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The Grim Reaper (A Crowner John Mystery) (Hardcover)

by Bernard Knight (Author) "A thunderous knocking on the street door dimly penetrated Sir John de Wolfe's consciousness and triggered a throbbing headache that told of too much wine..." (more)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd (2 April 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0684860708
  • ISBN-13: 978-0684860701
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 963,392 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #28 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > K > Knight, Bernard

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Product Description

Product Description

Sixth novel in the increasingly popular mediaeval mystery series featuring Crowner John, Devon's first county coroner. May 1195, and Sir John de Wolfe is faced with a strange series of serial murders, which begins with the suffocation of a Jewish money-lender and proceeds through that of a London harlot, a dissolute priest and a burgess suspected of abusing young boys. The common factor is that an appropriate Biblical text is left at each murder scene, the mode of which reflects the alleged sin of the victim. This means that a literate and Bible-learned killer is involved - which, in an age where only 1% of the population can read or write - can only be a priest. There are seventeen parish churches in Exeter, so the killer could be any one of about a hundred clerics. Crowner John sets about to discover the identity of the homicidal priest.


About the Author

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. The author of ten novels, a biography and numerous popular and academic non-fiction books, he has written five books in the Crowner John series, The Sanctuary Seeker, The Poisoned Chalice, Crowner's Quest, The Awful Secret and The Tinner's Corpse.
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A thunderous knocking on the street door dimly penetrated Sir John de Wolfe's consciousness and triggered a throbbing headache that told of too much wine the previous evening. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This Series is Highly Enjoyable, 17 Dec 2006
By J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Grim Reaper (A Crowner John Mystery) (Paperback)
Bernard Knight, or to give him his correct title, Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, was a pathologist to the Home office until 1980 when he was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology at the University of Wales College of medicine, 1980. He has written the extremely successful Crowner John series of medieval mysteries, of which there are now ten or eleven books, His character Crowner John is certainly among my favourite characters in medieval mysteries.

May, 1195 and Sir John de Wolfe, better known to friend and enemy alike as Crowner John, Devon's first county coroner is faced with a series of serial murders. The first one is the suffocation of a Jewish money lender, followed by that of a London harlot and a priest and burgess suspected of abusing young boys. The common denominator that links all of the murders is a Biblical text left at the scene of each of the crimes.

Sir John knows that only one per cent of the population can read or write and for anyone to be literate and have knowledge of the Bible points to the fact that they are more than likely a priest. The problem is that there are a multitude of churches in Exeter, so the killer could be one of a large number of clerics, but Sir John takes his new post very seriously and will not let anything stand in his way of solving the crime, even the interfering Sheriff, Sir Richard de Revelle who is also John's brother-in-law and is not at all happy at Sir John being given the post of Devon's first coroner.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A Knight of an Author, 23 Jul 2009
By P. Schaum "prussblue" (St. Louis area, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Grim Reaper (A Crowner John Mystery) (Paperback)
Knight has been writing this and other genre for some time and he never falls short of the goal of good story telling. He and Michael Jecks are my favorite medieval murder mystery writers.
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3.0 out of 5 stars Fear the Reaper, 9 Dec 2008
By Sam "samueltyler" (Reading, Berkshire) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Grim Reaper (A Crowner John Mystery) (Paperback)
In Norman England religion was a far more powerful factor than it is today. The Church had plenty of land and wealth meaning it influenced the day to day lives of everyone. An advantage of working for the Church was the education you received as you would become one of the select people able to read and write. Therefore, when a murder would occur which was linked to some writing the suspect list was greatly reduced. This is the situation that Sir John de Wolfe finds himself investigating after a Jewish money lender is butchered. He must investigate some of the most intelligent and wealthy men in the area.

`The Grim Reaper' is a surprisingly modern feeling book when considering its Norman England setting. The case itself is atypical of many crime novels as a deranged serial killer is on the loose. However, the setting means that it is unlike any modern version and for that it stands out. De Wolfe is a great central character and you appreciate his straight minded justice throughout. It's unfortunate that the techniques of the time are so backwards as you imagine a modern version of him would make a great detective. As a fast paced crime book I enjoyed this, but felt that the story went around in a few too many circles and that the conclusion was a little disappointing. Bernard Knight is able to balance the classic crime elements of the story with historical interest very well; it is the nature of the crimes themselves that make the book feel a little average.
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