The Knights Templar Mysteries –
Book XXVIII
Michael Jecks
Simon and Schuster UK
5 March 2011/ ISBN 1847379009
Historical Mystery /1326 Bristol and environs, England
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Reviewed
by Rachel A Hyde
Britain is at
war with itself, riven between those who still support King Edward
II and those who follow his wife, Isabella, and want a change of
ruler. Amongst all the brutality, a heinous crime does not go unnoticed,
the slaughter of an entire family in Bristol. This begets more murders,
and Simon Puttock is called upon to investigate by none other than
the queen’s lover, the powerful Sir Roger Mortimer. Meanwhile,
Sir Baldwin de Furnshill has his own troubles…
This is one of the longest-running histmyst series and it is easy
to see why. Its roots lie in the early days of the genre’s
popularity, and the first books were comparatively gentle, almost
cozy. Now the genre is no longer fashionable and the taste is for
full-blooded warts-and-all history. Mr Jecks has tailored his books
to suit, hence his continuing popularity when other series have
fallen away. If you are hoping for a straight murder mystery, you
won’t find it here; although there are murders, they are not
what the book is all about. Any traces of coziness have long since
departed this series and, instead, the author paints a compelling
picture of what it must have been like in those days. This was not
a good time to live whether you were an insignificant commoner like
Simon and his family, a peasant drafted as a soldier, or a noble
person who had backed the wrong side. As factual history holds the
center stage, the detective part takes a back seat. This is all
too true, as this certainly won’t be what you remember about
the book. But as textbook history explodes to life in this book
with such energy, all but the most die-hard mystery readers are
sure to find much to praise.
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