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Knights Templar #20
A Friar's Bloodfeud
The twentieth novel in Michael Jecks's medieval Knights Templar series.
March 1323: in the rural idyll of Iddesleigh, a gang of men break into the home of Bailiff Simon Puttock's servant and attack his family. When word reaches Simon, he and Sir Baldwin de Funshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, hurry to the home, finding it burned to the ground and the bodies from within already buried.
Could this be the result of a tragic accident, or is a darker force at work? As Baldwin and Simon attempt to uncover the truth, it quickly becomes clear that a terrible evil lurks in the land, and that the pain and bloodshed are far from over.
March 1323: in the rural idyll of Iddesleigh, a gang of men break into the home of Bailiff Simon Puttock's servant and attack his family. When word reaches Simon, he and Sir Baldwin de Funshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, hurry to the home, finding it burned to the ground and the bodies from within already buried.
Could this be the result of a tragic accident, or is a darker force at work? As Baldwin and Simon attempt to uncover the truth, it quickly becomes clear that a terrible evil lurks in the land, and that the pain and bloodshed are far from over.
500 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2005
28 people are currently reading
333 people want to read
About the author
Michael Jecks
122 books623 followersMichael Jecks is a best-selling writer of historical novels. The son of an Actuary, and the youngest of four brothers, he worked in the computer industry before becoming a novelist full time in 1994
He is the author of the internationally popular Templar series, perhaps the longest crime series written by a living author. Unusually, the series looks again at actual events and murders committed about the early fourteenth century, a fabulous time of treachery, civil war, deceit and corruption. Famine, war and disease led to widespread despair, and yet the people showed themselves to be resilient. The series is available as ebooks and all paper formats from Harper Collins, Headline and Simon and Schuster. More recently he has completed his Vintener Trilogy, three stories in his Bloody Mary series, and a new Crusades story set in 1096, Pilgrim's War, following some of the people in the first Crusade on their long pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He has also written a highly acclaimed modern spy thriller, Act of Vengeance.
His books have won him international acclaim and in 2007 his Death Ship of Dartmouth was shortlisted for the Harrogate prize for the best crime novel of the year.
A member of the Society of Authors and Royal Literary Society, Jecks was the Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association in 2004-2005. In 2005 he became a member of the Detection Club.
From 1998 he organised the CWA Debut Dagger competition for two years, helping unpublished authors to win their first contracts He judged the CWA/Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for three years.
Michael Jecks is a popular speaker at literary festivals and historical meetings. He is a popular after-dinner and motivational speaker and has spoken at events from Colombia to Italy, Portugal to Alaska.
His own highlights are: being the Grand Marshal of the first parade at the New Orleans 2014 Mardi Gras, designing the Michael Jecks fountain pen for Conway Stewart, and being the International Guest of Honour at the Crime Writers of Canada Bloody Words convention.
Michael lives, walks, writes and paints in North Dartmoor.
He is the author of the internationally popular Templar series, perhaps the longest crime series written by a living author. Unusually, the series looks again at actual events and murders committed about the early fourteenth century, a fabulous time of treachery, civil war, deceit and corruption. Famine, war and disease led to widespread despair, and yet the people showed themselves to be resilient. The series is available as ebooks and all paper formats from Harper Collins, Headline and Simon and Schuster. More recently he has completed his Vintener Trilogy, three stories in his Bloody Mary series, and a new Crusades story set in 1096, Pilgrim's War, following some of the people in the first Crusade on their long pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He has also written a highly acclaimed modern spy thriller, Act of Vengeance.
His books have won him international acclaim and in 2007 his Death Ship of Dartmouth was shortlisted for the Harrogate prize for the best crime novel of the year.
A member of the Society of Authors and Royal Literary Society, Jecks was the Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association in 2004-2005. In 2005 he became a member of the Detection Club.
From 1998 he organised the CWA Debut Dagger competition for two years, helping unpublished authors to win their first contracts He judged the CWA/Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for three years.
Michael Jecks is a popular speaker at literary festivals and historical meetings. He is a popular after-dinner and motivational speaker and has spoken at events from Colombia to Italy, Portugal to Alaska.
His own highlights are: being the Grand Marshal of the first parade at the New Orleans 2014 Mardi Gras, designing the Michael Jecks fountain pen for Conway Stewart, and being the International Guest of Honour at the Crime Writers of Canada Bloody Words convention.
Michael lives, walks, writes and paints in North Dartmoor.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 27, 2017
I'm reading these books somewhat out of order - the order the library has them available - but in the end it doesn't really matter. Every book is its own story and while the characters change and grow, you don't need to read them in sequence at all.
In this story, two knights with opposed lords are feuding over land even as killings are taking place in a small rural area of two communities. The story is loaded with historical details and information as usual in this series, but told well and with an entertaining manner rather than lecturing. Our two heroes Baldwin and Puttock don't get into any fights this time around, but there's plenty of clashes between the two knights as their opposition builds trying to control more of the others' lands.
There are some very dark and awful scenes, but told without glee or excessive detail, and always with a ray of hope, because justice will come in the hands and sword of the two heroes. Always worth a read, these Templar mysteries.
In this story, two knights with opposed lords are feuding over land even as killings are taking place in a small rural area of two communities. The story is loaded with historical details and information as usual in this series, but told well and with an entertaining manner rather than lecturing. Our two heroes Baldwin and Puttock don't get into any fights this time around, but there's plenty of clashes between the two knights as their opposition builds trying to control more of the others' lands.
There are some very dark and awful scenes, but told without glee or excessive detail, and always with a ray of hope, because justice will come in the hands and sword of the two heroes. Always worth a read, these Templar mysteries.
January 17, 2009
This book is great. What's not to like?
I fully admit that this is the only one of Jecks' Knights Templars mysteries that I've read, but I somehow suspect I'm not being unfair in claiming that this is, essentially, a series about a man who solves crimes by looking at people WITH HIS EYES and liking dogs.
I was particularly touched by the fact that Jecks had clearly read a book about the period he was writing in, and Really Wanted You To Know about it. His sensational critique of the feudal system would have been even more damning had he not tied himself up in knots trying to indicate how a man at the centre of it (a king's man and knight, no less) really had lots of kindly feelings towards the humble serfs he encountered on a daily basis. Obviously benevolent feudalism is, in Jecks' eyes, a bit of of an oxymoron, but I like the way he really tried to convince himself for a bit back there.
I was also impressed by the fact that Jecks had so obviously attended some kind of creative writing course. Unfortunately it is evident that he never got beyond the first day of said course ('writing a dramatic introduction: a day-long seminar'), as a good three-quarters of this book consists of two-paragraph individual introductions to two whole village-fulls of characters, each beginning with phrases like 'X stared out at the frosty morn of the harsh midwinter' and 'It was a chill morning in early March' and 'Baldwin awoke to find the morning overcast and grim'.
I learned lots about the weather and even more about how to use my eyes to elicit confessions from the foolish masses. Will definitely be reading more of these.
I fully admit that this is the only one of Jecks' Knights Templars mysteries that I've read, but I somehow suspect I'm not being unfair in claiming that this is, essentially, a series about a man who solves crimes by looking at people WITH HIS EYES and liking dogs.
I was particularly touched by the fact that Jecks had clearly read a book about the period he was writing in, and Really Wanted You To Know about it. His sensational critique of the feudal system would have been even more damning had he not tied himself up in knots trying to indicate how a man at the centre of it (a king's man and knight, no less) really had lots of kindly feelings towards the humble serfs he encountered on a daily basis. Obviously benevolent feudalism is, in Jecks' eyes, a bit of of an oxymoron, but I like the way he really tried to convince himself for a bit back there.
I was also impressed by the fact that Jecks had so obviously attended some kind of creative writing course. Unfortunately it is evident that he never got beyond the first day of said course ('writing a dramatic introduction: a day-long seminar'), as a good three-quarters of this book consists of two-paragraph individual introductions to two whole village-fulls of characters, each beginning with phrases like 'X stared out at the frosty morn of the harsh midwinter' and 'It was a chill morning in early March' and 'Baldwin awoke to find the morning overcast and grim'.
I learned lots about the weather and even more about how to use my eyes to elicit confessions from the foolish masses. Will definitely be reading more of these.
February 7, 2018
Full review at classicmystery.wordpress.com
April 7, 2018
Great book
Author takes the reader on a wild ride. So many pieces floating through
out the book but caught and brought to the final end
Author takes the reader on a wild ride. So many pieces floating through
out the book but caught and brought to the final end
September 2, 2021
I fail to see the point of killing off one of the minor recurring characters.
As with the last few books, the violence meted out to some characters appears gratuitous to me.
As with the last few books, the violence meted out to some characters appears gratuitous to me.
September 12, 2022
Medieval times were violent, raw, mean and this novel points how just how terrible they were.
June 9, 2016
The combination of Hugh's story/tragedy and the larger political context of Edward II and his favorites, the Despensers, makes this one of the more successful books in the series. As some have pointed out, there is only one Templar in the book and the relevance of that has been bypassed many books ago. Instead, we have come to know Devon and its legal proceedings, its hierarchies and its struggles. What were fairly wooden characters in the early volumes have slowly grown into fuller depictions, and as characters begin to die off, Jecks has set the scene for our truly caring about them and the consequences. (To get the full impact, however, you need to have read the series, uneven as it can be. His sometimes clunky style and characterization are balanced by fine local historical research.) He still tries to put in too many characters and twists, though in service to keeping us solving the mystery--this one is more successful than most, and I had missed Hugh after his marriage. Putting a "minor" and less "photogenic" character at the center of motivation is a nice move.
August 4, 2016
It took me several chapters to really get into this book because of the plethora of characters and multiple narratives. However, I eventually did come to enjoy the book, though I do think Jecks could have left out a couple of character story-lines. While reading this book, I was never quite clear if I was missing some crucial background information because this book seems to be a part of a larger series. You certainly can pick it up and read as is, but if someone could clarify if there's a "book 1" to start with, then I would recommend doing that. It's very clear that Jecks is leading the reader down a certain line of thinking as to the perpetrator of the criminal acts in the story, but I wasn't expecting the ending. This book was something I just stumbled upon and randomly took up, but I would recommend it, especially if you're interested in medieval settings.
November 7, 2011
I admit it, I didn't actually read this book from start to finish. I was so upset about Hugh's family that I skipped all of the other stuff and just went to the end to find out if Hugh and his family escaped. I really didn't care about the rest of the intrigue. Now I have no desire to go back and read the rest, but am anticipating #21 in the Knights Templar to see how Hugh deals with everything. I missed him when he went off to get married; I really liked his character. I hope he doesn't change too much in the next book from what he was like before he married.
January 24, 2012
This book is all set around the village of Iddesleigh, and in the front there is a map of the area. For me, it's always a delight to base a book on a place I know really well, and this village is the one I cycle to for my training, while the pub is, for me, one of the very best in the country. The Duke of Yorks also benefits from being the favourite of the War Horse author, Michael Morpurgo. So we've both got stories from the same pub. It can't be bad!
February 29, 2016
I listened to this as an audio book. If you like historical who dunnits then this is for you - it has everything, downtrodden peasants, wicked knights, noble knights, battles, intrigue and so many plot twists and turns that by the end I had no idea who had done what! Lots of double dealing and pillaging.
It is part of a series but it was still fine as a stand alone novel.
It made me glad that I did not live in those turbulent times!!
It is part of a series but it was still fine as a stand alone novel.
It made me glad that I did not live in those turbulent times!!
July 5, 2023
(1st BTA) I found this quite a confusing cast of characters to follow. Not sure why as I did try to concentrate. I just couldn't keep the characters straight in my mind and had to continually re-read previous pages to keep the story straight in my mind. Good ending though. "In war, it was always best to surprise the enemy"
July 11, 2015
The Clues are in the Book
As usual, Jecks keeps to his recipe of great characters, plausible events, fascinating venues and impeccable attention to historical details.
This one is special because the mystery itself takes center stage. It can be solved before it is revealed, but I bet you won't get it.
As usual, Jecks keeps to his recipe of great characters, plausible events, fascinating venues and impeccable attention to historical details.
This one is special because the mystery itself takes center stage. It can be solved before it is revealed, but I bet you won't get it.
April 27, 2009
book 20
February 2, 2014
As usual with Michael Jecks, a good read. The only issue I had with it was trying to remember which character was on which side. Although the character list at the beginning was helpful.
January 20, 2008
Absolutely must read historical fiction.
April 27, 2009
book 20
September 6, 2011
Interesting but so many characters make it quite difficult to follow.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews