." The scene when the members of the tribunal ride to the top of a hill and look down on Stonehenge is wonderfully done. I am not one for "casting" a book, but I found myself so doing with Delchard and Gervase.
The sense of time and place are so strong but not glamorized. Marston realistically portrays how little power most women had over their own lives and how superstition was rife. The dialogue is effective in conveying a sense of the period without making it difficult to read. There was wonderful humor to offset the brutality of the deaths.
The story is very well plotted. I certainly did not identify the killer until they were exposed. I'm now off to find all the rest of Marston's books.
Set 20 years after William the Conqueror becomes king, royal tribunals are sent throughout England to compile a comprehensive assessment of his land and resources and the extent of taxes he could raise.
Although one tribunal has already visited Bedwyn, a letter received from the town's miller has prompted the sending of a second tribunal consisting of knight, Ralph Delchard, lawyer Gervase Bret, Canon Hubert and Brother Simon.
Before they arrive, the miller has been brutally killed, apparently by a wolf. Ralph suspect the cause of death was more human than animal.
This is another of those authors I can't believe I've not previously read. His writing is so visual and his descriptions so lush, I was drawn in from the very beginning. I love that he almost anthropomorphized nature: "...a weeping willow dived angrily downwards..." The scene when the members of the tribunal ride to the top of a hill and look down on Stonehenge is wonderfully done. I am not one for "casting" a book, but I found myself so doing with Delchard and Gervase.
The sense of time and place are so strong but not glamorized. Marston realistically portrays how little power most women had over their own lives and how superstition was rife. The dialogue is effective in conveying a sense of the period without making it difficult to read. There was wonderful humor to offset the brutality of the deaths.
The story is very well plotted. I certainly did not identify the killer until they were exposed. I'm now off to find all the rest of Marston's books.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Edward Marston is the pseudonym of Keith Miles, a fairly prolific and extremely good writer of mainly Elizabethan and medieval mysteries. He has also written mysteries under his own name with both sporting and golf backgrounds. However it is primarily the books that take place earlier in history that I am interested in. He read modern history at Oxford and has had many jobs, including university lecturer, but fortunately for all his readers, he turned to the writing profession.
This is the first book I ever read by Edward Marston. It is about a period of history that I love and once I had read it, I eagerly sought out all other books by the author and I have never been disappointed. His Elizabethan theatre series of books were wonderful and he has continued them through from 1988 to 2006. The Domesday series is also a great series and this is the first book in the series.
When a wealthy miller is murdered it prompts the attention of William I, better known as William the Conqueror. He immediately despatches two of his most able men to the town of Bedwyn to uncover the murderer and bring them to justice. It takes all of their knowledge and determination to uncover a two-legged killer, much more cunning and far more savage than any animal.
This is the first book I ever read by Edward Marston. It is about a period of history that I love and once I had read it, I eagerly sought out all other books by the author and I have never been disappointed. His Elizabethan theatre series of books were wonderful and he has continued them through from 1988 to 2006. The Domesday series is also a great series and this is the first book in the series.
When a wealthy miller is murdered it prompts the attention of William I, better known as William the Conqueror. He immediately despatches two of his most able men to the town of Bedwyn to uncover the murderer and bring them to justice. It takes all of their knowledge and determination to uncover a two-legged killer, much more cunning and far more savage than any animal.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
I had previously read a couple of Edward Marston's "Railway Detective" stories and so was enthusiastic to try something from a different historic era.
The Wolves of Savernake didn't disappoint - the characters were well developed - intellectual Gervase and flawed Ralph and the premise of the story was well thought out. The commissioners travel from county to county resolving disputes (and crimes) in the wake of the creation of the Domesday book. The descriptive passages were very believeable especially as I know Salisbury plain and the Savernake area.
The details of the plot were well planned and it was not until a few pages before the end that I began to get a glimpse of who the murderer was.
I feel sure that I will return to read more titles from this series.
Why only 4 stars you might ask? Well, there are some unfortunate typos in the Kindle version so I've down-graded whatt would otherwise be a 5 star rating!
The Wolves of Savernake didn't disappoint - the characters were well developed - intellectual Gervase and flawed Ralph and the premise of the story was well thought out. The commissioners travel from county to county resolving disputes (and crimes) in the wake of the creation of the Domesday book. The descriptive passages were very believeable especially as I know Salisbury plain and the Savernake area.
The details of the plot were well planned and it was not until a few pages before the end that I began to get a glimpse of who the murderer was.
I feel sure that I will return to read more titles from this series.
Why only 4 stars you might ask? Well, there are some unfortunate typos in the Kindle version so I've down-graded whatt would otherwise be a 5 star rating!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
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.
|
