What do you think?
Rate this book
Servant of the Crown Mystery #1-2
Servant of the Crown: A Two Book Set
SEASON OF THE RAVEN, A MILLER FOUND UNDER HIS WHEEL
It's 1194 and Sir Faucon de Ramis, the shire's newly appointed Keeper of the Pleas, must do his duty and make an official declaration of the cause of a miller's death. Saddled with a clerk who names Faucon his 'penance', the shire's first Crowner must thread the tangled relationships between the sheriff, the village of Priors Holston and the priory that once ruled it. As a simple task takes a turn to the political, what seems obvious isn't and what appears safe turns out to be more dangerous than he could imagine.
SEASON OF THE FOX, RAISE THE HUE AND CRY!
A wealthy merchant has been murdered in his own home, and the suspect has fled to sanctuary in a local church. Enter Sir Faucon de Ramis, the king's new Servant of the Crown in the shire, to solve the murder, assisted by his prickly secretary, Brother Edmund. As Faucon begins his hunt, the shire's the new Crowner finds himself in the upside down world of a woman's trade. Not only does the merchant's wife own the business-Unheard of!-the suspect is the daughter's betrothed, or so the town believes. But what about the bloody shoe prints and missing tally sticks at the scene, and what does the sheriff have to gain?
It's 1194 and Sir Faucon de Ramis, the shire's newly appointed Keeper of the Pleas, must do his duty and make an official declaration of the cause of a miller's death. Saddled with a clerk who names Faucon his 'penance', the shire's first Crowner must thread the tangled relationships between the sheriff, the village of Priors Holston and the priory that once ruled it. As a simple task takes a turn to the political, what seems obvious isn't and what appears safe turns out to be more dangerous than he could imagine.
SEASON OF THE FOX, RAISE THE HUE AND CRY!
A wealthy merchant has been murdered in his own home, and the suspect has fled to sanctuary in a local church. Enter Sir Faucon de Ramis, the king's new Servant of the Crown in the shire, to solve the murder, assisted by his prickly secretary, Brother Edmund. As Faucon begins his hunt, the shire's the new Crowner finds himself in the upside down world of a woman's trade. Not only does the merchant's wife own the business-Unheard of!-the suspect is the daughter's betrothed, or so the town believes. But what about the bloody shoe prints and missing tally sticks at the scene, and what does the sheriff have to gain?
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2019
307 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
About the author
Denise Domning
49 books268 followersWhat can I say? I’m single and over sixty, I write and I farm on eight acres of slowly improving red earth (it originally looked like Mars had exploded!) on Oak Creek in northern Arizona. I started with chickens, then there were turkeys and Jersey milk cows. But with livestock came the predators: coyotes, bald eagles, black hawks, mountain lions, and, worst of all, raccoons. Dang those nasty creatures! They kill just because they can; think dogs with opposable thumbs. (Five chickens in one night–they reached in through the chain link and killed the birds with no expectation of being able to eat them.) They are the reason I keep livestock guardian dogs. There's the massive Polar Bear, a 135 pound Hungarian Kuvasz, Radha, the svelte and sleek 90 pound Anatolian Shepherd and her new chew toy, Rupert who is some sort of terrier mix and small enough to walk under her belly.
As for what my dogs guard, it's my growing herd of Dorper Sheep, a South African breed that (supposedly) doesn’t need to be sheared and gains all their weight on grass alone. I've also fallen in love with pigs, which are just dogs with snouts. Oh, how those rapscallions make me laugh!
If you're interested in keeping up with my farm antics, you can visit my blog at denisedomning.com or thefarmonoakcreek.com
As for what my dogs guard, it's my growing herd of Dorper Sheep, a South African breed that (supposedly) doesn’t need to be sheared and gains all their weight on grass alone. I've also fallen in love with pigs, which are just dogs with snouts. Oh, how those rapscallions make me laugh!
If you're interested in keeping up with my farm antics, you can visit my blog at denisedomning.com or thefarmonoakcreek.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 8, 2021
Servant of the Crown (2-Book Set) Earns 5+/5 Crowners…Engaging to the Max!
I am eager fan of historical mysteries, especially those set centuries ago in Great Britain’s past. I was fascinated by the level of research and ability to weave into the fiction some historical events and figures along with use of description, language, and cadence to illustrate a medieval society with its class differences along with religious practices and hierarchy and a variety of personalities. It was fortuitous to find Denise Domning’s A Servant of the Crown mystery series, and after reading book one “Season of the Raven” and book two “Season of the Fox” in this set, I have added the series to my Top 5 Surprises for 2021.
Denise Domning had me enthralled at the first “hue and cry” creating a fascinating tale in her Servant of the Crown series that, in the 2-book set, covers first weeks in the life of a newly elected Keeper of the Pleas, more easily referred to as Sir Crowner, a position created to answer the corruption by many sheriffs. Sir Faucon de Ramis, having returned from the Crusades, has limited prospects as the second son of an important family, but fortune smiled as his uncle, the Bishop of Hereford, and family friend thought him best suited for this position. He’ll receive an annual income from Blacklea Village and the Priory of St. Radegund, however, to avoid any more corruption, his position as “servant to the crown” has no compensation. He will hold inquests, gather jurists to confirm findings, discover and note details of all foul acts like murder, and record judgements due for collection, but whether finding the culprit of the crime is part of his purview is up for interpretation. Sir Faucon, despite being hardened by battle, has an intuitive and compassionate manner, yet he commands others to respect him and know their place, like Brother Edmund, his clerk, whose smug, impertinent manner is made more taxing by his staunch adherence to rules. Yet, despite the lack of a verbal filter, Brother Edmund knows the protocols to follow making him invaluable, and oddly, I enjoy the dynamic between Faucon and Edmund. A crossing of paths has Sir Crowner using Brother Colin’s skill since his work at an abbey infirmary provided him the expertise in recognizing patterns in the body’s reaction to all manner of death; acting much like a forensic scientist, he reminds me, along with his quiet manner, of Peter Ellis’ Brother Cadfael.
Domning’s writing style is engaging, rich in the cadence of the twelfth century, illustrating the medieval society with its class struggles along with the process under which justice is served, includes vivid images of the area along with the various personalities, and enriching three very compelling mysteries: (1) an attempt to hide the murder of a miller by staging it as an accident, (2) the brutal murder of a local purveyor of fine linen fabrics, and (3) a serial killer, whose narrative is available only to the reader. The secrets, suspects, subterfuge, and scandal are well exposed at the end, but some of the final justice is left unresolved. There is also an ongoing conflict between the new Sir Crowner and the local sheriff Sir Alain whose duties have been usurped, and the serial killer who stalks the shire. Depicting societies mores and classes are effective including the role of women, often limited to wife and care giver. She does portray some strong women in the image of the wives, sisters, and the alewife. There are two helpful references available: an “Horarium” defining the names given to hours in the day and a “Glossary” defining several content terms. Mystery fans must try the series!
I am eager fan of historical mysteries, especially those set centuries ago in Great Britain’s past. I was fascinated by the level of research and ability to weave into the fiction some historical events and figures along with use of description, language, and cadence to illustrate a medieval society with its class differences along with religious practices and hierarchy and a variety of personalities. It was fortuitous to find Denise Domning’s A Servant of the Crown mystery series, and after reading book one “Season of the Raven” and book two “Season of the Fox” in this set, I have added the series to my Top 5 Surprises for 2021.
Denise Domning had me enthralled at the first “hue and cry” creating a fascinating tale in her Servant of the Crown series that, in the 2-book set, covers first weeks in the life of a newly elected Keeper of the Pleas, more easily referred to as Sir Crowner, a position created to answer the corruption by many sheriffs. Sir Faucon de Ramis, having returned from the Crusades, has limited prospects as the second son of an important family, but fortune smiled as his uncle, the Bishop of Hereford, and family friend thought him best suited for this position. He’ll receive an annual income from Blacklea Village and the Priory of St. Radegund, however, to avoid any more corruption, his position as “servant to the crown” has no compensation. He will hold inquests, gather jurists to confirm findings, discover and note details of all foul acts like murder, and record judgements due for collection, but whether finding the culprit of the crime is part of his purview is up for interpretation. Sir Faucon, despite being hardened by battle, has an intuitive and compassionate manner, yet he commands others to respect him and know their place, like Brother Edmund, his clerk, whose smug, impertinent manner is made more taxing by his staunch adherence to rules. Yet, despite the lack of a verbal filter, Brother Edmund knows the protocols to follow making him invaluable, and oddly, I enjoy the dynamic between Faucon and Edmund. A crossing of paths has Sir Crowner using Brother Colin’s skill since his work at an abbey infirmary provided him the expertise in recognizing patterns in the body’s reaction to all manner of death; acting much like a forensic scientist, he reminds me, along with his quiet manner, of Peter Ellis’ Brother Cadfael.
Domning’s writing style is engaging, rich in the cadence of the twelfth century, illustrating the medieval society with its class struggles along with the process under which justice is served, includes vivid images of the area along with the various personalities, and enriching three very compelling mysteries: (1) an attempt to hide the murder of a miller by staging it as an accident, (2) the brutal murder of a local purveyor of fine linen fabrics, and (3) a serial killer, whose narrative is available only to the reader. The secrets, suspects, subterfuge, and scandal are well exposed at the end, but some of the final justice is left unresolved. There is also an ongoing conflict between the new Sir Crowner and the local sheriff Sir Alain whose duties have been usurped, and the serial killer who stalks the shire. Depicting societies mores and classes are effective including the role of women, often limited to wife and care giver. She does portray some strong women in the image of the wives, sisters, and the alewife. There are two helpful references available: an “Horarium” defining the names given to hours in the day and a “Glossary” defining several content terms. Mystery fans must try the series!
July 4, 2019
Medieval Era mysteries set in the shire with a knight crusader and an irascible monk as his assistant were just the thing to tickle my fancy.
I've read both stories included in the set. One introduces the world of the series, the characters, and a cunning mystery while the second presents another mystery and forwards the backdrop details that are part of the series arc.
Sir Faucon is a fabulous central character and I enjoy having him as the narrator as he uses his powers of observation and interrogation skills to get at the truth in a time before forensic studies. He sees a murder investigation as he would a hunt where he must track the killer's spore to the truth. The surrounding characters who are regular to the series are colorful and a little quirky.
I love the attention to historical detail so I felt I was right there engaging all my senses to enjoy the story. It's a dirty, gritty, and harsh time period where even the laws are quirky. The author doesn't info dump and yet the reader gleans a lot of details to help paint the picture.
The mysteries get somewhat brutal in accordance with the time period and the situation. There is a standalone mystery in each book, but also an ongoing serial killer mystery in the background as well as a suspense element with the sheriff of the shire wanting to kill Faucon. Yes, there are indeed the opportunity for swordplay and knightly skirmishes.
All in all, this is a fab series and a great set to have for historical mystery fans.
I've read both stories included in the set. One introduces the world of the series, the characters, and a cunning mystery while the second presents another mystery and forwards the backdrop details that are part of the series arc.
Sir Faucon is a fabulous central character and I enjoy having him as the narrator as he uses his powers of observation and interrogation skills to get at the truth in a time before forensic studies. He sees a murder investigation as he would a hunt where he must track the killer's spore to the truth. The surrounding characters who are regular to the series are colorful and a little quirky.
I love the attention to historical detail so I felt I was right there engaging all my senses to enjoy the story. It's a dirty, gritty, and harsh time period where even the laws are quirky. The author doesn't info dump and yet the reader gleans a lot of details to help paint the picture.
The mysteries get somewhat brutal in accordance with the time period and the situation. There is a standalone mystery in each book, but also an ongoing serial killer mystery in the background as well as a suspense element with the sheriff of the shire wanting to kill Faucon. Yes, there are indeed the opportunity for swordplay and knightly skirmishes.
All in all, this is a fab series and a great set to have for historical mystery fans.
July 4, 2019
3-1/2 stars. This is a delightful series set in Medieval times centered around a knight whose prospects, after returning from the Crusades, are bleak. Being a second son, his options are limited—join the church or become a soldier. And, he chooses the latter. In the first book, Sir Faucon is tapped by his great uncle, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to become a Coronarius, which is a servant of the crown. This role, as designed by his uncle, is to investigate crimes and collect a deodand, a fine that goes to the King.
Thus far, the murders he investigates are far more complicated than they initially appear. I enjoyed the twists and turns presented and Sir Faucon's problem-solving skills.
This was a two-book series and an easy, but interesting read. I'm looking forward to continuing to read the series.
Thus far, the murders he investigates are far more complicated than they initially appear. I enjoyed the twists and turns presented and Sir Faucon's problem-solving skills.
This was a two-book series and an easy, but interesting read. I'm looking forward to continuing to read the series.
November 24, 2021
Delightfully different
I love a good mystery and even better I love a mystery from which I can learn something. The Servant of the Series has enlightened me regarding medieval England and has expanded my vocabulary. I would …and already have…..recommend these books to anyone who loves mysteries, history and words.
I love a good mystery and even better I love a mystery from which I can learn something. The Servant of the Series has enlightened me regarding medieval England and has expanded my vocabulary. I would …and already have…..recommend these books to anyone who loves mysteries, history and words.
June 13, 2019
An engaging story
This story was an interesting account of life and various trades.
The murder was well thought out and the clues built up to their conclusion steadily.
It was fun trying to guess the murderer before the end of the story.
This story was an interesting account of life and various trades.
The murder was well thought out and the clues built up to their conclusion steadily.
It was fun trying to guess the murderer before the end of the story.
October 8, 2020
Fantastic medieval who done it
5 out of 5 for this medieval murder mystery, fantastic characters come to life in this bygone eras. A very well told story that had you wondering who the guilty party is right till the last pages.
5 out of 5 for this medieval murder mystery, fantastic characters come to life in this bygone eras. A very well told story that had you wondering who the guilty party is right till the last pages.
June 19, 2019
I enjoyed both books. They are very similar to the Brother Cadfael books. They are easy to read with an interesting plot. I look forward to reading more of the series.
July 3, 2019
Perry is coming into his own as an investigator!
Worth the read. Could not put it down. Looking for more on this story line. One two three four five
Worth the read. Could not put it down. Looking for more on this story line. One two three four five
August 10, 2019
Very enjoyable
Both books are very well written and interesting. The characters are well described. The plot moved along well with lots of clues on the way.
Both books are very well written and interesting. The characters are well described. The plot moved along well with lots of clues on the way.
September 13, 2021
An extremely interesting set of books showing how murders were solved in medieval times without all the modern day forensics.
September 16, 2022
I really liked this story. Kept me coming back for more
August 14, 2021
Good
I enjoyed the second book of the series as much as I did the first. I really loved the description of life in the 12th century, by the ordinary people rather than the king and his court. I have read several books of Richard the Lion hearted. I like that this story was written more in the view point of ordinary people.
I enjoyed the second book of the series as much as I did the first. I really loved the description of life in the 12th century, by the ordinary people rather than the king and his court. I have read several books of Richard the Lion hearted. I like that this story was written more in the view point of ordinary people.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews