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Knights Templar #2
The Merchant's Partner
No clues, and everyone’s a suspect...
Agatha Kyteler, regarded as a witch by her superstitious neighbours, has no shortage of enemies. But when her body is found frozen and mutilated in a hedge one wintry morning, there seem to be no clues as to who could be responsible.
Until a local youth runs away and a cry is raised…
Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King’s Peace, is not convinced of the youth’s guilt, and he manages to persuade his close friend Simon Puttock to help him with the investigation. As they endeavour to find the true culprit, the darker, sinister side of the village begins to emerge.
A chilling, incredibly compelling historical mystery from a legend of the genre, perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden and C. J. Sansom.
Praise for Michael Jecks'Marvellously portrayed' C. J. Sansom
'Michael Jecks is the master of the medieval whodunnit' Robert Low
'The most wickedly plotted medieval mystery novels' The Times
374 pages, Paperback
First published June 13, 1996
73 people are currently reading
859 people want to read
About the author
Michael Jecks
121 books620 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 - 30 of 79 reviews
November 16, 2011
This is a book I can return to now and read for pleasure.
It all worked for me. The period, the weather, and the characters. I was aiming to produce a novel that would have felt like a medieval Sherlock Holmes, and perhaps I failed, but I think that Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and the Bailiff Simon Puttock get on well enough that the comparison with Holmes and Watson works. It's a cozy crime story, but with the history interwoven seamlessly with the plot.
It all worked for me. The period, the weather, and the characters. I was aiming to produce a novel that would have felt like a medieval Sherlock Holmes, and perhaps I failed, but I think that Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and the Bailiff Simon Puttock get on well enough that the comparison with Holmes and Watson works. It's a cozy crime story, but with the history interwoven seamlessly with the plot.
August 6, 2021
"Las brujas no existen. Lo único que existe es la superstición, el miedo y a veces la envidia. Nunca la brujería"
La trama del libro es buena y bien llevada me habría encantado, pero no. Menudo desastre. Ha sido horrible, muy aburrida y repetitiva.
La historia tarda en arrancar. Aparecen varios personajes que podrían haber desempreñado un papel más importante y dar un poco más de juego. Al final, casi no aportan nada y acaban sobrando.
Cuando aparece el segundo cuerpo, el libro mejora para volver a decaer en las diez páginas siguientes.
Al menos, el culpable ha sido inesperado (yo me había olvidado de la existencia de ese personaje), aunque simple el motivo, poco arriesgado. Sin más. Mi error ha sido tener las expectativas muy altas (hay un personaje que te anima a ello, pero que luego se muestra muy flojo).
Yo habría reducido el libro a la mitad, porque la otra es relleno del malo.
Y de los dos protagonistas, Baldwin se me ha hecho insoportable. Solo puedo salvar a Simon y a Margaret.
La trama del libro es buena y bien llevada me habría encantado, pero no. Menudo desastre. Ha sido horrible, muy aburrida y repetitiva.
La historia tarda en arrancar. Aparecen varios personajes que podrían haber desempreñado un papel más importante y dar un poco más de juego. Al final, casi no aportan nada y acaban sobrando.
Cuando aparece el segundo cuerpo, el libro mejora para volver a decaer en las diez páginas siguientes.
Al menos, el culpable ha sido inesperado (yo me había olvidado de la existencia de ese personaje), aunque simple el motivo, poco arriesgado. Sin más. Mi error ha sido tener las expectativas muy altas (hay un personaje que te anima a ello, pero que luego se muestra muy flojo).
Yo habría reducido el libro a la mitad, porque la otra es relleno del malo.
Y de los dos protagonistas, Baldwin se me ha hecho insoportable. Solo puedo salvar a Simon y a Margaret.
February 1, 2020
The second in a series of murder mysteries set in medieval England, starring Sir Baldwin Furnshill, a knight with a deadly secret (he was once a Knight Templar; since that sect has been officially disbanded and accused of worshipping Satan, he could be executed if anyone suspects him of involvement), and his friend Simon Puttock, the bailiff of a local castle.
One winter morning, an old woman named Agnes is found dead in a field, her body mutilated. It quickly turns out that most of the villagers suspected her of being a witch, which means that practically everyone had a potential motive for the murder. One young man, who visited Agnes the day before her death for medical advice, seems to be the most likely suspect, but there's more going on than Baldwin and Simon know, particularly once a second murder occurs.
This book is so bad. SO BAD, you guys. The narration switches between Baldwin and Simon, but since they are both are one-dimensional characters with no personality beyond "clever, honorable, strong detective", I never could remember which one's POV I was in, and often had to flip back and forth between pages just to figure out which of the two I was supposed to be reading. The solution to the mystery becomes obvious to the reader long, long before the characters figure it out, so it's just a matter of dully watching while they plod from clue to clue. The femme fatale who's eventually revealed to be behind it all is a misogynist cliche of a character, so over-the-top evil with her feminine wiles that it's hard not to laugh at every one of her supposedly 'seductive' lines of dialogue.
But I think the thing that bothered me the most is the utter trash that is the historical research. Jecks clearly has read a few books about medieval England (if you need to know the architectural layout, room by room, of a peasant's hovel, he will happily spend several pages describing it for you), but there's no sense that the characters actually live in, or are shaped by, a world different from our modern one. For example: the village the story is set in is so small that it doesn't have its own church or market, but it does have an inn and tavern. Why would there be enough travelers to keep an inn running? Who are these travelers supposed to be, and why on earth would they be coming to this place if there's nothing there? Travel is a major project at this time; no one is just sloping off to various small towns to check them out! Jecks also can't seem to keep straight how constrained or free his female characters are allowed to be; the societal rules women operate under change from scene to scene.
Most strikingly, this is a bizarrely secular Middle Ages. The events of the book seem to take place over two weeks at least and yet not one character ever goes to church or worries about missing it. It's fine to have individual characters who are skeptical, but the calendar and rituals of Catholicism would still structure their public lives; they can't just be unaware of it. Similarly, the book takes place in February, suggesting at least part of it should occur during Lent, but again there's no mention of it or the changes in diet and behavior you'd expect to follow.
In short: do not read.
One winter morning, an old woman named Agnes is found dead in a field, her body mutilated. It quickly turns out that most of the villagers suspected her of being a witch, which means that practically everyone had a potential motive for the murder. One young man, who visited Agnes the day before her death for medical advice, seems to be the most likely suspect, but there's more going on than Baldwin and Simon know, particularly once a second murder occurs.
This book is so bad. SO BAD, you guys. The narration switches between Baldwin and Simon, but since they are both are one-dimensional characters with no personality beyond "clever, honorable, strong detective", I never could remember which one's POV I was in, and often had to flip back and forth between pages just to figure out which of the two I was supposed to be reading. The solution to the mystery becomes obvious to the reader long, long before the characters figure it out, so it's just a matter of dully watching while they plod from clue to clue. The femme fatale who's eventually revealed to be behind it all is a misogynist cliche of a character, so over-the-top evil with her feminine wiles that it's hard not to laugh at every one of her supposedly 'seductive' lines of dialogue.
But I think the thing that bothered me the most is the utter trash that is the historical research. Jecks clearly has read a few books about medieval England (if you need to know the architectural layout, room by room, of a peasant's hovel, he will happily spend several pages describing it for you), but there's no sense that the characters actually live in, or are shaped by, a world different from our modern one. For example: the village the story is set in is so small that it doesn't have its own church or market, but it does have an inn and tavern. Why would there be enough travelers to keep an inn running? Who are these travelers supposed to be, and why on earth would they be coming to this place if there's nothing there? Travel is a major project at this time; no one is just sloping off to various small towns to check them out! Jecks also can't seem to keep straight how constrained or free his female characters are allowed to be; the societal rules women operate under change from scene to scene.
Most strikingly, this is a bizarrely secular Middle Ages. The events of the book seem to take place over two weeks at least and yet not one character ever goes to church or worries about missing it. It's fine to have individual characters who are skeptical, but the calendar and rituals of Catholicism would still structure their public lives; they can't just be unaware of it. Similarly, the book takes place in February, suggesting at least part of it should occur during Lent, but again there's no mention of it or the changes in diet and behavior you'd expect to follow.
In short: do not read.
October 21, 2019
This has been a rather slow thriller, but quite an intriguing one.
It’s had a gritty feel about it whilst reading it, Due to the storyline and also the Era that it’s been written in!
There are some very strong characters Baldwin and Simon who at the investigators into two crimes, I needed a little bit more depth into them that was portrayed in the characterisation but they still made very good leads in his book.
It starts off with the murder of Agatha , portrayed to be a witch And then goes on to the murder of Alan Trevelyan, and this murder has been one that had a few red herrings before the truth came out at the end.
The plot has not been rushed it’s been a nice steady pace, And there was been plenty of background to the storyline and that is has kept my interest in this surprising but slightly staid Mystery.
It’s had a gritty feel about it whilst reading it, Due to the storyline and also the Era that it’s been written in!
There are some very strong characters Baldwin and Simon who at the investigators into two crimes, I needed a little bit more depth into them that was portrayed in the characterisation but they still made very good leads in his book.
It starts off with the murder of Agatha , portrayed to be a witch And then goes on to the murder of Alan Trevelyan, and this murder has been one that had a few red herrings before the truth came out at the end.
The plot has not been rushed it’s been a nice steady pace, And there was been plenty of background to the storyline and that is has kept my interest in this surprising but slightly staid Mystery.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2008
I get Michael Jeck's books sent to me from by my family in England, as I do not know if you can get them in the States. He does his research. The books are excellent--very well written. I like a good mystery, and these most certainly are!
January 17, 2017
Second book in a historical mystery series set after the fall of Jerusalem and featuring a Templar returning to England to take over his dead brothers estates that is looking to be a good one. The first 2 books have been lots of fun. I'll be reading more of them.
July 14, 2012
A great medieval mystery. i plan on reading more books in this series. there humor in the book, but not so much as to take away the suspense.
October 31, 2019
I read the 1st in this series years ago, and was able to slip right back into the characters, the villages, and the world they lived in.
Thoroughly enjoyed Book 2. Getting serious about reading the entire series!!
Thoroughly enjoyed Book 2. Getting serious about reading the entire series!!
May 25, 2023
An improvement on the first book of the series with the regular characters gaining more shape and personality.
July 13, 2021
Halvintressant mordgåta med en skurk som inte är uppenbar på en gång. Sämre än den första i serien, dock.
November 2, 2019
This 2nd in the series is set in medieval England in the 1300s in the village of Devon. It is more of a police procedural with a former Templar knight and Keeper of the King's Peace, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and the bailiff of Lydford Castle, Simon Puttock, roaming around the countryside investigating and questioning the villagers. In assessing their conversations they tend to seek out discrepancies, falsehoods, observations, and with some intuition they are lead to the truth and the murderer. In this book, one of the main characters is the bitter winter weather with vivid descriptions of it's freezing, snowy, icy, and dangerous and deadly conditions.
The book opens with John, the Bourc de Beaumont, son of the Captal de Beaumont who was an old friend of Sir Baldwin's arriving for a visit. He has come to the village seeking out the local midwife and healer, Agatha Kyteler, whom most of the villagers think is a witch. During the Crusades and the evacuation of the town of Acre, the Bourc's mother, Anne of Tyre, tried to board a ship with her young son, but was refused when she wouldn't give sexual favors to the captain. She then sent the boy's nurse, Agatha, to the ship with the boy; and after paying a hefty sum, they escaped. The Bourc has finally found Agatha and wants to thank her for helping him as a child.
Soon after the Bourc leaves to return home, Simon Puttock and his pregnant wife, Margaret, arrive for a visit. Agatha is found murdered in a hedge with a slit throat. Her body is near the farm of Harold Greencliff, a villein of Sir Baldwin's. He was seen near her house holding a mare for a mysterious wealthy lady who turns out to be the wife of the local merchant. Why was she visiting the midwife? Greencliff runs away and becomes the prime suspect. A search party is sent out to bring him back and he lands in gaol. Sir Baldwin doesn't believe he is the murderer so he is released when his best friend, Steven de la Forte, gives him an alibi. The two investigators discover, through more questioning, that de la Forte's alibi for Greencliff may be false.
Then Alan Trevellyn, the merchant, is also found murdered. He was a wealthy, cruel, abusive, and hated man. It was rumoured that Greencliff was having an affair with a wealthy married woman - could it have been Angelina Trevellyn? Greencliff runs away again, and a search party is sent out after him. When they catch up with him this time, he confesses to both murders. Why??? Are the murders related?
After requestioning some of the villagers; a couple also reveal more than they told the 1st time. Collecting the pieces of the puzzle together, Sir Baldwin and Simon come up with the truth, a back story for the murders and a murderer. There are, of course, many red herrings and twists and turns. The first time that Sir Baldwin sees Angelina, he immediately becomes infatuated with her. Everyone thinks he needs to be married and settle down, but is Angelina the right one for him?
This is a period piece and, in reading the book, you are immersed in medieval England with descriptions of the people, the village, the attitudes, class distinctions, the countryside, AND the weather. It is also character driven and historically accurate. I liked the interaction between Sir Baldwin and Simon, Simon and Margaret, and between them and their servants. An enjoyable read - a highly recommended series. Three stars for some repetition and inconsistencies.
The book opens with John, the Bourc de Beaumont, son of the Captal de Beaumont who was an old friend of Sir Baldwin's arriving for a visit. He has come to the village seeking out the local midwife and healer, Agatha Kyteler, whom most of the villagers think is a witch. During the Crusades and the evacuation of the town of Acre, the Bourc's mother, Anne of Tyre, tried to board a ship with her young son, but was refused when she wouldn't give sexual favors to the captain. She then sent the boy's nurse, Agatha, to the ship with the boy; and after paying a hefty sum, they escaped. The Bourc has finally found Agatha and wants to thank her for helping him as a child.
Soon after the Bourc leaves to return home, Simon Puttock and his pregnant wife, Margaret, arrive for a visit. Agatha is found murdered in a hedge with a slit throat. Her body is near the farm of Harold Greencliff, a villein of Sir Baldwin's. He was seen near her house holding a mare for a mysterious wealthy lady who turns out to be the wife of the local merchant. Why was she visiting the midwife? Greencliff runs away and becomes the prime suspect. A search party is sent out to bring him back and he lands in gaol. Sir Baldwin doesn't believe he is the murderer so he is released when his best friend, Steven de la Forte, gives him an alibi. The two investigators discover, through more questioning, that de la Forte's alibi for Greencliff may be false.
Then Alan Trevellyn, the merchant, is also found murdered. He was a wealthy, cruel, abusive, and hated man. It was rumoured that Greencliff was having an affair with a wealthy married woman - could it have been Angelina Trevellyn? Greencliff runs away again, and a search party is sent out after him. When they catch up with him this time, he confesses to both murders. Why??? Are the murders related?
After requestioning some of the villagers; a couple also reveal more than they told the 1st time. Collecting the pieces of the puzzle together, Sir Baldwin and Simon come up with the truth, a back story for the murders and a murderer. There are, of course, many red herrings and twists and turns. The first time that Sir Baldwin sees Angelina, he immediately becomes infatuated with her. Everyone thinks he needs to be married and settle down, but is Angelina the right one for him?
This is a period piece and, in reading the book, you are immersed in medieval England with descriptions of the people, the village, the attitudes, class distinctions, the countryside, AND the weather. It is also character driven and historically accurate. I liked the interaction between Sir Baldwin and Simon, Simon and Margaret, and between them and their servants. An enjoyable read - a highly recommended series. Three stars for some repetition and inconsistencies.
January 6, 2016
I didn't realize this was the second in a series but there's really no issue picking things up (That's one of the things I like about mysteries). Sir Baldwin is a former Templar Knight who survived their destruction, livingnow in England, awaiting the visit of his friend, Simon, the Baliff and Simon's wife, Margaret. Baldwin gets a surprise visit from Bource de Beaumont, the son of one his friends whose looking for his former nurse who got him out of a disputed territority during the Crusades when he was a baby. This nurse, Agatha, is a midwife and 'witch' in Baldwin's lands and is quickly murdered.
Baldwin and Simon have the task of solving her murder and have few suspects. One of them being Bourc and the other Harold Greencliff a young man and farmer. Also there was a mysterious well to do woman visiting the hedgewitch for reasons unknown. As they investigate, Greencliff takes off and it's rumored he's having an affair with a wealthy married woman. Baldwin and Simon have to deal with two wealthy merchants, Trevellayn and de la Forte, both of them having ties to the Crusades.
The killer isn't done with just Agatha and there's a winter storm coming on.
It was fairly enjoyable. Baldwin and Simon are interesting though this uses omniscient point of view with head hopping so it didn't feel like we got to know anyone well. Though this is called a Knight's Templar mystery Baldwin's past almost never enters the story, except where he knows the disreptuable way the two merchants made their money.
The real weak point, for me, is the 'romance' between Trevellayn's wife and Baldwin. They share less than a dozen sentences and he becomes obessessed with her and wants her to be his wife. It's a little creepy and dumb. Oh well.
Still it was a fun mystery over all though the motivations and the end was fairly easy to deduce.
Baldwin and Simon have the task of solving her murder and have few suspects. One of them being Bourc and the other Harold Greencliff a young man and farmer. Also there was a mysterious well to do woman visiting the hedgewitch for reasons unknown. As they investigate, Greencliff takes off and it's rumored he's having an affair with a wealthy married woman. Baldwin and Simon have to deal with two wealthy merchants, Trevellayn and de la Forte, both of them having ties to the Crusades.
The killer isn't done with just Agatha and there's a winter storm coming on.
It was fairly enjoyable. Baldwin and Simon are interesting though this uses omniscient point of view with head hopping so it didn't feel like we got to know anyone well. Though this is called a Knight's Templar mystery Baldwin's past almost never enters the story, except where he knows the disreptuable way the two merchants made their money.
The real weak point, for me, is the 'romance' between Trevellayn's wife and Baldwin. They share less than a dozen sentences and he becomes obessessed with her and wants her to be his wife. It's a little creepy and dumb. Oh well.
Still it was a fun mystery over all though the motivations and the end was fairly easy to deduce.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2012
It was a good read but I didn't have the time to immerse myself in the story properly only finding time to read a couple of pages a night rather than reading it during a holiday or rest period and for that reason I found the book very bitty rather than flowing but I honestly feel that could be down to me not connecting fully with the characters. My favourite period of history is the Tudors&Stuarts and also the victorian period so I'm still connecting to the historical period of the novels but do find the characters believable and likeable. I have decided to leave the rest of these novels till I have holidays and take them with me to allow me to connect with them more fully. Having said all that I would still recommend these as the stories are good and the characters believeable. Anyone enjoying historical fiction or a good murder mystery will not be dissapointed.
May 26, 2018
Historical mystery set in 14th century Devon. Sir Baldwin and his friend Simon Puttock, bailiff of Lydford Castle, investigate the murder of an elderly woman. She is a midwife and healer, widely rumoured to be a witch. When a young man flees the area after being seen nearby, everyone assumes his guilt but Sir Baldwin is not convinced, and begins to uncover some dark secrets.
Enjoyable mystery with likeable main characters, a steady plot and some vivid descriptions of a bitter moorland winter. The author knows the Devon area well and has researched the period thoroughly, so it is easy to imagine the scenes that pass before the reader. There are repeated journeys through the snow and visits to the inn which became slightly repetitive in the middle of the book, but overall a pleasant and interesting episode in an engaging series.
Enjoyable mystery with likeable main characters, a steady plot and some vivid descriptions of a bitter moorland winter. The author knows the Devon area well and has researched the period thoroughly, so it is easy to imagine the scenes that pass before the reader. There are repeated journeys through the snow and visits to the inn which became slightly repetitive in the middle of the book, but overall a pleasant and interesting episode in an engaging series.
September 3, 2007
THE MERCHANT'S PARTNER (Historical Mystery-England-1300s) – G+
Jecks, Michael, 2nd in series
Headline, 1995- Paperback
Simon Puttock, bailiff of Lydford Castle, and Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, are called to investigate the murder of midwife and healer Agatha Kyteler. Suspects include a young farmer, but others maintain he could not have done it, and the son of a nobleman, who cannot be found.
*** The two main positives, to me, are the characters and their relationships with each other and those around them, and the sense of place created by the author. When he describes riding through deep, freezing snow, I'm ready to reach for a blanket. But the best thing is that this is a good, basic, who-dun-it mystery.
Jecks, Michael, 2nd in series
Headline, 1995- Paperback
Simon Puttock, bailiff of Lydford Castle, and Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, are called to investigate the murder of midwife and healer Agatha Kyteler. Suspects include a young farmer, but others maintain he could not have done it, and the son of a nobleman, who cannot be found.
*** The two main positives, to me, are the characters and their relationships with each other and those around them, and the sense of place created by the author. When he describes riding through deep, freezing snow, I'm ready to reach for a blanket. But the best thing is that this is a good, basic, who-dun-it mystery.
November 22, 2019
When I come across a series of books by an author - in this case medieval mysteries, which I enjoy - the Cadfael series, Dame Frevisse, Crowner de Wolfe, etc. - I want to read them in order.
This Jecks person is classed with that group. I read his first book, which was literally execrable... I was hoping that there must have been some improvement along the way... since he's become more popular. So I thought I'd try #2... if anything, it's worse. I cannot even imagine the publisher that would consider printing a book of this nearly illiterate pap. The man cannot even compose a comprehensible sentence at times....
I'm done with Jecks.... Good grief, what has become of English writing....? Very sad.
This Jecks person is classed with that group. I read his first book, which was literally execrable... I was hoping that there must have been some improvement along the way... since he's become more popular. So I thought I'd try #2... if anything, it's worse. I cannot even imagine the publisher that would consider printing a book of this nearly illiterate pap. The man cannot even compose a comprehensible sentence at times....
I'm done with Jecks.... Good grief, what has become of English writing....? Very sad.
November 29, 2007
This is one of a series of books that I really enjoy. When I have a few spare moments I like to unwind with Michael Jeck's mysteries. They're humorous, interesting, and accessible. They take place in Medieval England and appear very historically accurate. This one is great and I really want to finish, but I'm stuck 2/3 of the way through just because I fall asleep before I get a chance to read!!!!
August 1, 2010
Reread this mystery. Still enjoying the series.
August 10, 2025
I'll start by saying that this is another fine medeival mystery by Michael Jecks. Just when I thought I had it figured out- I didn't-- but the clues were so subtly placed--
Jecks does a fantastic job of recreating the time period and along the way providing details for the reader that educate. A fine example of this is when the investigators enter a poor house which has stockpiled manure during the winter. The reason for this is that the poor family had no other place to dry out their manure, which they would use for fertilizer in the Spring. Can you imagine living in a house full of horse and cow manure?
He also reminds the reader of the superstitious/hypocitical nature of the people in regards to old women who were good with healing and potions. They would regard them as witches and blame them if disease or disaster came upon the area, but they also availed themselves of their expertise in healing ailments.
There are very few action scenes-- Jecks provides a methodical, at times, plodding approach-- wanting his readers to consider every angle and providing the thought process of his lead characters. He doesn't intrude into the thinking of those who witnessed or suspected of the crime, leaving this to revelation through dialogue and the thoughts of the investigators. This thoughtful approach at times is burdensome, but it is the author's chosen style and his ability to adhere closely to it is admirable.
The pacing which often seems slow and the use of older vocabulary (which sent me several times to dictionary.com to verify I was understanding the word by its context)-- one example is villein, from which I imagine we get the word villain. In this sense it was a person who was sworn to service under the feudal system... perhaps synonymous or related to "serf" and not a bad guy, but it definitely implies lower class. This makes these novels a bit more difficult to plow through than the usual modern mystery, but that only adds to the pleasure for me.
Jecks does a fantastic job of recreating the time period and along the way providing details for the reader that educate. A fine example of this is when the investigators enter a poor house which has stockpiled manure during the winter. The reason for this is that the poor family had no other place to dry out their manure, which they would use for fertilizer in the Spring. Can you imagine living in a house full of horse and cow manure?
He also reminds the reader of the superstitious/hypocitical nature of the people in regards to old women who were good with healing and potions. They would regard them as witches and blame them if disease or disaster came upon the area, but they also availed themselves of their expertise in healing ailments.
There are very few action scenes-- Jecks provides a methodical, at times, plodding approach-- wanting his readers to consider every angle and providing the thought process of his lead characters. He doesn't intrude into the thinking of those who witnessed or suspected of the crime, leaving this to revelation through dialogue and the thoughts of the investigators. This thoughtful approach at times is burdensome, but it is the author's chosen style and his ability to adhere closely to it is admirable.
The pacing which often seems slow and the use of older vocabulary (which sent me several times to dictionary.com to verify I was understanding the word by its context)-- one example is villein, from which I imagine we get the word villain. In this sense it was a person who was sworn to service under the feudal system... perhaps synonymous or related to "serf" and not a bad guy, but it definitely implies lower class. This makes these novels a bit more difficult to plow through than the usual modern mystery, but that only adds to the pleasure for me.
March 3, 2018
Having read many of the older books in this series, it was interesting to pick up and see one so early on. This is a long series that moves through time, so the characters age and events in medieval England are taking place which affect them, particularly the turbulent reign of King Edward II.
This story takes place at home for Sir Baldwin, and is a more simple mystery than most of the later stories. An older wise woman (considered a witch by some) dies, and the suspects pile up. Baldwin is single and alone here and is charmed by the wife of a powerful merchant, much to the amusement of his friend Simon Puttock.
The mystery isn't too difficult to unravel, I nailed down the killer early on and what had happened, but the story is still interesting enough to read. Lacking some of the depth of historical information and background that later books provide, there still is enough to keep someone like me interested.
Like all the books, though, there's just not enough Baldwin and Puttock in it, but lots of the other side characters are developed interestingly, particularly the ladies.
This story takes place at home for Sir Baldwin, and is a more simple mystery than most of the later stories. An older wise woman (considered a witch by some) dies, and the suspects pile up. Baldwin is single and alone here and is charmed by the wife of a powerful merchant, much to the amusement of his friend Simon Puttock.
The mystery isn't too difficult to unravel, I nailed down the killer early on and what had happened, but the story is still interesting enough to read. Lacking some of the depth of historical information and background that later books provide, there still is enough to keep someone like me interested.
Like all the books, though, there's just not enough Baldwin and Puttock in it, but lots of the other side characters are developed interestingly, particularly the ladies.
September 12, 2025
The second of Jecks' series of medieval mysteries has a genuine feel of medieval England in a murder plot in which suspected witchcraft plays a major part. To be in period, the characters have to believe in it, but Baldwin carefully points out that a women who has knowledge of plant remedies is not necessarily a witch. Baldwin also has an important subplot, in which he is starting to look for a wife. As a Templar knight, he would have been subject to a vow of chastity. When he escaped the betrayal of the Templars by the French king and the pope through gross accusations generally considered by historians to be falsehoods would have seriously tested the vows he took. The interest in marriage makes it clear that at this point he feels that his vows no longer bind him. To me, the inner turmoil which must have afflicted him is underplayed in the novel (though it's clear that treating it with the depth it could have it would have over burdened what is essentially a cosy crime thriller).
The detection aspect of the story works well, ending with a chase on horseback.
The detection aspect of the story works well, ending with a chase on horseback.
September 27, 2023
The second in the Furnshill and Puttock series, 100 or so pages too long with excessive journeying around, but still an interesting mystery where a village woman some believe to be a witch, is murdered, soon followed by another victim.
A couple of obvious suspects emerge and a number of incidents (including a dramatic attack by wolves on lonely travellers on the Moor) and often erroneous assumptions eventually lead to a guilty party. So, this has the usual shortcomings (such as characters using time that is far too precise for the era and characters' facial features far too often reflecting their nature [you didn't want to be cursed with thin lips in medieval times!]) but it's all pretty involving.
A couple of obvious suspects emerge and a number of incidents (including a dramatic attack by wolves on lonely travellers on the Moor) and often erroneous assumptions eventually lead to a guilty party. So, this has the usual shortcomings (such as characters using time that is far too precise for the era and characters' facial features far too often reflecting their nature [you didn't want to be cursed with thin lips in medieval times!]) but it's all pretty involving.
November 15, 2017
Het tweede deel van de Sir Baldwin mysteries is weer erg spannend. Als het kruidenvrouwtje Agatha Kyteler vermoord wordt aangetroffen hebben baljuw Simon Puttock en Sir Baldwin een zware taak voor zich om de dader te pakken te krijgen. Een tweede moord kan niet voorkomen worden en alles wijst in beide gevallen op een jonge boer als zijnde de moordenaar. Hebben Sir Baldwin en Simon de moorden opgelost met zijn arrestatie of moeten ze nog verder op pad in het koude winterse Devonshire. Er is immers ook nog die ridder uit Gascogne, de bastaard zoon van een oude vriend van Sir Baldwin.
February 21, 2021
Another suspenseful and intriguing mystery with Sir Baldwin and Simon Puttock. Plenty of colourful characters, all with their own secrets to fox the duo. I always enjoy trying to work out 'who done it', though usually have an 'ah' moment when the villain is revealed in some twist, and I see the clues were there all along. I love the settings of this series just as much as the storytelling. It really is like walking along the ancient paths and seeing the places along with Baldwin and Simon. A real step into history, with the feel, sights, sounds, and scents vividly evoked.
November 17, 2022
Sir Baldwin and bailiff Simon investigate the murder of an old woman in 14th-century Devon. I thought the highlight of this book was its setting; the winter was not just a backdrop but an omnipresent important factor in everybody's lives. The characters were okay, but not so engaging that plot twists had me feeling for the ones affected. The denouement was somewhat disappointing; although it had all the clues falling into place, I had not had the feeling that many of the clues were out of place to begin with.
February 3, 2018
I loved the story line throughout this novel. It held my fascination throughout. A big part of my enjoyment was the interaction between the characters and the way Michael Jecks gave pointers throughout the book as to the real identity of the killer, whilst leading the reader to believe it could only be one of the others. I like to be kept guessing till virtually the end of the story.
November 21, 2023
These last Templar books are quite good. They reflect the times in a very interesting manner. You get an education about the 1300s in Britain, and some of it may surprise you. For one, how much ale and wine they drink. A pint at a time, and the servants drink too. The mysteries are good, too, though I get mixed up about where exactly they are because they move from place to place so much.
December 7, 2023
An enjoyable murder mystery. The body of an old woman, suspected of being a witch is found with the throat cut. But by whom?
Sir Baldwin and Simon the bailiff try to find out who did it. As they search another body is found, a merchant, with his throat cut. Is the same person responsible for both deaths?
Sir Baldwin and Simon the bailiff try to find out who did it. As they search another body is found, a merchant, with his throat cut. Is the same person responsible for both deaths?
February 6, 2017
I'm glad I got this book for free, from a patient's parent (who kindly gave us a whole bag of books) because I'd feel disappointed if I'd had to pay for it - I figured out the whodunnit almost immediately.
February 17, 2018
Really like it. A bit of a slow start, I thought, but it really picked up the pace and kept the true wrongdoer a secret until the end, although the clues were there throughout. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series
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