A Friar’s Bloodfeud by Michael Jecks
Posted on October 15th, 2009
A Friar’s Bloodfeud: A Knights Templar Mystery
By Michael Jecks
Headline (UK)
Chaucer may have wistfully written about a time in fourteenth century England “When the sweet showers of April have pierced / The drought of March, and pierced it to the root,” but his idyllic imagery simply does not apply to Michael Jecks’s harsh vision of England as it might have been in March of 1324. Spring’s sweet showers may be on their way when the action of A Friar’s Bloodfeud begins, but the brutality of a cruel winter in the West Country of medieval England is far from over.
The battle-hardened, wise-in-the-ways-of-the-world Sir Baldwin Furnshill, former Knight Templar, and his friend, the less worldly, more superstitious Bailiff Simon Puttock join forces—once again in this the fifteenth installment of Jecks’s immensely popular mystery series. The unlikely team sets off to investigate a series of disturbing incidents in the villages of Iddesleigh, Monkleigh, Fishleigh, and the surrounding countryside: A sergeant of the Monkleigh estates is apparently murdered prior to—or perhaps during—a cross-country competition involving dozens of villagers; Lady Lucy of Meeth is brutally tortured in an apparent bid by someone who is eager to have her relinquish title to her landholdings; Simon Puttock’s servant, Hugh, at home for a while with his wife and their small child fall victim to a blood-thirsty group of murderous marauders.
When he arrives at the West Country locale, Sir Baldwin ponders the possible connections between the seemingly isolated incidents. He begins to focus quite reasonably upon the growing tensions between certain cold-blooded allies of the king—especially Hugh Despenser and Sir Geoffrey Servington—and the king’s allies’ apparent opponents, including Lord Hugh de Courtenay, Sir Odo de Bordeaux, and Sir John Scully. It seems as though “feuds and disagreements are rife all over the country,” as one local priest observes; moreover, “Everywhere is in ferment,” apparently because some people have property and power but certain other covetous persons crave those advantages.
Appearances in Iddelsleigh, Monkleigh, and Fishleigh, however, can be deceiving, as Sir Baldwin knows only too well after his many experiences both on and off the battlefield; as an example, the fairly recent arrival and continuing presence of Friar Humphrey as an aide to the aging cleric in Monkleigh has very much puzzled Father Matthew, the local priest in nearby Iddlesleigh, and Sir Baldwin—when he looks closer at everything—begins to suspect disturbingly deep, dark reasons for the violence and evil that continue to threaten the region.
A Friar’s Bloodfeud, like Jecks’s other Knights Templar mysteries, is dominated by a complicated plot, more than a few equally complicated subplots, dozens upon dozens of intriguing characters, and a treasure trove of atmospheric medieval detail. “Skillfully evoking the colorful, but often brutal tableaux of the Middle Ages,” as the publisher accurately observes, Jecks provides readers with plenty of intrigue and historical detail. Sometimes, as in this latest serving of medieval mayhem and mystery, it can seem a bit too Byzantine and disorganized for the uninitiated reader, so patience is a prerequisite to reading a Jecks novel. He writes solidly in the tradition of Ellis Peters, and Jecks’s A Friar’s Bloodfeud should appeal to fans of the genre who enjoy lively, intelligent, compelling historical mysteries. And now that Trafalgar Square Books of Vermont is distributing Jecks’ books in the United States, American readers have easy access to this Sir Baldwin adventure all of his other Knight’s Templar Mysteries.
Tags: Bailiff, Chaucer, Cross Country Competition, Cruel Winter, De Bordeaux, Fall Victim, Feuds, Fourteenth Century, Hugh Despenser, Isolated Incidents, John Scully, Knight Templar, Lady Lucy, Marauders, Medieval England, Meeth, Michael Jecks, Mystery Series, Sir Geoffrey, West Country
Filed under News and Reviews |
Comments are closed.