A Friar's Bloodfeud
Medieval West Country Mystery Series, No. 20
by Michael Jecks
Baldwin and Simon can chalk up their twentieth case with this latest offering, set in rural
Devon. Fishleigh and Monkleigh are on opposing sides in a game of primitive football,
but soon their respective masters, Sir Odo de Bordeaux and Sir Geoffrey Servington, are
to clash for rather weightier reasons. Sir Geoffrey's steward has been found dead, Lady
Lucy is missing and Simon's old servant Hugh has perished with his wife and son in a
deliberately set house fire. This sounds like a job for the coroner, but it looks as
though Baldwin and Simon might make more sense of the matter.
This is a dark tale of darker times, and if you like the historical along with the
crime, then this book ought to appeal. There is plenty of both in here, with a bleak
look at the times when Edward II was king and Lord Despenser actually ruled and did as
he pleased. This begets crime, and the murders in here are a world away from the more
contrived ones in cozier books.
Jecks has found his style after trying others, and if you think that historical whodunits
are cozy, then you ought to read this (although it would make more sense if you read the
other nineteen first). If it isn't hard to guess whodunit for some of the crimes, it is
for others and although book has over 400 pages, there is so much in here that I can
honestly say that this is one long book that actually does contain a long story. This
is an equal balancing act between historical background and the mystery that leaves the
reader feeling satisfied. There are faults, of course, and anybody who has read all the
other books will have noticed Simon's quite dramatic changes in appearance, such as growing
taller than Baldwin without even going near a rack. But this is nitpicking in the face
of a good story and plenty of realism in all senses of the word (ie pertaining to reality
as well as being grim and gritty). A strong series that gets stronger. |
The Book |
Headline |
December 2005 |
Hardback |
0755322991 |
Historical Crime [1324 Devon, UK] |
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|| UK |
Excerpt |
NOTE: Violence |
The Reviewer |
Rachel A Hyde |
Reviewed 2006 |
NOTE: |
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