The Poisoned Chalice

Crowner John Mystery #2

by Bernard Knight

In December of 1194, the well-born ladies of Exeter are not having a good week. First, Christina Rifford, the daughter of a rich merchant, is raped. Then, just months before her marriage, Lady Adele de Courcy is found dead in one of the poorest areas of the city.The common factor is Godfrey Fitzosbern, the local silversmith. But despite Crowner John's suspicions and the vengeful accusations of the families, it is John's duty to protect Godfrey until he can find definite proof of his guilt. Aided by his mistress Nesta, and hindered by his social-climbing wife Matilda and her power-hungry brother, Sheriff Richard de Revelle, John slowly begins to put the pieces together. But a final, brutal act of violence will bring a new twist to the investigation.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Medieval, Crime, Historical Mystery, Historical

356 pages, Paperback

First published August 3, 1998

About the author

Aka 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

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure if I will read more of this series, but it is possible. It is historical fiction featuring real people of that period cruising through 1194 through 1196...Devon is the place. It's rather hard for me to like Crowner John and there is a decided lack of humour. I will keep it on the shelf for now as a possible series to follow. In this one ladies were violated.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an OK read. I might read another, but I wouldn't go looking for it, I suspect.

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Sentence: The chamber was almost in darkness.

Sir John de Wolf’s life has challenges enough with a cold, social-climbing wife and her brother, the power-hungry Sheriff. He now has to solve crimes against women in Medieval Exeter. The betrothed daughter of a wealthy merchant has been raped, and the betrothed daughter of a local noble has died of a botched abortion. While signs point to the town’s silversmith, John must fine the guilty person without the two families killing each other or the Sheriff hanging the wrong person.

It is always a good start when an author includes Author’s Notes, a map and a glossary at the start of an historical mystery. It lets what license the author has taken, defines the locale and saves me running to the internet. More than that, from the very beginning, it brings the book to life.

What wonderful characters have been created by Knight. Sir John, his bodyguard Gywn of Polruan and his clerk Thomas de Peyne are a wonderful, not completely harmonious, combination. Then you have John and his relationship with his wife. I am normally opposed to a protagonist having a mistress, but I’m willing to make an exception here. You empathize with John’s frustrations and cheer his constant struggle to enforce the new law.

Knight takes us into the 12th century, making it come to life without ever glorifying it. These were hard times and people with hard lives, poor sanitation, the demands of taxation and eternal political wrangling. The legal process was in formation yet laws would change with the kings. I always appreciate an author who can educate and entertain me simultaneously.

The story is well plotted with plenty of intrigue, conflict and drama. The mystery is definitely there and the killer well concealed. The ending felt abrupt and slightly unsatisfying, which is why my rating is lower than it might have been.

Even so, the author’s voice and the principal characters make this a captivating series. I look forward to reading the next book.

THE POISONED CHALICE (Hist Mys-Sir John de Wolf-England-Middle Ages/1194) – G+
Knight, Bernard – 2nd in series
Pocket Books, ©1998, US Paperback – ISBN: 0743492064

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

The poisoned Chalice is the second of the Crowner John mysteries. However I don't seem to be reading them in order and I don't think it matters if you don't.
I found the first two thirds of this novel to be pacy with a great plot, with just the right amount of tension, however I did find the ending lacked the umph of the first part.
As ever the sense of time and place is remarkable, Bernard Knight does a really good job of showing what life might have been like in Exeter in the late 1100's. I enjoy meeting again the characters who reappear in these books, I think my favourite character other than the marvelous Crowner John is poor little Thomas de Payne - well someone has to like him.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the first Crowner John mystery (The Sanctaury Seeker), this is still a decent story for historical fiction readers.

[Wayne Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well written and enjoyable Crowner John mystery. I feel that I'm learning a lot about how the justice system worked during this period of history and its very interesting to see the conflict that arises about jurisdictions. Also highlights the stupidity of some of the ways we used to attempt to get a confession to a crime - of course they're going to admit to doing something when you pile a ton of bricks on their stomach - even if they didn't do it. I'm looking forward to more mysteries to be solved by the King's coroner and hope they will highlight even more of the way things were done in medieval times.

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

as i'm interested in forensic science and historical fiction, I thought this had to be a good combination but I was very disappointed in it, as it was okay but nothing more than that.

The writing is rather pedestrian, and whilst the crimes investigated during the course of it are realistic, there is also no great sense of mystery or any plot twists. "I think that so-and-so probably did this. Maybe he didn't. No, it was him"

I will probably try another in the series, if nothing else it was a quick read!

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book this was! For some reason I thought I had started this series before and I had not. This was a library loan and there are more where it came from, I am happy to note.

The period detail of the Crowner's role vis a vis the Sheriffs at this time was so very enlightening and entertaining to read about.
Crowner John and his cronies were quite well developed and it was a very fine read.

Recommended heartily by Medieval mystery and novel fans of different genres.

[Kathleen]

5 Star Reread! ( I guess most rereads are up there in quality..for me anyway) What a time Sir John DeWolfe lived in.. he was somewhat advanced for his time and well though of by many ( Not his wife however or her brother the Sheriff).

A mystery and infighting between the "haves" and the "have nots" in Exeter under the reign of King Richard who had been a fighting companion of Crowner John.

I am off to the next one.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Crowner John. He's belligerent, rude and unfaithful but his sense of justice keeps him from being a totally unsympathetic character.

This one had a good murder mystery and good story.

[Snow White · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointment. The era in which this story is set interests me greatly, so I had hight hopes. But the story was never able to grip me. The characters were bland and I never really cared for any of them. The plot dragged, with many scenes that could have easily been cut ad a lot of explanations about Medieval law that went in too much detail, slowing everything down. Plus I was able to identify the culprit very early on in the story.
But what bothered me most about this book was the pedantic and sometimes blatantly sexist tone of the author. Women are constantly appraised based on looks and how "comely" and "useful" they are. The incessant bashing by the Crowner of his wife Matilda (who is of course ugly and barren and a boring and vain nag) and the comparison to his favourite mistress (Crowner John has several ones, naturally) who is fun and flirty and doesn't seem to have a single flaw whatsoever, irritated me enormously.
In conclusion: a macho book written from a very dated and boring male view.

[Mariel · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a free library (I think that is the term - someone's set up a small box that has about 20 books in it for anyone to borrow and return / replace with others as they see fit) nearby, and my other half picks up ones he thinks I'd like when he passes it. This was one of them.

I have not read any of the Crowner John mysteries, nor heard of Bernard Knight (brilliant name for writing about knights and such) before. Not sure the index of archaic terms and what they mean was really necessary, as most could be deduced from the rest of the sentence they were in. But it's useful to know what terms clothing / people had back in 1194, and some words have changed meaning since.

This book was a light read, and I quite liked the brusqueness of Sir John de Wolfe in his deductions. Could have done without each chapter being titled what occurred in it - rather spoiled the story for me as I knew what was going to happen. Not sure I'll track down any other of the series, but who knows. For a free trial it wasn't bad.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this as much as the other books. Perhaps the formula the author uses in his writing is becoming too familiar, or it was simply less of a story compared to the other books. These books are slow reads, but beautifully crafted. The author gets the period spot on with wattle and daub buildings, mud strewn streets, draughty houses and yet warm inns. I have perhaps tired of some of the characters and I think I would have murdered his wife, Matilda, by now. However, John de Wolfe, being the Coroner has his hands tied by law. Once again there is murder and this time rape. John stumbles along and given his previous performance at solving crime, this novel relies on others to solve these ones. The author throws in ordeals, a little bit akin to a history lesson and whereas in other boos this felt part of the plot I did feel myself saying, oh no, not again. Still, a good read rather than excellent.

[Emy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is one of those rare historically set books that doesn't set off me "You sure?" monitor every other page... A lot of medieval historical fiction I find I have to read as fantasy set in a medieval-like period because it gets so many fundamental things wrong (a short story comes to mind with a female A-S protagonist who holds a name form only held by males). This series doesn't do that - although I freely admit I know little about the role of Coroner/Crowner! Why is this good? For me, it's because it allows me to actually enjoy the story without getting jolted out of it. I read it on the train going back and forth to the International Medieval Congress as it allowed me to stay in the mind-set while relaxing too ;)

[Angie Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, as I have come to expect, this was well written and thoroughly enjoyable. Knight as ever has produced a good, suitably fast paced mystery with a well concealed bad guy. The ending is something of a let down, too sudden. You feel like Knight ran out of word allowance or something equally mundane. As usual Richard de Revelle is annoyingly incompetent but Matilda is almost human in this volume which is nice. These books are never going to be what you might call challenging reading but they are fun, easy to become absorbed in and largely historically accurate which is always a bonus. Probably not going straight for volume three - Coroner's Quest - because I do like some variety in my medieval murders but I will certainly come back to John and his team fairly soon.

[Sophie Constable · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a intriguing mystery that has many different layers to it. The plot is very tightly woven and new layers are being added all the time. The main characters stay consistent and the new characters are also rather interesting. I did begin to suspect the culprit before it was revealed who it was but it isn't that obvious. Once again it is clear that the author has done his research as it is full of historical detail. The one complaint that I do have which dampened my enjoyment is the ending. It is very open and you are left to wonder slightly. It also involves one of the culprits and does leave you unsatisfied as they were never brought to justice.

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading a couple of books in this series, I decided to try to get back to the beginning. This is the second and the earliest that I could get.
I enjoy this author and appreciate his descriptive writing. This one is no different and the streets of our nearest large time, Exeter, come alive with the sights and smells of the city 800 years ago.
I will be viewing the city with different eyes on my next visit.
May be I missed something just before the ending but, although he was guilty of the assault in the culvert, I cant remember the 'villain' being proved guilty of the original crime.

[Amy Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second of the Crowner John novels, a young virgin noblewoman has been raped, and Sir John de Wolfe investigates. Soon afterward, another young noblewoman is found dead in an unlikely location.

Additionally, John locks horns again with his brother-in-law the Sherif over who has the power in pursuing justice for certain crimes, especially in the dispensing of justice and extraction of confessions.

A very enjoyable read, with logic and analysis being utilized in the pursuit of truth - and not infallible, with mistakes made along the way.

[Zora · Rating 2 out of 5]

A novel set in the late 12th century, with three crimes. A bit too much research explained, and I always felt less that I was intrigued and puzzled over whodunnit and more that I was confused over that matter. There weren't exactly clues to follow to puzzle it out. There was just accusation after accusation and eventually, a couple of them stuck, so rather than being engaged in the mystery, I was kept remote from it. Couldn't find a character to like and root for, so I doubt I'll read another.

[deni Tomgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone at work recommended this series and I'm enjoying what I've read so far. I do like the characters and the historical details plus it's setting which im beginning to know, however I did find the ending a bit of a let down. I've got another one in the series to take on my visit to Cornwall next week.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one in this series. The whole thing was bitty and messy, which I daresay is what real life is and was like, but not the sort of thing you expect from detective fiction - even medieval detective fiction.

I shall probably read more in the series, but more because I'm interested in the history and like the main character than for the detective elements.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like my historical mystery to give plenty of detail about life in that time, but usually it's more subtly done. I felt this book includes far too much detail about life in medieval England, and too little plot.
I'll be sticking to Cadfael and Matthew Bartholomew.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crowner John has to deal with a rape, the death of a noblewoman and a shipwreck. These books are never dull although they can be a bit formulaic. Still, an entertaining waste of time.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent mystery & historical factual mixed with intrigue, had me guessing to the end

[Chris The Story Reading Ape · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, Bernard Knight fills his stories with the sights, sounds and even smells of medieval England, as well as presenting a first class tale with twists, very enjoyable read.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual I love the image that builds up of this period of history

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable mystery, however I have to say it is the interplay between Crowner and Sheriff that catches me much more. Also nice that it picks up well on the first book in the series.

[G. Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darker and more interesting than the first book. Found it engaging to read. Reading the next!

[Mavis Hewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series of books & this one comes up to all expectations.

[Margaret little · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read

If you like mysteries you will love Crowner John. The writing is very well done and the history is spot on