What do you think?
Rate this book
The Joslin de Lay Mysteries #2
A Pact with Death
England lives in fear. The plague has claimed many victims. Joslin has reached the walled city of London. A man is pulled out of the Thames with his throat cut. But his body is covered with boils. Why murder a condemned man? The answer comes in whispers.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
17 people want to read
About the author
Dennis Hamley
105 books12 followersDennis Hamley was born in Kent in 1935 and lived in southern England throughout the war. After attending Cambridge University and completing a PHD at Leicester, Dennis went on to teach English and work in Education as a tutor and advisor.
He began writing in the 1970s and quickly showed his versatility. From the supernatural, to football to wartime novels, Dennis’s beautifully simple prose transports the reader effortlessly to the world of his novels. Many of Dennis’s tales center on uncovering the truth and revealing hidden stories. He uses period details and sensitive characterization to bring history and its people to life. He is passionate about providing page-turning reads for a new generation of discriminating readers.
He began writing in the 1970s and quickly showed his versatility. From the supernatural, to football to wartime novels, Dennis’s beautifully simple prose transports the reader effortlessly to the world of his novels. Many of Dennis’s tales center on uncovering the truth and revealing hidden stories. He uses period details and sensitive characterization to bring history and its people to life. He is passionate about providing page-turning reads for a new generation of discriminating readers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 6, 2017
Mentre sono rimasta folgorata dal primo libro della serie "La morte e il menestrello", con questo secondo capitolo scivoliamo decisamente in basso. Le premesse erano buone, anche se forse un po' macchinose, ma il risultato è stata una delusione totale. Non c'è stata sorpresa nel finale, nessun guizzo di ingegno nel trovare una soluzione a un giallo un po' sconclusionato.
Passiamo all'altra grossa nota dolente del libro: il protagonista, Joslin de Lay. Nel primo libro, questo ragazzo francese aveva il suo perché, nonostante qualche pecca.
In questo libro agisce, pensa e parla come un idiota totale. Degli esempi: scappa mentre è sotto custodia e ruba per mangiare senza una ragione apparente, attirandosi addosso le autorità londinesi quando avrebbe potuto tranquillemente dire "ehi, vado a farmi un giro senza dare troppo nell'occhio, torno per pranzo!". Ma no, complichiamoci la vita tanto per fare! Per non parlare del fatto che
Il libro poi è farcito di talmente tanti personaggi secondari, solo nella bottega di Randolf ci sono venti tra apprendisti e lavoranti, che uno si sarebbe aspettato un colpo di scena che coinvolgeva almeno uno di questi personaggi, qualcosa di inaspettato insomma. Invece, lo ripeto, noia piatta.
Dal primo al secondo libro? Un abisso di qualità.
Passiamo all'altra grossa nota dolente del libro: il protagonista, Joslin de Lay. Nel primo libro, questo ragazzo francese aveva il suo perché, nonostante qualche pecca.
In questo libro agisce, pensa e parla come un idiota totale. Degli esempi: scappa mentre è sotto custodia e ruba per mangiare senza una ragione apparente, attirandosi addosso le autorità londinesi quando avrebbe potuto tranquillemente dire "ehi, vado a farmi un giro senza dare troppo nell'occhio, torno per pranzo!". Ma no, complichiamoci la vita tanto per fare! Per non parlare del fatto che
Il libro poi è farcito di talmente tanti personaggi secondari, solo nella bottega di Randolf ci sono venti tra apprendisti e lavoranti, che uno si sarebbe aspettato un colpo di scena che coinvolgeva almeno uno di questi personaggi, qualcosa di inaspettato insomma. Invece, lo ripeto, noia piatta.
Dal primo al secondo libro? Un abisso di qualità.
December 19, 2022
Joslin continues his long journey to Wales. It is more accurately a detour as Joslin escorts Alys home to London after the death of her betrothed Robin in Book #1, Of Dooms and Death. Her home is the workshop of master painter, Randolf Waygoode, and here Joslin meets the various apprentices and other workmen in the household. One of the apprentices disappears and is later found murdered, his throat slit and his body showing the signs of the Black Death. Joslin uncovers other suspicious deaths and faces the same grisly fate when he attracts the attention of this fiendish killer.
Life in the household of a London master craftsman is pretty well depicted. We are presented with an array of characters that we can find in today’s world, they range from a philosophical grave digger to a fearful coroner whose main concern is CYA. In the end, Waygoode offers Joslin a position in his household and marriage to Alys, but Alys is still trying to cope with Robin’s death so Joslin continues his journey to Wales.
The weakness in this book as in the first one is that it tries too hard to be mysterious. The villain is omniscient and almost omnipotent. He always knows where Joslin is and what he is thinking. His motive for committing this series of gruesome murders is explained in what amounts to some throwaway lines at the end of the book. Killing Robin off in book #1 seemed gratuitous except for plot purposes here, but the author chooses here to kill off the simple workman Herry for no apparent reason. To show life is cruel? Well, hasn’t there been enough needless killings already to establish that point. And in addition to this book’s murderer lurking in the shadows, popping up at the end is the mysterious figure who has been following Joslin since he fled France. And again, nothing in this book advances the overarching plot 0f the series.
Life in the household of a London master craftsman is pretty well depicted. We are presented with an array of characters that we can find in today’s world, they range from a philosophical grave digger to a fearful coroner whose main concern is CYA. In the end, Waygoode offers Joslin a position in his household and marriage to Alys, but Alys is still trying to cope with Robin’s death so Joslin continues his journey to Wales.
The weakness in this book as in the first one is that it tries too hard to be mysterious. The villain is omniscient and almost omnipotent. He always knows where Joslin is and what he is thinking. His motive for committing this series of gruesome murders is explained in what amounts to some throwaway lines at the end of the book. Killing Robin off in book #1 seemed gratuitous except for plot purposes here, but the author chooses here to kill off the simple workman Herry for no apparent reason. To show life is cruel? Well, hasn’t there been enough needless killings already to establish that point. And in addition to this book’s murderer lurking in the shadows, popping up at the end is the mysterious figure who has been following Joslin since he fled France. And again, nothing in this book advances the overarching plot 0f the series.
February 9, 2017
England and France are at war in 1368 and. Joslin de Lay is a minstrel like his father. Joslin lives at the castle in Contenin when his father is murdered and he escapes to England. He must find his lost mother and for that he must go to Wales. With his father’s dagger and a rattling locket, he began his journey. Little does he know that a mysterious, threatening man is following him.
In this second book of Joslin’s journey he accompanies his friend Alys to London to tell of his friend Robin’s death and burial to Randolf the man to whom Robin was apprenticed.
Randolf invites Joslin to stay and so begins another tale of murder, of pestilence of the plague and of being a suspect because he is a foreigner.
An interesting murder. This series appears to be written as ROO, each book as a standalone, the author does not reference the previous story. It started off slow because the prologue was long and indefinite, and I fumbled to integrate the characters. Once it got going it did hold my attention.
In this second book of Joslin’s journey he accompanies his friend Alys to London to tell of his friend Robin’s death and burial to Randolf the man to whom Robin was apprenticed.
Randolf invites Joslin to stay and so begins another tale of murder, of pestilence of the plague and of being a suspect because he is a foreigner.
An interesting murder. This series appears to be written as ROO, each book as a standalone, the author does not reference the previous story. It started off slow because the prologue was long and indefinite, and I fumbled to integrate the characters. Once it got going it did hold my attention.
January 5, 2016
Secondo capitolo della serie dedicata alle avventure del menestrello investigatore Joslin De Lay. Questo è stato uno dei primi libri più "seri" ( e favolosi!!) che ho letto nei primi anni dell'adolescenza. Ne conservo ancora un ricordo strepitoso!!! Consigliato per ragazzi amanti del mistero e dell'oscuro.
April 27, 2012
Nothing like a medieval whodunnit....
February 8, 2012
Nothing like a medieval whodunnit....
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews