The Wildcats of Exeter

Domesday #8

by Edward Marston

As Nicolas Picard rides home from Exeter he is attacked by a snarling wildcat. Yet, when his body is discovered, there are lacerations on his neck that could only have come from human hands.
When royal commissioners of William the Conqueror, Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret, arrive in the city to preside over local land disputes, their proceedings are immediately hampered by the death of a key Picard.
With Picard's wife and mistress, as well as the wife of the former owner of the estate, staking their claim to the land, Delchard and Bret wonder whose greed has driven them to kill. But the root of the mystery lies far deeper than mere avarice.

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

318 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 1998

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

A pseudonym used by Keith Miles
AKA A.E. Marston

Keith Miles (born 1940) is an English author, who writes under his own name and also historical fiction and mystery novels under the pseudonym Edward Marston. He is known for his mysteries set in the world of Elizabethan theatre. He has also written a series of novels based on events in the Domesday Book, a series of The Railway Detective and a series of The Home Front Detective.


Series contributed to:
. Malice Domestic
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal

Reviews

[Booknblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always happy when I get to take a jaunt with the Domesday Commissioners and this time we rode down to Exeter with Ralph Delchard, Gervase Bret on their steeds, Ralph's wife Golde on her palfrey, Canon Hubert tottering along on his donkey and Brother Simon meekly bringing up the rear in Edward Marston's mystery The Wildcats of Exeter.

As with many mystery series the Domesday Books do tend to get a little formulaic and this the eighth volume is no exception. We can count on there being a murder before or shortly after the arrival of the commission and as predicted one does. Nor is it a surprise that the victim is involved in a land dispute which the Commissioners will be ruling on. This time it is notorious ladies man, Nicholas Picard.

For those who have grown to love them, each commissioner plays his part well as does Golde, who known for her loving kindness wins over the haughty sheriff's wife and comes into her confidence. Ralph loses his temper, Gervase uses his utmost diplomatic skills, Canon Hubert manages to be imperious but at the same time ask telling questions and Simon provides some comic amusement by being afraid of all things of the flesh.

I can't help loving this series and I appreciate the short glimpse into 11th century life that they provide.

[Shiraz Rustom · Rating 4 out of 5]

By accident, I have joined this series at number 8. It stands alone well and has piqued my interest that i now want to go back to the start (rather than continue onto No. 9 which is sat on my shelf).

An easy but engaging read, which spotlights a part of this Island’s history that we often gloss over. The post-conquest politics between Saxon and Norman is convincing imagined.

[Eirwen Abberley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to finish this book quickly because it seemed like fate - I bought it a couple of years ago when I was in uni in Exeter, and then about a week ago my Nan randomly gave me a book from the author’s same series but set in Chester (where I now work).

Anyway, not something I would usually read anymore but it was a page turner - can’t go wrong with historical fiction AND a murder mystery!

[Seán · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Wildcats of Exeter is a historical mystery book set around the writing of the Domesday Book. Norman conquerors are cataloguing their spoils and as such are setting straight any irregularities in land ownership. Thusly we meet our protagonists, a group of dignitaries commissioned by the William the Conqueror to settle disputes in his name. Ralph Delchard, Gervase Bret and their cohorts ride into Exeter to set straight a dispute concerning the land currently possessed by Lord Nicolas Picard. However just before they arrive he is murdered, throwing a sinister light on their proceedings. As well as untangling the dispute and wrangling with its five claimants, they task themselves with solving the murder.

The most interesting aspect of this book for me was the division between the Saxon and Norman inhabitants of the British Isles. I had never really thought about it in detail, and was fascinated to see the interactions between the ruling class and their subjects. The Saxons were stripped of their lands and rights and became subjects of their invaders.

The book moves at a breezy pace, not slowing down for much. The dialogue is perfunctory, and consists mostly of rapid exchanges of information without much description of how its participants engage with or react to it. The mystery itself wraps up quickly and without much fuss. The name of the book is explained at the end - the wildcats of Exeter are the wives and mistresses Nicolas left behind - an apt metaphor but one not even alluded to until nearly the last page when it is spelled out by one of the characters. This is one of many ways that the book reads like a first draft. Everything is there in a cursory way, all it needs is fleshing out before it gets submitted to the publisher! I can't say I was bored by this book, but I can't say I was greatly engaged. This is the definition of a middling 2.5 star book. Since Goodreads doesn't have half-stars, I'll round it down rather than up.

I got this in the Oxfam during Sidmouth Folkweek

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was engaging and well plotted but Marston is starting to repeat the same scenarios. Gervase falls for a beautiful woman. Golde befriends the sheriff's lonely wife. The writing is beginning to get a little stale.

[ghostlibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this series fascinating and I love the setting. What an imaginative way to present the writing of the Domesday Chronicles.

[Harriet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical mystery. A pleasant read. would like to pick up more of this series.

[Charley Robson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful historical romp with enjoyable characters (including a large cast of diverse, interesting, complex women - impressive beyond words, all told, given the genre and time period!), a fast pace, engaging language, some genuinely good comic moments, and a real sense of warmth that carries the whole premsie perfectly.

I was not especially sold on the final reveals, and the ending felt a little rushed, but rather like the 'cosy' TV murder mysteries of which this reminds me, the ending is less important than the characters and the story along the way, and this has both in spades. I will probably seek out the others, should I come across them.

(And yes, add this one to the ever-extending list of series I have unrepentantly read completely out of order)

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad picked this up for me when we were in The Works and it’s definitely one of my favourites this year. Though not good enough for five stars, I loved the concept of this book; a murder mystery set in the High Middle Ages with the centric plot point being the work of a group of royal commissioners resolving land discrepancies of the Domesday book. I love historical fiction; especially when it’s combined with an unusual genre like mystery, and this novel was executed very well. It was accurate, without being difficult to understand and imagine, as well as witty and comical in parts. Overall, I would definitely recommend and I plan on checking out other books in this series.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edward Marston's books are okay, but this series is extremely formulaic, even for him. From book to book, each has exactly the same setting, exactly the same plot, exactly the same characters with the same personalities and character traits. The only thing that changes is the town of the book's setting, and the characters' names. The titular animals also change, but since they are only barely connected with the story in the first place, this is hardly worthy of comment. I listen mostly on audiobook (although I have read a few), and the narration is perhaps the saving grace of my experience.

[Ma'lis Wendt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ralph Delchard, Gervase Bret and the other King's Commissioners are in Exeter to examine more questions about properties there. Before they arrive one of their major witnesses, Nicholas Picard, is brutally murdered--making a complex case even more complex. Another murder, blackmail attempts and disappearances happen before the case is solved and their cases setteled.

[Stephen Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series continues with aplomb

This is another brilliant story to continue the series. The plot has the royal commissioners having to Rangel another set of mysteries before they can complete their task of solving more land disputes.

[Eleanor]

Got 17% in. When I read a murder mystery I expect the first half of the 20th century, and somehow did not pick up from the blurb that this book is set during the reign of William the Conquerer. I don't know, I just wasn't hooked

[Freddie Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, I first bought it not knowing that it was part of a larger series, when I read the 3rd book I was delighted to see that Golde- Ralph’s love interest was introduced in a prior book. Great read, excellent writing and very nostalgic

[Monica Bond-Lamberty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast and good, not necessarily great literature, but informative and entertaining

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Thoroughly enjoyed.

[ANDREW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read

[Robert Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's something like the 6th or 7th book in this series so you know what you're getting. They all follow basically the same plot, equally as good as all the others but nothing particularly new.

[Ensiform · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume VIII of the Domesday Books. The commission is joined by a new member, ex-soldier Hervey de Marigny. A murder precedes their arrival, of course, Nicholas Picard, a land owner whose property is already under dispute, is torn to pieces as if by a wild animal. Five claimants step forward to vie for his land: a dispossessed Saxon, Nicholas’ widow, an abbot, and two other women. Before the commission can untangle the stories, however, Hervey is killed in the same gruesome manner.

I enjoyed this entry in the series more than I did the previous. A host of minor characters and subplots keep the action going, as Marston juggles the characters and switches abruptly but deftly from scene to scene in his usual manner. What made this book more successful than the other is that this time, the land in question was part of the plot --- solving the murder and doing the commission’s work were intertwined, and Marston gave the details of each claimant, involving the reader in the issues rather than just tying them up as an afterthought as in Volume VII. A fine medieval mystery in the rapid-fire Marston style.

[Cat. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the book I skipped somehow, and it's a little disconcerting to find that it hardly mattered.

Obviously, the commissioners have headed to Devon for this book, along with yet another additional head to help them sort things out. Of course, like Ensign Red-Shirt in the original Star Trek shows, this just means he's either going to end up dead or on the wrong team.

The 'case' they end up trying to solve surrounds a man killed as they arrive in Exeter. The dead man has land that is under their review too, and after his death two new people come forward saying they should have the title, making a total of five claimants. Solving his murder becomes important to figure out if he was killed so that the new claims are the result of his death. In the meantime, the new commissioner is killed, and Golde becomes involved in an attempt at blackmailing the wife of their host.

The plot was convuluted, with the dangling carrot of Gervase and Alys' imminent wedding being held out as reason to continue reading the series.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. The writing wasn't stellar but the story kept me turning the pages. It doesn't hurt that the time period this is set in is one I really love: Norman England after the Conquest.

I started this series at #8 out of 11, but don't think it especially matters. I expect this series will be pretty formulaic, but alot of book series are and that can be ok as long as it keeps the reader engaged. I will probably forget most of this plotline in a week or two, but it kept me entertained for several hours and I will be on the lookout for the other 10 books in the series.

Oh, and one other thing... the book cover of the hardback I read was DELICIOUS!!! I looked up the hardback book jackets for the other 10 books in the series and was equally impressed. It's wrong to judge a book by it's cover, but it also sure doesn't hurt to have a beautiful cover so that unsuspecting me picks it up off the used bookstore shelf and takes a chance. 🤓

[Carole Moran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in the Domesday series of mystery novels, this is a hodgepodge of previous books in the series, lightly reworked to make it appear fresh. One gets the impression that the Domesday series was done as a demand from Marston's publisher to write "SOMEthing!" I much prefer his Elizabethan Theatre series for good writing, innovative plots, and memorable character development.

[Devon Gadberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the simple mystery of the story mixed with the forgotten history of the time. Set in the 1000s, as William the Conquerer establishes his rule over the Saxons, The Wildcats of Exeter is a quick read with moments of suspense, hilarity and history.
(PS: I chose to purchase this book solely because it takes place in the county of Devon. XD)