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Crispin Guest Medieval Noir #1
Veil of Lies
Crispin Guest is a disgraced knight, stripped of his rank and his honor - but left with his life - for plotting against Richard II. Having lost his bethrothed, his friends, his patrons and his position in society. With no trade to support him and no family willing to acknowledge him, Crispin has turned to the one thing he still has - his wits - to scrape a living together on the mean streets of London. In 1383, Guest is called to the compound of a merchant - a reclusive mercer who suspects that his wife is being unfaithful and wants Guest to look into the matter. Not wishing to sully himself in such disgraceful, dishonorable business but in dire need of money, Guest agrees and discovers that the wife is indeed up to something, presumably nothing good. But when he comes to inform his client, he is found dead - murdered in a sealed room, locked from the inside. Now Guest has come to the unwanted attention of the Lord Sheriff of London and most recent client was murdered while he was working for him. And everything seems to turn on a religious relic - a veil reported to have wiped the brow of Christ - that is now missing.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published October 28, 2008
182 people are currently reading
3765 people want to read
About the author
Jeri Westerson
50 books427 followersLos Angeles native JERI WESTERSON currently writes two new series: a Tudor mystery series, the King’s Fool Mysteries, with Henry VIII’s real court jester Will Somers as the sleuth and a Sherlockian pastiche series called An Irregular Detective Mystery, with one of Holmes’ former Baker Street Irregulars opening his own detective agency. She’s also written fifteen Crispin Guest Medieval Noir Mysteries, a series nominated for thirteen awards from the Agatha, to the Macavity, to the Shamus. She’s written several paranormal series (including a gaslamp-steampunk fantasy series), standalone historical novels, and had stories in several anthologies, the latest of which was included in SOUTH CENTRAL NOIR, an Akashic Noir anthology. She has served as president of the SoCal Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, president and vice president for two chapters of Sisters in Crime (Orange County and Los Angeles), and is also a founding member of the SoCal chapter of the Historical Novel Society. See JeriWesterson.com for discussion guides, book trailers, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews
September 9, 2023
ACTUALLY 4.5 but IT COULD BE 5 STARS.
I give it 4.5 and indeed I don't round up as usual, but down, because there is one thing that really disappointed me and I can't forgive the author for that (I'll explain further below, next to the word SPOILER...you choose whether to read it or not).
I will start by saying that the protagonist has already become one of my favorite characters and that I will continue with this series until the 15th and final book (alternating with other readings, so that this pleasure will last longer) where I hope our tormented hero can finally find the happiness he deserves.
__THE PLOT __ Crispin Guest is in fact a former knight, deprived of his noble title and all his possessions and banished from King Richard II's court.
He was estranged from his girlfriend and friends because of a stupid, but for that time, serious mistake of youth, considered treason, dictated by passion and affection towards the lord who had made him his pupil, none other than the uncle of the king himself.
In 14th century London, Crispin has now lived for 8 years in the slums of the city, surrounded by people who he used to look at from the top of his horse and to whom he would throw a coin for charity.
Crispin makes his living finding missing things, which is why he is called the "Tracker" and now being casually involved in a murder, he will find himself investigating the case, partly by personal choice and partly under duress from the sheriff.
I appreciated this book from the first lines and I think it is really well written. We have:
1) an intricate mystery to solve.
2) a fascinating and credible protagonist + equally credible supporting characters.
3) the historical background, the meticulously described setting and the theme of actually existing historical relics + stories and legends developed around them.
4) an unexpected hint of a romantic plot that develops in parallel.
__THE MYSTERY TO SOLVE ___The mystery begins with a murder, and it may seem like "the usual crime in the locked room", a theme that has now been read and reread, but the truth behind the heinous act is much more complicated and it touches more aspects of the victim's life, of the people related to the victim and of the political life of the English kingdom.
The more the main character, Crispin Guest, investigates, the more the mystery expands in an intricate and engaging way.
The plot is tight and believable, never boring, never!
The dialogues are good and there is emotional intensity.
The feelings of each character are well described or can be well guessed when described only by the reactions of the characters themselves.
There are surprising twists and turns and the background of a dark and damp London, with its cobblestone streets and alleyways with strong smells comes to life as if we were actually on the scene.
___ MEDIEVAL NOIR___ The author defines her book (the entire series) as medieval noir, a "hard boiled set in the Middle Ages" and she clearly says (at the end of the book) that Crispin Guest is a bit like James Spade.
Personally I don't like hard boiled books or movies and after having read the Maltese Falcon (which I consider to be complete bullshit) I haven't read any others, but luckily I haven't found a hard boiled here and Crispin Guest is MUCH BETTER THAN James Spade .
The only thing that comes close to a "noir" is just the slightly dark setting (but it's also there in gothic) and
___ OUR HERO __ Crispin Guest as you can guess is a tormented man, he is unable to accept his new life condition, so different and difficult, from what fate had initially offered him by birth.
It's easy to go from the worst to the best, but accepting the opposite it's not easy at all.
It is also difficult for him to change his way of seeing things and despite having become poor, he cannot conceive the concept of equality between men, he was born noble and still feels noble despite having been deprived of the title.
He lives among the people who work hard for a loaf of bread, he owns less than them, however he still feels "different...superior" because that is the education with which he was raised and it is hard to eradicate an ideology in which he believed himself all his life...
But Crispin is a good man, he has ideals of justice and without realizing it he takes the side of the weak and those who believe to be innocent, he falls in love with a former chambermaid and keeps with him a young boy, who he saved from prison and who is left alone in the world and to whom he tries (with many difficulties) to teach honesty.
Crispin is loyal, he even gets beaten up in order not to reveal secrets that would get into trouble a woman he doesn't even trust yet and makes decisions that don't suit him, just to do what he thinks is the right thing.
I almost fell in love with him and I can't wait to spend more time with him and his nice assistant Jack (the little boy he saved, alone in the world, smart and intelligent, who by his own choice acts as his servant in order to live with him).
I can't wait to experience their next adventures, between the cobblestones of London and its fog, the murmur of the Thames, the crowds of the taverns, Crispin Guest's clashes with the sheriff (who really existed) and his melancholy by thinking about the past.
__ THE HINT of ROMANCE ___In this first book, in addition to the investigation into the crime (more than one actually) a little love story develops in the background, which I didn't expect... it's just a hint, actually, but I liked it and it also made me a little emotional.
___ HISTORICAL NOTIONS ___ As regards the historical part, the charm of this book is not only the suggestive description of the scene, but also the introduction of ancient relics and legends that surround them.
This first adventure talks about the Veil of Veronica, a cloth imprinted with a face believed to be that of Jesus.
In the book the author tells some versions of the story and explains even better all the historical and legendary details in the epilogue.
I find these historical introductions very interesting, in my opinion they give an added value.
__IT'S NOT A COZY MYSTERY __
The writing is smooth and engaging and if you are a lover of historical thrillers I recommend it.
It's more or less suitable for all ages starting from 17/18, it doesn't have gruesome scenes, but I warn that there are some bad words here and there and a curse that the author wrote in Italian (because there they are Italians involved in the case ) and who probably, writing it in a single word, didn't realize that it's a curse against God... that is, a blasphemy and I didn't like it and it could have been avoided/replaced with another bad word .
There are a couple of kisses and a sex scene, but it's not described in detail, so nothing shocking or dirty.
I give it 4.5 and indeed I don't round up as usual, but down, because there is one thing that really disappointed me and I can't forgive the author for that (I'll explain further below, next to the word SPOILER...you choose whether to read it or not).
I will start by saying that the protagonist has already become one of my favorite characters and that I will continue with this series until the 15th and final book (alternating with other readings, so that this pleasure will last longer) where I hope our tormented hero can finally find the happiness he deserves.
__THE PLOT __ Crispin Guest is in fact a former knight, deprived of his noble title and all his possessions and banished from King Richard II's court.
He was estranged from his girlfriend and friends because of a stupid, but for that time, serious mistake of youth, considered treason, dictated by passion and affection towards the lord who had made him his pupil, none other than the uncle of the king himself.
In 14th century London, Crispin has now lived for 8 years in the slums of the city, surrounded by people who he used to look at from the top of his horse and to whom he would throw a coin for charity.
Crispin makes his living finding missing things, which is why he is called the "Tracker" and now being casually involved in a murder, he will find himself investigating the case, partly by personal choice and partly under duress from the sheriff.
I appreciated this book from the first lines and I think it is really well written. We have:
1) an intricate mystery to solve.
2) a fascinating and credible protagonist + equally credible supporting characters.
3) the historical background, the meticulously described setting and the theme of actually existing historical relics + stories and legends developed around them.
4) an unexpected hint of a romantic plot that develops in parallel.
__THE MYSTERY TO SOLVE ___The mystery begins with a murder, and it may seem like "the usual crime in the locked room", a theme that has now been read and reread, but the truth behind the heinous act is much more complicated and it touches more aspects of the victim's life, of the people related to the victim and of the political life of the English kingdom.
The more the main character, Crispin Guest, investigates, the more the mystery expands in an intricate and engaging way.
The plot is tight and believable, never boring, never!
The dialogues are good and there is emotional intensity.
The feelings of each character are well described or can be well guessed when described only by the reactions of the characters themselves.
There are surprising twists and turns and the background of a dark and damp London, with its cobblestone streets and alleyways with strong smells comes to life as if we were actually on the scene.
___ MEDIEVAL NOIR___ The author defines her book (the entire series) as medieval noir, a "hard boiled set in the Middle Ages" and she clearly says (at the end of the book) that Crispin Guest is a bit like James Spade.
Personally I don't like hard boiled books or movies and after having read the Maltese Falcon (which I consider to be complete bullshit) I haven't read any others, but luckily I haven't found a hard boiled here and Crispin Guest is MUCH BETTER THAN James Spade .
The only thing that comes close to a "noir" is just the slightly dark setting (but it's also there in gothic) and
___ OUR HERO __ Crispin Guest as you can guess is a tormented man, he is unable to accept his new life condition, so different and difficult, from what fate had initially offered him by birth.
It's easy to go from the worst to the best, but accepting the opposite it's not easy at all.
It is also difficult for him to change his way of seeing things and despite having become poor, he cannot conceive the concept of equality between men, he was born noble and still feels noble despite having been deprived of the title.
He lives among the people who work hard for a loaf of bread, he owns less than them, however he still feels "different...superior" because that is the education with which he was raised and it is hard to eradicate an ideology in which he believed himself all his life...
But Crispin is a good man, he has ideals of justice and without realizing it he takes the side of the weak and those who believe to be innocent, he falls in love with a former chambermaid and keeps with him a young boy, who he saved from prison and who is left alone in the world and to whom he tries (with many difficulties) to teach honesty.
Crispin is loyal, he even gets beaten up in order not to reveal secrets that would get into trouble a woman he doesn't even trust yet and makes decisions that don't suit him, just to do what he thinks is the right thing.
I almost fell in love with him and I can't wait to spend more time with him and his nice assistant Jack (the little boy he saved, alone in the world, smart and intelligent, who by his own choice acts as his servant in order to live with him).
I can't wait to experience their next adventures, between the cobblestones of London and its fog, the murmur of the Thames, the crowds of the taverns, Crispin Guest's clashes with the sheriff (who really existed) and his melancholy by thinking about the past.
__ THE HINT of ROMANCE ___In this first book, in addition to the investigation into the crime (more than one actually) a little love story develops in the background, which I didn't expect... it's just a hint, actually, but I liked it and it also made me a little emotional.
___ HISTORICAL NOTIONS ___ As regards the historical part, the charm of this book is not only the suggestive description of the scene, but also the introduction of ancient relics and legends that surround them.
This first adventure talks about the Veil of Veronica, a cloth imprinted with a face believed to be that of Jesus.
In the book the author tells some versions of the story and explains even better all the historical and legendary details in the epilogue.
I find these historical introductions very interesting, in my opinion they give an added value.
__IT'S NOT A COZY MYSTERY __
The writing is smooth and engaging and if you are a lover of historical thrillers I recommend it.
It's more or less suitable for all ages starting from 17/18, it doesn't have gruesome scenes, but I warn that there are some bad words here and there and a curse that the author wrote in Italian (because there they are Italians involved in the case ) and who probably, writing it in a single word, didn't realize that it's a curse against God... that is, a blasphemy and I didn't like it and it could have been avoided/replaced with another bad word .
There are a couple of kisses and a sex scene, but it's not described in detail, so nothing shocking or dirty.
September 4, 2012
Okay I admit it, the cover drew me in. Seriously what's not to love about the hot medieval guy with long hair and a sword? I don't know who he is, but I certainly wouldn't kick him out of my bed unless he had lice. Having said that, it was the blurb made me buy and I am SO glad I did. Being a fan of Ellis Peters and Sharon Kay Penman, I've been looking for something in this genre and through a twist of fate (or being bored on GR), I found it. Veil of Lies: A Medieval Noir is what you'd get if Cornell Woolrich decided to channel Geoffrey Chaucer.
This is medieval London at its grittiest. Jeri Westerson does a fantastic job of recreating the sights, sounds and yes, even the smells of 13th century London--and trust me, Medieval Times wouldn't be as much fun if they were striving for historical accuracy *wink*. The hero of this tale is disgraced knight Crispin Guest, who's lucky to be alive after having been caught in a treason against a young Richard II. Crispin, once a scion of the nobility has taken a huge fall and now lives a hardscrabble existence in The Shambles--a place he'd never imagined he'd wind up. For all this, he still maintains that aura of superiority possessed by members of the ruling class, an aspect that can make him a bit of an ass at times. He's also had to find a new occupaation as The Tracker, a man who's hired by others to find things.
This time he's hired by a wealthy clothing merchant, Nicholas Walcote, to spy on his young wife Phillipa, whom he believes is having an affair. It's not a job that Crispin wants, but being bereft of funds and behind on rent, takes anyway only to realize there's a lot more than mere adultery happening and that the more he gets involved, the more his life is at stake.
To say that I am so hooked on this series is an understatement. I love the medieval period, though I certainly wouldn't want to live in it. Crispin Guest is a wonderful character--caustic, flawed, but for all that, he's still very much that idealistic knight always ready to help a damsel in distress, even one who's more than she lets on.
This is medieval London at its grittiest. Jeri Westerson does a fantastic job of recreating the sights, sounds and yes, even the smells of 13th century London--and trust me, Medieval Times wouldn't be as much fun if they were striving for historical accuracy *wink*. The hero of this tale is disgraced knight Crispin Guest, who's lucky to be alive after having been caught in a treason against a young Richard II. Crispin, once a scion of the nobility has taken a huge fall and now lives a hardscrabble existence in The Shambles--a place he'd never imagined he'd wind up. For all this, he still maintains that aura of superiority possessed by members of the ruling class, an aspect that can make him a bit of an ass at times. He's also had to find a new occupaation as The Tracker, a man who's hired by others to find things.
This time he's hired by a wealthy clothing merchant, Nicholas Walcote, to spy on his young wife Phillipa, whom he believes is having an affair. It's not a job that Crispin wants, but being bereft of funds and behind on rent, takes anyway only to realize there's a lot more than mere adultery happening and that the more he gets involved, the more his life is at stake.
To say that I am so hooked on this series is an understatement. I love the medieval period, though I certainly wouldn't want to live in it. Crispin Guest is a wonderful character--caustic, flawed, but for all that, he's still very much that idealistic knight always ready to help a damsel in distress, even one who's more than she lets on.
March 29, 2024
What a great start to the series, even if I read it almost last. Here so many names or characters are introduced that are seen later in the series! I’d say I will look forward to the series, but I’ve already read it, so maybe one day I will read it again. A great alternative to the Brother Cadfael books with a little more grit to them. A hard knocks private eye like Sam Spade, just in the 14th century! Great series of books! Highly recommended!
May 13, 2022
Non so esattamente cosa mi aspettassi da questa sorta di "giallo medievale", ma posso affermare che sono soddisfatta. Ambientato nella Londra del 1384 durante il regno di Riccardo II, un periodo per il quale non mi sento ferrata e quindi non posso garantire sull'accuratezza storica, ma devo dire che tutto sembrava molto reale. Londra appare come una città caotica, un luogo ambiguo, oscuro e pericoloso dove bisogna sempre guardarsi le spalle.
Protagonista indiscusso del romanzo è sir Crispin Guest, un ex cavaliere che ha perso tutto e che, per guadagnarsi da vivere, si improvvisa detective. Per lavorare deve confrontarsi con i popolani, con le classi sociali che fino a qualche tempo prima lui considerava inferiori, ma si vede dagli atteggiamenti che si sente ancora un nobile. Segue indizi e intuizioni, affronta pericoli e, come la maggior parte dei detective, ha un debole per la damigella in pericolo da salvare e questo lo rende anche molto affascinante. Assolutamente promosso soprattutto per quel tocco di mistero che permea il romanzo.
Protagonista indiscusso del romanzo è sir Crispin Guest, un ex cavaliere che ha perso tutto e che, per guadagnarsi da vivere, si improvvisa detective. Per lavorare deve confrontarsi con i popolani, con le classi sociali che fino a qualche tempo prima lui considerava inferiori, ma si vede dagli atteggiamenti che si sente ancora un nobile. Segue indizi e intuizioni, affronta pericoli e, come la maggior parte dei detective, ha un debole per la damigella in pericolo da salvare e questo lo rende anche molto affascinante. Assolutamente promosso soprattutto per quel tocco di mistero che permea il romanzo.
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June 26, 2021My first venture into the world of Crispin. I enjoyed writing him from the very first.
September 15, 2010
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a “medieval noir,” but I do have a fondness for historical mysteries and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Now I know little to nothing about London in 1384, so I’m not going to comment on the historical accuracy. I will say that the setting felt real to me, was an integral part of the story. London is a dark, grimy, dangerous place, if you’re not one of the upper class.
Crispin is the sexy detective, but with a medieval outlook. He’s the character the book revolves around and I like that he’s doing his best, He’s far from perfect, but he has his moral code and is true to it. He follows clues and hunches, faces threats to his life, and like all good private investigators has a soft spot for the damsel in distress, the woman who he knows can lead to trouble but falls for nonetheless. And of course although he has to cooperate with the Sheriff he does not respect him in the least. Crispin has to work and live among the lower classes, but in his mind he still feels like he is above them, an attitude he is at times ashamed of but can’t alter. He’s a tough guy, more than able to hold his own in a fight. I liked him. I’ll grant you that sometimes he could be a little too brooding, but that’s not a trait that bothered me.
It feels like a fairly standard mystery, but it was well-done with plenty of twists and turns to keep the story moving. For me, though, the plot was really secondary to the character of Crispin and the late 14-century setting. Those are what really set the book apart for me.
Crispin is the sexy detective, but with a medieval outlook. He’s the character the book revolves around and I like that he’s doing his best, He’s far from perfect, but he has his moral code and is true to it. He follows clues and hunches, faces threats to his life, and like all good private investigators has a soft spot for the damsel in distress, the woman who he knows can lead to trouble but falls for nonetheless. And of course although he has to cooperate with the Sheriff he does not respect him in the least. Crispin has to work and live among the lower classes, but in his mind he still feels like he is above them, an attitude he is at times ashamed of but can’t alter. He’s a tough guy, more than able to hold his own in a fight. I liked him. I’ll grant you that sometimes he could be a little too brooding, but that’s not a trait that bothered me.
It feels like a fairly standard mystery, but it was well-done with plenty of twists and turns to keep the story moving. For me, though, the plot was really secondary to the character of Crispin and the late 14-century setting. Those are what really set the book apart for me.
September 2, 2013
This is the first in a series about Crispin Guest, a disgraced knight, who is now working as a finder, the Tracker he is called; someone who discovers culprits or things people have lost. Living in rather abject poverty, he remains scrupulously honest, insisting that his self-appointed servant, Jack, return purses he has picked. Crispin had unfortunately allied himself with the Lancastrians when Richard II became king and his conduct being considered treasonous lost everything except his life, thanks to the intervention of his Duke.
Guest is hired by a local merchant to follow his wife and discover whether she has been unfaithful. Guest does so and witnesses her adultery. Before he can make his report, his employer is murdered in a locked and sealed room. Not having had a chance to collect his fee, Crispin is then approached by the man's widow who wants to engage him to find a relic, a cloth with the image of Jesus. When in its presence, people cannot lie.
The plot inevitably thickens and soon involves threats to control England's economic future, a battle for control of the cloth the intersection of assorted other sub-plots.
I'll read more in the series, but I knocked off a couple of the infamous stars, as I felt the plot lines remained indistinct as did the rather confusing battle scene on the bridge at the end of the novel. Nevertheless, I liked the gritty realism of 1384 and the book is certainly as good as many other historical mysteries out there.
Guest is hired by a local merchant to follow his wife and discover whether she has been unfaithful. Guest does so and witnesses her adultery. Before he can make his report, his employer is murdered in a locked and sealed room. Not having had a chance to collect his fee, Crispin is then approached by the man's widow who wants to engage him to find a relic, a cloth with the image of Jesus. When in its presence, people cannot lie.
The plot inevitably thickens and soon involves threats to control England's economic future, a battle for control of the cloth the intersection of assorted other sub-plots.
I'll read more in the series, but I knocked off a couple of the infamous stars, as I felt the plot lines remained indistinct as did the rather confusing battle scene on the bridge at the end of the novel. Nevertheless, I liked the gritty realism of 1384 and the book is certainly as good as many other historical mysteries out there.
April 22, 2013
The mystery plot was interesting, and the medieval setting was a nice change of pace for me. Crispin Guest was a thoroughly unlikeable snob, though. The man's angst over his reduced social status made him feel less like a medieval Sam Spade than the kind of person that a medieval Sam Spade would punch in the face.
If I hadn't read the afterword, I'd never have associated this book with the hardboiled detective stories that helped to inspire it. Purely on a story level, the comparisons are clear. There's a woman in danger (who is sometimes less than honest) and violent criminals with powerful connections. Crispin was warned off, beaten up, and betrayed, and he still pushed doggedly on.
Although it follows along with the tropes well enough, the prose lacks the sharp style and immersive sense of atmosphere that I associate with authors like Hammett and Chandler. I also couldn't shake the feeling that the author wanted me to sympathize with Crispin far more than I was able to.
I was fine with him being kind of a jerk, but his behavior didn't seem to mesh with his mopey backstory. He'd have been more enjoyable to read about if he'd either have embraced his harder edges or committed more firmly to overcoming them.
If I hadn't read the afterword, I'd never have associated this book with the hardboiled detective stories that helped to inspire it. Purely on a story level, the comparisons are clear. There's a woman in danger (who is sometimes less than honest) and violent criminals with powerful connections. Crispin was warned off, beaten up, and betrayed, and he still pushed doggedly on.
Although it follows along with the tropes well enough, the prose lacks the sharp style and immersive sense of atmosphere that I associate with authors like Hammett and Chandler. I also couldn't shake the feeling that the author wanted me to sympathize with Crispin far more than I was able to.
I was fine with him being kind of a jerk, but his behavior didn't seem to mesh with his mopey backstory. He'd have been more enjoyable to read about if he'd either have embraced his harder edges or committed more firmly to overcoming them.
August 20, 2017
I don't exactly know why this didn't grab me, but it didn't and I did not finish it.
I had a bit of an issue with Crispin being still so bitter about losing his position in the aristocracy. After eight years I think you have to get past the fact that you are no longer part of the hoi polloi, especially when it was your own treason that caused your fall. It got on my nerves that Crispin still feels like he is better than most of the people he comes in contact with and his tendency to look down on others did not endear him to me, even though I do think he is fundamentally a good man.
I also wasn't that engaged with the story. I don't care about religious relics, even if they are purported to be magical, so the search for one didn't really draw me in.
Even the murder felt a bit ho-hum to me. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, so one of them getting killed and all the others being possibly involved in some way or other also didn't really get me interested.
I realized at page 75 that I just wasn't into this, so back to the library it goes. Not a bad book, just not the right book for my interests.
I had a bit of an issue with Crispin being still so bitter about losing his position in the aristocracy. After eight years I think you have to get past the fact that you are no longer part of the hoi polloi, especially when it was your own treason that caused your fall. It got on my nerves that Crispin still feels like he is better than most of the people he comes in contact with and his tendency to look down on others did not endear him to me, even though I do think he is fundamentally a good man.
I also wasn't that engaged with the story. I don't care about religious relics, even if they are purported to be magical, so the search for one didn't really draw me in.
Even the murder felt a bit ho-hum to me. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, so one of them getting killed and all the others being possibly involved in some way or other also didn't really get me interested.
I realized at page 75 that I just wasn't into this, so back to the library it goes. Not a bad book, just not the right book for my interests.
October 23, 2016
This book was a lot of fun. It features a medieval gum shoe named Crispin Guest who is hired to track a merchant's wife, but then there's murder, international intrigue, and even a touch of Christian magic in the form of a holy relic. I really gobbled it up which is what you want from a book like this.
There were twists aplenty, but also familiar tropes from the likes of Raymond Chandler. Our disgraced and de-titled knight has an uneasy relationship with the Sheriff, he gets and loses the girl, and the big turn was one I guessed chapters before it was revealed, but I like the settings, the players, and the ride.
Good first book in this series. I may try another.
There were twists aplenty, but also familiar tropes from the likes of Raymond Chandler. Our disgraced and de-titled knight has an uneasy relationship with the Sheriff, he gets and loses the girl, and the big turn was one I guessed chapters before it was revealed, but I like the settings, the players, and the ride.
Good first book in this series. I may try another.
February 22, 2021
Definitely one of the better medieval mysteries out there! I enjoyed the characters, plot and setting although I didn’t find it as ‘noir’ as the author claims. I felt the descriptions of London let it down a bit and did not give me a strong sense of place.
July 7, 2024
I liked this a lot more then i thought i would. Fun. Intriguing. Good twists. I guessed a few but was caught off guard in the end. Over all good book 👍🏻
October 13, 2013
Crispin Guest....The Tracker. I do love Crispin's soliloquies as he back and forths between now being one of the common people and in his heart of hearts holding to the fact that he is a Knight. Albeit a knight stripped of title, lands, and betrothed due to treason. He ill advisedly joined a movement to place his mentor and Lord, John o Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster on the throne rather than the boy king Richard, in 14th Century England.
Now he frequents thieves dens and pot houses in the underbelly of a truly dank and dreadful London, with his trusty but unwanted servant boy Jack who sticks to Crispin like a burr. Here he barely makes a living, pitting his wit and knife (no sword now) in such endeavors that may earn a very minimal living as ‘The Tracker’-- investigator for hire.
Westerson likens Crispin Guest and her Medieval Noir to the Sam Spade of medieval London at ' a period rife with intrigue, codes of honor, mysterious doings and dim, shadowy light.' (Veil of Lies- Afterwards)
... and Crispin does have that hard boiled honorable edge, coating the occasional softness inside. In this chapter of his life he is hired to track the wherefores of a young wife (Philippa Walcote), has to solve two murders, gets caught up in courtly and international intrigue, physically beaten by the Sheriff at almost every encounter, pursued by foreign thugs (of the Mafia disposition) with a Saracen thrown in for good measure, and falls in love, all the while tracking an obscure, mystical and dangerous religious artifact. The Mandyllon, the face cloth of Christ that in Westerson's fiction forces those in it's presence to only ever tell the truth, to reveal their 'true image' their 'true self.'
A fascinating and fulfilling contribution to the Medieval Mystery genre.
Now he frequents thieves dens and pot houses in the underbelly of a truly dank and dreadful London, with his trusty but unwanted servant boy Jack who sticks to Crispin like a burr. Here he barely makes a living, pitting his wit and knife (no sword now) in such endeavors that may earn a very minimal living as ‘The Tracker’-- investigator for hire.
Westerson likens Crispin Guest and her Medieval Noir to the Sam Spade of medieval London at ' a period rife with intrigue, codes of honor, mysterious doings and dim, shadowy light.' (Veil of Lies- Afterwards)
... and Crispin does have that hard boiled honorable edge, coating the occasional softness inside. In this chapter of his life he is hired to track the wherefores of a young wife (Philippa Walcote), has to solve two murders, gets caught up in courtly and international intrigue, physically beaten by the Sheriff at almost every encounter, pursued by foreign thugs (of the Mafia disposition) with a Saracen thrown in for good measure, and falls in love, all the while tracking an obscure, mystical and dangerous religious artifact. The Mandyllon, the face cloth of Christ that in Westerson's fiction forces those in it's presence to only ever tell the truth, to reveal their 'true image' their 'true self.'
A fascinating and fulfilling contribution to the Medieval Mystery genre.
November 21, 2008
In Ms Westerson's debut in a genre dubbed Medieval Noir, Crispin Guest, a former knight who has lost everything due to an ill-advised foray into treason and now struggles to make a living as a 'watcher', is hired by a wealthy, eccentric merchant to investigate the possibility that the merchant's nubile wife is an adulteress. What seems at first to be a mundane and quick way for Crispin to make some money quickly twists into a murder case with no obvious culprit or motive, and a frantic search for a holy relic that might possess supernatural powers. As Crispin finds himself falling unwittingly under the spell of the merchant's widow, he grapples with a cabal of sinister foes intent on retrieving the relic for themselves, even at the cost of innocent lives. Ms Westerson presents a vivid portrait of the chaos of medieval London during the rarely-explored reign of Richard II; the vagaries of fate that easily cast people into penury; and of how lies can mask the truth. Crispin is conflicted, flawed and devastatingly sexy; this is a noteworthy addition to the canon and I look forward to Crispin's next outing, to be published by St. Martin's Press in 2009.
November 13, 2009
I gave this one about 30 pages and then skipped ahead to see if the answer to the locked-room mystery was ingenious. It wasn't. The prose is self-conscious and over-written, the characters and situations are cliches. Someone (even more of an officious snob than I am) had "helpfully" gone through the library copy and commented on the anachronisms, some of which were innocent enough not to have bothered me. But with my to-read pile as tall as it is, this one won't take up any more of my time.
December 22, 2024
"Veil of Lies" - written by Jeri Westerson and published in 2008 by St Martin's Press. A London setting in 1384 will always draw my interest. This novel is also promoted as a noir mystery - Crispin Guest is living in reduced circumstances, formerly a landed knight, but now disgraced and known as The Tracker for his skills. I'm not a fan of the hard-boiled detective character as Crispin is portrayed, but I appreciated the authentic descriptions bringing medieval London to life.
April 13, 2011
3.49 stars.
There is a lot about this book I really enjoyed. The author describes it as Medieval Noir (so hard-boiled detective story set in 1384) and that alone caught my attention. The history is really well done. I liked the descriptions of London and the characters.
I loved the protag – Crispin Guest. He’s a tortured hero, a disgraced knight. He’s good with his fist, his knife, and his brains. The secondary characters were well done as well. I especially liked Crispin’s servant Jack.
The story moved right along (dead merchant, missing religious icon), it kept my attention, there were several unexpected twists, and the ending was satisfying.
So why not more stars?
There were several things that did not work. For all that I loved Crispin, there were moments where I lost his character. He stopped being the tough guy at the beginning of the book. This was most evident during the later scenes with Phillipa. I found myself thinking that he kind of ‘felt’ like the heroine in a romance novel.
A second problem was that I was much more interested in Crispin’s personal problems with his ex-knighthood than I was with the murdered merchant. The plot of the mystery was a little forced. Answers to problems came a little too conveniently and I began to recognize a pattern for how things worked. (Crispin would go to see someone with a question. They’d refuse him. He’d leave downtrodden. Then something out of the blue would happen to get him the answer he needed.)
And while there were some good twists, I figured out the final twist within the first 50 pages –Hate it when that happens. Sometimes the dialogue lapsed into speech patterns too modern for medieval times, and I seriously disliked Crispin’s love interest.
Still, I like the idea of this series and enough about it that I will probably read the next book.
There is a lot about this book I really enjoyed. The author describes it as Medieval Noir (so hard-boiled detective story set in 1384) and that alone caught my attention. The history is really well done. I liked the descriptions of London and the characters.
I loved the protag – Crispin Guest. He’s a tortured hero, a disgraced knight. He’s good with his fist, his knife, and his brains. The secondary characters were well done as well. I especially liked Crispin’s servant Jack.
The story moved right along (dead merchant, missing religious icon), it kept my attention, there were several unexpected twists, and the ending was satisfying.
So why not more stars?
There were several things that did not work. For all that I loved Crispin, there were moments where I lost his character. He stopped being the tough guy at the beginning of the book. This was most evident during the later scenes with Phillipa. I found myself thinking that he kind of ‘felt’ like the heroine in a romance novel.
A second problem was that I was much more interested in Crispin’s personal problems with his ex-knighthood than I was with the murdered merchant. The plot of the mystery was a little forced. Answers to problems came a little too conveniently and I began to recognize a pattern for how things worked. (Crispin would go to see someone with a question. They’d refuse him. He’d leave downtrodden. Then something out of the blue would happen to get him the answer he needed.)
And while there were some good twists, I figured out the final twist within the first 50 pages –Hate it when that happens. Sometimes the dialogue lapsed into speech patterns too modern for medieval times, and I seriously disliked Crispin’s love interest.
Still, I like the idea of this series and enough about it that I will probably read the next book.
January 11, 2010
A very entertaining read. Ms. Westerson has taken the Raymond Chandler noir detective idea of a detective-knight with his own quixotic but unshakable moral code and a weakness for damsels in distress quite literally. Crispin Guest really is a disgraced knight, stripped of all rank and privilege because of crossing King Richard II. Now living on the margins of society, Crispin keeps himself from starving (barely) by working as a Tracker—usually of lost goods—and constantly running afoul of the law. But this time he becomes embroiled in unraveling a baffling murder.
This is a two-fisted story like any great noir, with a love interest and great puzzles to solve. All the characters have their dark sides. Crispin is an interesting protagonist and I particularly like that the author has not tried to make him a politically correct modern man in Medieval clothing. He's a man of the 14th century, and his attitudes are those of someone from the upper class being forced to consort with the lower orders. Yet, Ms. Westerson still makes Crispin a likable hero.
This is a two-fisted story like any great noir, with a love interest and great puzzles to solve. All the characters have their dark sides. Crispin is an interesting protagonist and I particularly like that the author has not tried to make him a politically correct modern man in Medieval clothing. He's a man of the 14th century, and his attitudes are those of someone from the upper class being forced to consort with the lower orders. Yet, Ms. Westerson still makes Crispin a likable hero.
November 7, 2012
Veil of Lies is one of the most enjoyable mystery stories I've read in a long time! The character development was excellent, the main character, Crispin Guest, was sympathetic and sexy, the damsel in distress was beautiful and tough, and the story was full of action. This book was a layer cake of mysteries, sure to appeal to fans of paranormal mysteries, murder mysteries, spy thrillers, and noir. This was just a good, strong, entertaining story, driven by really good characters. Lots of fun!
April 27, 2010
Sherlock Holmes and Monk, make room for Crispin Guest. He's a medieval investigator who was once a knight but now has lost everything and must rely on only his wits to survive. With his sidekick, Jack Tucker, Crispin exposes plots and solves mysteries that extend to the throne. Jeri Westerson does an excellent job of telling this story and her descriptions are so vivid you can almost smell the streets where Crispin roams.
July 14, 2013
Well, here it is fellow readers : Veil of Lies is not only a great mystery,it is also a great adventure and I am definitely looking forward to the next installment of the Crispin Guest Medieval Noir series. If you like the idea of knights, ladies and lords of the realm thrown together with the street urchins and bandits of Medieval London then Jeri Westerson's historical novel with spying, and intrigue will engage you to the very end!
December 6, 2010
I "met" Jeri through Sister in Crime when she mentioned her latest release. Being one of those people who has to read in order I went out and picked up Veil of Lies. In her afterward she talks about what Hammett would have done in a medieval mystery. She does a fabulous job of doing just that. Crispin Guest definitely grows on you.
August 8, 2024
As others have mentioned, this book definitely has first-in-a-series syndrome. However, I liked the setting and the MC so I read the second one and we shall see what we shall see. I liked the fact that his “punishment” was for something real - he actually did commit treason even though it may have been motivated by loyalty to his lord. 3.5 stars
January 6, 2024
I’m glad I was finally able to find a copy at the library. It’s a very good story and I definitely want to continue the series.
October 27, 2008
In London of 1384, Crispin Guest is a man adrift in a rigidly defined society. Left with only his life, he’s a disgraced knight, convicted of treason, stripped of his rank and his honor for plotting against Richard II. Having lost his patron and his friends, with no trade to support him, Crispin has turned to the one thing he still has--his wits--to scrape a living on the mean streets of London.
Crispin is called to the compound of a reclusive merchant who suspects his wife of infidelity and wants Crispin to look into the matter. In dire need of money, he discovers that the wife is indeed up to something, but when Crispin comes to inform his client, he is found dead--murdered in a sealed room, locked from the inside. Now Crispin finds himself in the middle of a complex plot involving dark secrets, international plots, and a missing religious relic--one that lies at the heart of this impossible crime.
Being the medieval lover that I am I really couldn't let the opportunity of reading Jeri Westerson's new release pass by me. The fact that I had never heard of the term "Medieval Noir" before made me even more curious about this book.
I'm happy to say that I did enjoy reading it very much!
There's something different from what I'm used to in my medieval readings. Westerson does a great job of creating the medieval world of the London of the lower classes. Although some of the higher noble personalities of the time are mentioned and Crispin Guest thinks of himself as a knight it is really the world of the common folk - merchants, tavern owners, servants - that comes alive in the book. One of things that struck me has different is that the story has a very lively rhythm, the action is fast paced yes but also the characters reactions and way of thinking seems to be more practical than what we are used to. There's not much of the ceremonial and manners usually connected with the medieval nobility, here people are trying to survive and sometimes it's their quick thinking and their wit that saves them.
Guest is a somewhat conflicted character. Once a knight, he was stripped of his title by the king after a treason accusation. He recognises how unlikely it is that he has survived to tell the story, most people would have been executed, and knows he lives due to the interference of his former Lord, John of Gaunt. I did really like Crispin Guest very much. I liked how he was a less than perfect character and how Westerson let us into his head, his doubts about his place in the world and how that influenced his dealings with the people around him.
Without family or fortune and having to support himself he resorts to do occasional investigative works for whoever asks thus winning the nickname The Tracker. As the story opens he is asked by a London merchant, Nicholas Walcote, to spy on his wife and discover if she is indeed cheating on him. But when Crispin goes back to report on the case the man is inexplicably dead and Guest is immersed in a murder investigation.
I thought the mystery was well thought of and well plotted. The author keeps us guessing at what really happened and as the action progresses we realise the intrigue is a lot more complicated than we initially thought of. From the intrigues surrounding the cloth trade to danger brought by the possession of the Mandollyn, the true image of Christ, Westerson spins an absorbing tale. The fact that Guest is such a dark character himself, unable to forget what he once was and to accept what he is reduced to, and the fact that he lives in a world of intrigue and danger where only his strong character and investigative skills helps him being ahead of the bad guys as well as an ambivalence in him between good and bad make the term medieval noir seem totally appropriate. His relationship with the Sheriff of London for instance is almost a self punishing one even if in the end there's a sort of truce between the two men.
I'm looking forward to follow Crispin Guest through more adventures in the future and I'm glad this book is number one in a planned series.
Highly recommended to mystery and medieval lovers!
Crispin is called to the compound of a reclusive merchant who suspects his wife of infidelity and wants Crispin to look into the matter. In dire need of money, he discovers that the wife is indeed up to something, but when Crispin comes to inform his client, he is found dead--murdered in a sealed room, locked from the inside. Now Crispin finds himself in the middle of a complex plot involving dark secrets, international plots, and a missing religious relic--one that lies at the heart of this impossible crime.
Being the medieval lover that I am I really couldn't let the opportunity of reading Jeri Westerson's new release pass by me. The fact that I had never heard of the term "Medieval Noir" before made me even more curious about this book.
I'm happy to say that I did enjoy reading it very much!
There's something different from what I'm used to in my medieval readings. Westerson does a great job of creating the medieval world of the London of the lower classes. Although some of the higher noble personalities of the time are mentioned and Crispin Guest thinks of himself as a knight it is really the world of the common folk - merchants, tavern owners, servants - that comes alive in the book. One of things that struck me has different is that the story has a very lively rhythm, the action is fast paced yes but also the characters reactions and way of thinking seems to be more practical than what we are used to. There's not much of the ceremonial and manners usually connected with the medieval nobility, here people are trying to survive and sometimes it's their quick thinking and their wit that saves them.
Guest is a somewhat conflicted character. Once a knight, he was stripped of his title by the king after a treason accusation. He recognises how unlikely it is that he has survived to tell the story, most people would have been executed, and knows he lives due to the interference of his former Lord, John of Gaunt. I did really like Crispin Guest very much. I liked how he was a less than perfect character and how Westerson let us into his head, his doubts about his place in the world and how that influenced his dealings with the people around him.
Without family or fortune and having to support himself he resorts to do occasional investigative works for whoever asks thus winning the nickname The Tracker. As the story opens he is asked by a London merchant, Nicholas Walcote, to spy on his wife and discover if she is indeed cheating on him. But when Crispin goes back to report on the case the man is inexplicably dead and Guest is immersed in a murder investigation.
I thought the mystery was well thought of and well plotted. The author keeps us guessing at what really happened and as the action progresses we realise the intrigue is a lot more complicated than we initially thought of. From the intrigues surrounding the cloth trade to danger brought by the possession of the Mandollyn, the true image of Christ, Westerson spins an absorbing tale. The fact that Guest is such a dark character himself, unable to forget what he once was and to accept what he is reduced to, and the fact that he lives in a world of intrigue and danger where only his strong character and investigative skills helps him being ahead of the bad guys as well as an ambivalence in him between good and bad make the term medieval noir seem totally appropriate. His relationship with the Sheriff of London for instance is almost a self punishing one even if in the end there's a sort of truce between the two men.
I'm looking forward to follow Crispin Guest through more adventures in the future and I'm glad this book is number one in a planned series.
Highly recommended to mystery and medieval lovers!
August 10, 2010
VEIL OF LIES: A MEDIEVAL NOIR is the first book in a series by Jeri Westerson. Crispin Guest is a man without a place in the rigidly stratified world of England in 1384. Crispin had been the protege of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, uncle of King Richard II. He had been knighted when he was 18 but an accusation of treason had cost his his lands, his money, and his knighthood. In need of an income, Crispin becomes the Tracker, the man who uses the fighting skills he learned as he moved through the ranks of Lancaster’s men. Nicholas Walcote, a successful cloth merchant, hires Crispin to follow his wife, whom he suspects of infidelity. Walcote is a strange man who locks doors as he enters and leaves, fearful of something or someone. Crispin discovers that Walcote was right in his belief that Philippa was meeting another man and in the morning he brings the information to Walcote Manor only to discover that Nicholas has been murdered, sealed in a room that had been locked from the inside. Philippa is devastated, claiming to have truly loved her husband. She hires Crispin to find the murderer and the plot takes off to include treason, espionage, murder, and a plot to destroy England’s position in Europe. And, of course, there is a mystery about a relic, a piece of cloth said to hold the image of Christ’s face. This image is truly miraculous because no man can tell a lie when in its presence. Westerson blends historical figures with fictional ones seamlessly.
During this period, relics abound in Europe, captured during the Crusades and returned to Europe as objects of reverence but also doing service as pieces in the political chess tournament that is politics. The cloth of truth, the Mandyllon, is one of a number of pieces of cloth or veil that surfaced in Europe, the validity of which was debated throughout the Middle Ages. VEIL OF LIES is an interesting look at a period that hasn’t figured in mystery fiction thus far. John of Gaunt was a Plantagenet, the most powerful family in England in the 14th century. His legitimate heirs include Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI. But his real importance lies in his relationship with Katherine Swynford, a married woman who became his mistress and, eventually, his wife. I became intrigued by this couple when I was in high school and read Anya Seton’s KATHERINE, a novel published in 1954. Katherine gave birth to four children who would be legitimized by Lancaster and through those children, the blood of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford runs through the English monarchy down to the present (albeit with a couple of twists). Their granddaughter was the mother of Edward IV and Richard III and their great-grandson, born into the Tudor branch of the family, was Henry VII who established the House of Tudor after defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.( I am firmly in the Richard III camp; I don’t believe he killed his nephews. Shakespeare was playing politics to garner favor with Elizabeth I. He had to make Richard the villian and Elizabeth’s grandfather the hero who saved England from a murdering usurper).
October 8, 2010
VEIL OF LIES by Jeri Westerson
Published 2008 by St. Martin’s Minotaur, New York
Veil of Lies: A Medieval Noir is Jeri Westerson’s debut novel featuring Crispin Guest; a medieval tec of the Sam Spade ilk. Originally from nobility with land, wealth, and a promising future, he loses it all to a rash and treasonous act against King Richard II. Although lucky to be alive, he was degraded and left with nothing but the clothes on his back.
Though literate, Crispin doesn’t have the skills for most employment. But he has a knack for finding things and develops a reputation as “The Tracker.” He contracts his services for six pence per day, but rarely has two farthings to rub together. At the novel’s start, we find him in debt, owing his landlord, the butcher, and the couple who befriended him, pub owners who are willing to maintain a running tab. He is summoned to the manor of Nicholas Walcote, a wealthy cloth merchant who wants to hire Crispin to spy on his wife, who Nicholas suspects of infidelity. Crispin is loath to take the job, and even though his fee is the only thing between him and supper, he turns it down.
However, Nicholas would not be so easily dismissed, and what ensues is a tale of loyalty, murder, love, and international intrigue that stretches from England to Italy. At its heart is a relic—a medieval lie detector, the Mandyllon or Veronica from the Latin: vera icona, true image. Through his investigation, Crispin not only discovers his quarry, but also learns a good deal about himself, and he is not altogether pleased.
Westerson wastes no words bringing the characters to life in a fourteenth-century London that the reader can not only see in the mind’s eye, but hear, feel, and smell as well. This book should appeal to readers who enjoy a medieval setting, mystery, and the hardboiled detective that is Crispin Guest. For me, the best thing is that there are more novels in the works. The next, Serpent in the Thorns, is currently available, and the third, The Demon’s Parchment, will be available this month. Happily, there are more to come, as I know this is one series that I’ll want to keep reading.
Published 2008 by St. Martin’s Minotaur, New York
Veil of Lies: A Medieval Noir is Jeri Westerson’s debut novel featuring Crispin Guest; a medieval tec of the Sam Spade ilk. Originally from nobility with land, wealth, and a promising future, he loses it all to a rash and treasonous act against King Richard II. Although lucky to be alive, he was degraded and left with nothing but the clothes on his back.
Though literate, Crispin doesn’t have the skills for most employment. But he has a knack for finding things and develops a reputation as “The Tracker.” He contracts his services for six pence per day, but rarely has two farthings to rub together. At the novel’s start, we find him in debt, owing his landlord, the butcher, and the couple who befriended him, pub owners who are willing to maintain a running tab. He is summoned to the manor of Nicholas Walcote, a wealthy cloth merchant who wants to hire Crispin to spy on his wife, who Nicholas suspects of infidelity. Crispin is loath to take the job, and even though his fee is the only thing between him and supper, he turns it down.
However, Nicholas would not be so easily dismissed, and what ensues is a tale of loyalty, murder, love, and international intrigue that stretches from England to Italy. At its heart is a relic—a medieval lie detector, the Mandyllon or Veronica from the Latin: vera icona, true image. Through his investigation, Crispin not only discovers his quarry, but also learns a good deal about himself, and he is not altogether pleased.
Westerson wastes no words bringing the characters to life in a fourteenth-century London that the reader can not only see in the mind’s eye, but hear, feel, and smell as well. This book should appeal to readers who enjoy a medieval setting, mystery, and the hardboiled detective that is Crispin Guest. For me, the best thing is that there are more novels in the works. The next, Serpent in the Thorns, is currently available, and the third, The Demon’s Parchment, will be available this month. Happily, there are more to come, as I know this is one series that I’ll want to keep reading.
January 7, 2013
Someone (or maybe it was me) once said that the private eye is simply a 20th-century white knight, minus the horse and the suit of armor. Jeri Westerson, in her novel "Veil of Lies", flips it around by transporting the prototypical 20th-century roman-noir private eye to 14th-century London. If you can imagine Sam Spade or Phillip Marlowe walking the medieval streets of London, you will begin to understand the uniqueness and fun of Westerson's "medieval noir" (as she calls it) hero Crispin Guest. Guest was a former knight who essentially backed the wrong horse. Convicted of treason, Guest's knighthood is taken from him. It could have been worse: King Richard spared him execution and a life sentence in the Tower of London. Now, Guest lives in a squalid room with his boy-servant Jack, making due with odd jobs working for Sheriff Wynchecombe as a Tracker, the 14th-century equivalent of a private detective. In "Veil of Lies", Guest is hired by wealthy textile merchant Nicholas Walcote to follow his wife, Philippa, whom he suspects of adultery. Within hours Guest has proof of what appears to be a romantic liaison between Philippa and another gentleman, but before he has a chance to report the news, Nicholas is found murdered. In a locked room that locks from the inside. The list of suspects steadily increases---Philippa, Walcote's two estranged brothers, his servants---but Guest is still working on the motive and the how of the murder. When a vicious Saracen assassin working for the Pope enters the scene, Guest finds himself embroiled in something that has far-reaching political implications. The Saracen is looking for a long-lost relic called the Mandyllon, a veil that supposedly has the imprint of the face of Jesus Christ. It is priceless, but many people are willing to pay vast quantities of money for it. Or kill for it. Westerson's medieval murder mystery is a fun, exciting, and swashbuckling adventure. It is the first in a series, and I look forward to reading more about Crispin Guest.
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