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Crowner John Mystery #6
The Grim Reaper
In May 1195, Sir John de Wolfe is summoned to inspect a corpse in Exeter’s cathedral precinct. Aaron of Salisbury, a Jewish money-lender, has been found dead, his head enveloped in a brown leather money bag, a scrap of folded parchment clutched in his hand. On it is written “And Jesus went into the temple and overthrew the tables of the money-changers.” This is just the beginning of a strange series of murders in which an apt biblical text is left at the scene of the crime. Setting out to track down a literate and Bible-learned killer in an age when only one percent of the population can read or write, Sir John deduces that he is looking for a homicidal priest.
368 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2002
36 people are currently reading
281 people want to read
About the author
Bernard Knight
104 books137 followersAka Bernard Picton.
Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, (born 1931) became a Home Office pathologist in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology, University of Wales College of Medicine, in 1980. He has been writing since before 1963, when his first crime novel was published. Since then, he has written about thirty books, including contemporary crime fiction, historical novels about Wales, biography, non-fiction popular works on forensic medicine, twelve medico-legal textbooks and the Crowner John Mysteries series of 12th-century historical mysteries.
In addition, he has written scripts for radio and television dramas and documentaries, including the forensic series The Expert starring Marius Goring, in the 1970s. He has contributed to many other textbooks and has edited several medical journals - he was Managing Editor of Elsevier's Forensic Science International, the leading international publication in the field.
Currently, he is a founder member of The Medieval Murderers, a select group of historical crime-writers within the Crime Writers' Association, who give presentations at literary festivals, libraries and bookshops, to promote their work amongst the public. He is also one of the non-fiction judges for the annual 'Dagger' Awards of the Crime Writers' Association and a regular reviewer of crime books for the Internet site Tangled Web.
He was born and lives in Cardiff and as well as being a doctor, he qualified as a barrister and was awarded the CBE in 1993 for services to forensic medicine. In the 1950s, he served as a Regular Army medical officer in Malaya during the terrorist campaign, in a military hospital which he compares with 'MASH'.
-Wikipedia
Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, (born 1931) became a Home Office pathologist in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology, University of Wales College of Medicine, in 1980. He has been writing since before 1963, when his first crime novel was published. Since then, he has written about thirty books, including contemporary crime fiction, historical novels about Wales, biography, non-fiction popular works on forensic medicine, twelve medico-legal textbooks and the Crowner John Mysteries series of 12th-century historical mysteries.
In addition, he has written scripts for radio and television dramas and documentaries, including the forensic series The Expert starring Marius Goring, in the 1970s. He has contributed to many other textbooks and has edited several medical journals - he was Managing Editor of Elsevier's Forensic Science International, the leading international publication in the field.
Currently, he is a founder member of The Medieval Murderers, a select group of historical crime-writers within the Crime Writers' Association, who give presentations at literary festivals, libraries and bookshops, to promote their work amongst the public. He is also one of the non-fiction judges for the annual 'Dagger' Awards of the Crime Writers' Association and a regular reviewer of crime books for the Internet site Tangled Web.
He was born and lives in Cardiff and as well as being a doctor, he qualified as a barrister and was awarded the CBE in 1993 for services to forensic medicine. In the 1950s, he served as a Regular Army medical officer in Malaya during the terrorist campaign, in a military hospital which he compares with 'MASH'.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 2, 2016
Crowner John is yet again trying to sort out the mess he's made with all the women in his life. This book had more politics and priests than ever before, some rather deranged characters as well. I thought both aspects made the story a little slow and dense.
October 16, 2020
Well, this was exciting!
In this book, Crowner John, and his two sidekicks, Gwyn and Thomas, are rushing around Exeter itself, trying to solve a series of bizarre murders, all of which seem to have been caused by someone who is both literate, in a time of mass illiteracy, and who has deep knowledge of the Bible, and it's verses - a fact which points, inevitably, towards the priesthood itself.
As usual, the Sheriff, Richard de Revelle, is useless in helping them, as he is frantically going through his financial records, desperately trying to hide any signs of his embezzlement of Crown funds as, finally, the much awaited Crown Justices are due in Exeter any day now, to check the court records, and to Judge any cases saved for them by both the Sheriff, and Crowner John.
Hampered in their Investigations by both a lack of time, no witnesses, and a clergy that have their own laws, and courts, Crowner John is getting very frustrated as one murder follows another, but it's not until the finger is pointed at poor, sad, Thomas, an unfrocked priest himself, that Crowner John has to notch up his search, in a desperate attempt to save his clerk's life!
While all of this is going on, John is also reunited with his Welsh mistress, Nesta, in whose property one of the murders takes place, and he also has the welcome experience of his wife, Mildred, actually being polite to him for once, as she waits impatiently for the various official occasions when she will be seen on his arm, as they fulfill their social roles as part of Exeter's high society, something Mildred lives for.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a little slow to start, but it soon picked up speed, and the historical details, especially of the lives that the clergy lived in those times, was really interesting to read about.
I now look forward to the next book in the series, Fear in the Forest!
In this book, Crowner John, and his two sidekicks, Gwyn and Thomas, are rushing around Exeter itself, trying to solve a series of bizarre murders, all of which seem to have been caused by someone who is both literate, in a time of mass illiteracy, and who has deep knowledge of the Bible, and it's verses - a fact which points, inevitably, towards the priesthood itself.
As usual, the Sheriff, Richard de Revelle, is useless in helping them, as he is frantically going through his financial records, desperately trying to hide any signs of his embezzlement of Crown funds as, finally, the much awaited Crown Justices are due in Exeter any day now, to check the court records, and to Judge any cases saved for them by both the Sheriff, and Crowner John.
Hampered in their Investigations by both a lack of time, no witnesses, and a clergy that have their own laws, and courts, Crowner John is getting very frustrated as one murder follows another, but it's not until the finger is pointed at poor, sad, Thomas, an unfrocked priest himself, that Crowner John has to notch up his search, in a desperate attempt to save his clerk's life!
While all of this is going on, John is also reunited with his Welsh mistress, Nesta, in whose property one of the murders takes place, and he also has the welcome experience of his wife, Mildred, actually being polite to him for once, as she waits impatiently for the various official occasions when she will be seen on his arm, as they fulfill their social roles as part of Exeter's high society, something Mildred lives for.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a little slow to start, but it soon picked up speed, and the historical details, especially of the lives that the clergy lived in those times, was really interesting to read about.
I now look forward to the next book in the series, Fear in the Forest!
January 31, 2024
I really enjoyed this book as a casual read. Despite being the 6th in a series (I think), I never felt like I was missing out much at all by being a new reader to the series. The strength of this book primarily falls with the setting; the descriptions of medieval Exeter are brilliant, you feel like you’re really there! Similarly, the characters generally were good though some lesser prevalent characters (such as higher officers of the law or priests of rarely-visited churches) faded into the background often and I’d struggle to remember who was who- this was the biggest flaw for me, as even a good deal of the suspects in this murder mystery book I couldn’t tell apart if they didn’t appear for a while. This book definitely did well including a medieval-term glossary but needed a character referral section also.
Overall an enjoyable and comfy read in a very well-explored setting. Many memorable scenes throughout, and a few characters I likely won’t forget anytime soon. Despite that though, a better fleshing out of more dull characters and a stronger conclusion would likely bump up this book closer to five stars. While I won’t be picking up other books in this series, I will remember this one fondly.
Overall an enjoyable and comfy read in a very well-explored setting. Many memorable scenes throughout, and a few characters I likely won’t forget anytime soon. Despite that though, a better fleshing out of more dull characters and a stronger conclusion would likely bump up this book closer to five stars. While I won’t be picking up other books in this series, I will remember this one fondly.
March 5, 2023
The ending was good and i liked the twist at the end, yes there are 2 twists in this one (the latter being a minor twist.) The burning death in the river was really the best and the most vivid death of all the deaths in the book.(there are many)
Only downfall of this book was that you'll have to be patient with the ending. Till the 300th page all the book does is introduce a death and then maybe show a little bit of drama (the thomas thing or the judges thing) then another death and then maybe a romance between john and nesta or a POV of the priests of Exeter (one of them being the killer).
This continues until John finaly decides to "ask" about the weird priests in Exeter, like the first 200 pages are exactly the same of what we knew of the killer since page 1 (he is a preist and knows his text) Hence the reason I finished this book in a month is because some parts were simply boring and lenghty.
But if you can get past that, would definately reccomend and yes, I'm definately gonna continue this series.
(If the second twist wasn't there I would have give it a 3.5/5)
Only downfall of this book was that you'll have to be patient with the ending. Till the 300th page all the book does is introduce a death and then maybe show a little bit of drama (the thomas thing or the judges thing) then another death and then maybe a romance between john and nesta or a POV of the priests of Exeter (one of them being the killer).
This continues until John finaly decides to "ask" about the weird priests in Exeter, like the first 200 pages are exactly the same of what we knew of the killer since page 1 (he is a preist and knows his text) Hence the reason I finished this book in a month is because some parts were simply boring and lenghty.
But if you can get past that, would definately reccomend and yes, I'm definately gonna continue this series.
(If the second twist wasn't there I would have give it a 3.5/5)
July 1, 2024
Yet another fantastic book in the Crowner John series. This one involves murders of priests, with biblical verses attached to each body. Crowner John suspects a priest of the murders, because of his knowledge of the bible. There are several suspects and the search for the priest who actually committed the crimes races along, with lots of red herrings for the reader. As with all 5 previous books, this one has a very surprising ending, but very exciting, as the priest responsible is the last one I expected it to be.
Apart from the excellent story, life in Exeter and surrounding districts in 1192 is so well researched and beautifully described - hygiene at times shocking and smells to make your flesh crawl! Added to this, a map of the city as it was in 1192, plus some street names are mentioned and the street name now is also given, so for anyone who knows Exeter, this makes the series all the more enjoyable.
I’m looking forward to reading Book 7!
Apart from the excellent story, life in Exeter and surrounding districts in 1192 is so well researched and beautifully described - hygiene at times shocking and smells to make your flesh crawl! Added to this, a map of the city as it was in 1192, plus some street names are mentioned and the street name now is also given, so for anyone who knows Exeter, this makes the series all the more enjoyable.
I’m looking forward to reading Book 7!
November 7, 2025
The Gospel Killer
A serial killer is murdering his way through Excited. From the evidence gathered it seems the killer might be a Priest of the Church. This makes the investigation difficult because priests are protected by the Church and John must follow the rules. Suspicion falls on his clerk and former priest , Thomas. Can John prove the innocence of Thomas and find the real killer? Will true justice be upheld? Great story.
A serial killer is murdering his way through Excited. From the evidence gathered it seems the killer might be a Priest of the Church. This makes the investigation difficult because priests are protected by the Church and John must follow the rules. Suspicion falls on his clerk and former priest , Thomas. Can John prove the innocence of Thomas and find the real killer? Will true justice be upheld? Great story.
May 14, 2025
Maybe harsh with 3 stars - it was a decent enough read, seemed historically accurate and a couple of nice twists in the tale. Crowner John investigating a series of failed (and successful) murders with a religious twist.
Heavy going in places but held my attention throughout.
Heavy going in places but held my attention throughout.
July 24, 2021
Intriguing story about a murderer who leaves biblical quotes with his victims. But the writing was sloppy.
June 15, 2023
Ganska rolig historia - opretentiös i sin intrig och karaktärisering utan att för den skull bli jätteplatt. Avslappningslitteratur, väldigt tydligt.
March 10, 2024
Really gripping mystery
August 8, 2023
This is the sixth book in the ‘Crowner John’ series and the first that I have given a review, I have enjoyed them all and have rated them 4/5, apart from No4 which I only gave a 3/5, not that it was bad, just not as good as the others. So far (for me) this is the best.
I like Sir John De Wolfe, he is a complex character, he has a loveless relationship with his wife Matilda who is pompous and self-centred, she is the sister of the sheriff Robert De Revelle who hates his brother-in-law and hates his position as coroner even more. John also has a lover, Nesta, the local landlady, it is a well known fact and his wife loathes him going to ‘The Bush’. He has two trusted aides, Gwyn, a giant Cornishman and Thomas De Payne, a clever but rather feeble disgraced priest.
A money lender, a Jew, is found murdered, a biblical message is left with the body, the only people who can read and write are members of the clergy and so it seems that they are looking for a man of the cloth. There are more than a hundred clergymen in Exeter and try as he may John can find no clues. Eventually the sheriff and members of the priesthood point the finger at John’s cleric Thomas. How can John prove his innocence? It becomes a matter of wits between De Wolfe, his devious brother-in-law and the tunnel-visioned men in holy orders.
I like the way Bernard Knight writes, he describes the life and times of the 12th century as quite morose, the smells that hung in the air and the moods of the people, which help the reader to imagine what it must have been like to live in those days.
The series is getting better 5/5.
I like Sir John De Wolfe, he is a complex character, he has a loveless relationship with his wife Matilda who is pompous and self-centred, she is the sister of the sheriff Robert De Revelle who hates his brother-in-law and hates his position as coroner even more. John also has a lover, Nesta, the local landlady, it is a well known fact and his wife loathes him going to ‘The Bush’. He has two trusted aides, Gwyn, a giant Cornishman and Thomas De Payne, a clever but rather feeble disgraced priest.
A money lender, a Jew, is found murdered, a biblical message is left with the body, the only people who can read and write are members of the clergy and so it seems that they are looking for a man of the cloth. There are more than a hundred clergymen in Exeter and try as he may John can find no clues. Eventually the sheriff and members of the priesthood point the finger at John’s cleric Thomas. How can John prove his innocence? It becomes a matter of wits between De Wolfe, his devious brother-in-law and the tunnel-visioned men in holy orders.
I like the way Bernard Knight writes, he describes the life and times of the 12th century as quite morose, the smells that hung in the air and the moods of the people, which help the reader to imagine what it must have been like to live in those days.
The series is getting better 5/5.
May 30, 2021
In some ways I feel like I "shouldn't" enjoy this series of books - the characters don't develop too much, and some elements repeat themselves between the books and within the book. And yet, I finished this in basically a week, picking it up whenever I could. They are light and enjoyable mysteries which are written well and keep me engaged. In this one in particular, a number of the red herrings worked on me, as I thought I had it solved, but I did not. Anyway, you could jump into this series here and enjoy this book, or you could continue on to this point. No complaints.
February 14, 2015
I'm really enjoying these Crowner (Coroner) John mysteries and this one offered up more than the usual number of suspects for the reader to ponder as to who-dunnit. As always the story was also full of rich historical detail, and it was interesting to see the workings of the different court systems inside and outside of the church, and how the Cathedral in Exeter worked with the numerous small churches in the city.
Can't wait for the next one.
Can't wait for the next one.
August 16, 2013
In 1195 a number of murders are committed. Are the deaths the work of a religious zealot?
I found this book read like a text book – full of detail / unnecessary explanations that distracted from the wafer thin plot. This book definitely needed an edit / a number of rewrites.
I would only recommend it to people that enjoy history text books.
I found this book read like a text book – full of detail / unnecessary explanations that distracted from the wafer thin plot. This book definitely needed an edit / a number of rewrites.
I would only recommend it to people that enjoy history text books.
March 14, 2021
Having had a couple of months off from the mysteries of Crowner John, I went back to 12th Century Exeter and found myself in a really good one (mystery that is). I really enjoyed this story and felt that this book was getting back to the Crowner John I liked at the beginning. Maybe that time off allowed me to appreciate the stories better. Now looking forward to the next one.
March 3, 2011
I had difficulty at first in starting this, but once I was able to get past all the character introductions, I really liked the book a lot and am interesting in reading more of Crowner John Mysteries
September 14, 2011
The premise of the book sounded interesting and it started out OK. I got to page 198 and things still were in the introduction stage. I could not get into it as nothing seemed to be happening. Put it down and did not finish it.
March 16, 2016
Medieval mystery series. Must start from the beginning to know all the characters. Crowner John is the main man. He has 2 assistants and works to solve mysteries while trying to keep his wife & mistresses happy. Good stories, but not as detailed as could be.
March 7, 2008
BOT, decent
January 19, 2009
The Grim Reaper (Crowner John Mysteries) by Bernard Knight (2005)
August 9, 2009
A fun little mystery
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2010
Excellent, suspense mystery as to who the reaper was & poor Thomas suspected.
Good historical content. Loved it
Good historical content. Loved it
February 13, 2011
I really enjoy reading these books! The details, the mystery and the author really are great.
I recommend his books to anyone who enjoys mysteries from the 1100's in England.
I recommend his books to anyone who enjoys mysteries from the 1100's in England.
January 5, 2012
Not as good as Brother Cadfeal, but another easy going mystery of the same vein. Could take or leave the series, I think.
August 11, 2016
Another interesting yarn with an insight into life in 12th century Devon
December 4, 2016
Crowner John is on the hunt for a serial killer in Essex 1195. Can he find the culprit before his clerk, Thomas, hangs for the crimes or will the Crowner be next the killer's next victim?
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews