What do you think?
Rate this book
Sir Geoffrey Mappestone #5
The Coiners' Quarrel
A Sir Geoffrey Mappestone mystery
Westminster, 1102. About to depart for the Holy Land, Sir Geoffrey is suddenly summoned back by the King. When he arrives at Court he finds two argumentative groups of Saxon moneyers, one accusing the other of devaluing the King's currency. But is there more to it than greed? Geoffrey has no choice but to accept the King's commission to investigate whether this is part of a treasonous plot.
Westminster, 1102. About to depart for the Holy Land, Sir Geoffrey is suddenly summoned back by the King. When he arrives at Court he finds two argumentative groups of Saxon moneyers, one accusing the other of devaluing the King's currency. But is there more to it than greed? Geoffrey has no choice but to accept the King's commission to investigate whether this is part of a treasonous plot.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
4 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Simon Beaufort
26 books48 followersAKA Susanna Gregory with Beau Riffenburgh (her husband).
Simon Beaufort is the pseudonym of Elizabeth Cruwys, a Cambridge academic who was previously a coroner's officer. She writes detective fiction.
Simon Beaufort is the pseudonym of Elizabeth Cruwys, a Cambridge academic who was previously a coroner's officer. She writes detective fiction.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 10 reviews
June 5, 2016
Way too convoluted. Too many unsavory people looking out for themselves. Not the usual for Simon Beaufort.
January 3, 2021
Great story of Geoffrey trying to help his sister out of a bind that involves a feud between to coin makers in Bristol. Geoffrey is once again prevented from returning to the Holy Land by King Henry I who orders him to investigate the coiners.
August 8, 2017
3 1/2 stars.
June 8, 2019
Geoffrey Mappestone is ordered by the King to investigate possible corruption with two coin minters in a small city. He soon finds nobody can be trusted and everyone is suspect.
November 3, 2019
Poor Geoffrey why can’t people just let him let him live in peace or do I mean war
July 16, 2025
I still love this series.
January 13, 2010
First Sentence: Sir Geoffrey Mappestone was furious.
Sir Geoffrey and his companions were in Southampton, finally on their way back to the Holy Land, when summoned, at sword point, by the soldiers of King Henry I to return to London. Taking time for Geoffrey’s temper to cool, they are on a pier at the Thames when Geoffrey’s dog startles a man who runs off. Upon investigation, they find a corpse and a bloodied rock the man had been holding. The corpse is identified as a Saxon moneyer—someone who owns a mint--and one of two groups accusing each other of devaluing the King’s currency, which could result in a rebellion to overthrow Henry.
Beaufort/Gregory is one of the best at depicting this period with accuracy and without sentiment. The clergy range from the sacred to the profane; medicine is primitive, hygiene is virtually non-existent, superstition is rife, remaining bitterness between the Saxons and Normans and, for Sir Geoffrey, no one can be completely trusted.
Sir Geoffrey is a character I very much like. He is an educated knight who fought in the capture of Jerusalem and learned there was very little that was holy about the holy war. Yet he knows he is no farmer and only desires to return to his overlord, Prince Tancred
His following includes squire, Durand, also known as “Angel Locks,” is very light of foot and will do anything to not return to Jerusalem; Helbye, with Geoffrey since Geoffrey was a lad but is now getting too old to continue with him; his friend and fellow knight Roger who doesn’t believe in reading but is Geoffrey’s trusted friend, as long as nothing of value is around and Roger’s man Ulficth. There are a great many characters involved in the story and each has a very distinct personality.
Beaufort’s writing is highly descriptive and filled with historic information, but is never dry as there is also wonderful, subtle humor.
The story is a bit slow at points and I did anticipate one major element, but there were exciting skirmishes and narrow escapes. The end depressed me a bit in that almost everyone, except Geoffrey, proved untrustworthy in some way, but I also suspect that was not unusual for the time.
I look forward to more Beaufort/Mappestone books.
THE COINERS’ QUARREL (Hist Mys-Sir Geoffrey Mappestone-England-1109/Middle Ages) – G+
Beaufort, Simon (aka Susanna Gregory) – 5th in series
Severn House, 2004, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 0727861093
Sir Geoffrey and his companions were in Southampton, finally on their way back to the Holy Land, when summoned, at sword point, by the soldiers of King Henry I to return to London. Taking time for Geoffrey’s temper to cool, they are on a pier at the Thames when Geoffrey’s dog startles a man who runs off. Upon investigation, they find a corpse and a bloodied rock the man had been holding. The corpse is identified as a Saxon moneyer—someone who owns a mint--and one of two groups accusing each other of devaluing the King’s currency, which could result in a rebellion to overthrow Henry.
Beaufort/Gregory is one of the best at depicting this period with accuracy and without sentiment. The clergy range from the sacred to the profane; medicine is primitive, hygiene is virtually non-existent, superstition is rife, remaining bitterness between the Saxons and Normans and, for Sir Geoffrey, no one can be completely trusted.
Sir Geoffrey is a character I very much like. He is an educated knight who fought in the capture of Jerusalem and learned there was very little that was holy about the holy war. Yet he knows he is no farmer and only desires to return to his overlord, Prince Tancred
His following includes squire, Durand, also known as “Angel Locks,” is very light of foot and will do anything to not return to Jerusalem; Helbye, with Geoffrey since Geoffrey was a lad but is now getting too old to continue with him; his friend and fellow knight Roger who doesn’t believe in reading but is Geoffrey’s trusted friend, as long as nothing of value is around and Roger’s man Ulficth. There are a great many characters involved in the story and each has a very distinct personality.
Beaufort’s writing is highly descriptive and filled with historic information, but is never dry as there is also wonderful, subtle humor.
The story is a bit slow at points and I did anticipate one major element, but there were exciting skirmishes and narrow escapes. The end depressed me a bit in that almost everyone, except Geoffrey, proved untrustworthy in some way, but I also suspect that was not unusual for the time.
I look forward to more Beaufort/Mappestone books.
THE COINERS’ QUARREL (Hist Mys-Sir Geoffrey Mappestone-England-1109/Middle Ages) – G+
Beaufort, Simon (aka Susanna Gregory) – 5th in series
Severn House, 2004, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 0727861093
October 13, 2011
A clever story full of twists and turns and a whole cast of unsavory characters.
January 21, 2018
The first two thirds of the book very slow (I'd give it two stars), while the last third was much better (four stars).
Displaying 1 - 9 of 10 reviews