The Tainted Relic

The Medieval Murderers #1

by The Medieval Murderers, Michael Jecks (Contributor), Susanna Gregory (Contributor)

It was July, 1100. Jerusalem lies ransacked. Amidst the chaos, an English knight is entrusted with a valuable religious relic: a fragment of the True Cross, allegedly stained with the blood of Christ. The relic is said to be cursed: anyone who touches it will meet an untimely and gruesome end. Several decades later, the Cross turns up in the possession of a dealer, robbed and murdered en route to Glastonbury. Investigating the death, Bernard Knight's protagonist, Crowner John learns of its dark history. In Oxford in 1269, the discovery of a decapitated monk leads Ian Morson's academic sleuth William Falconer to uncover a link to the relic. In 1323, in Exeter, Michael Jecks' Sir Baldwin has reason to suspect its involvement in at least five violent deaths. Thirty years later, several suspicious deaths occur in Cambridge - and, once again, the tainted relic has a crucial part to play. Finally, it's despatched to London, where Philip Gooden's Nick Revill will determine its ultimate fate.

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

502 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

A pseudonym used for collaborative works by the following:

Simon Beaufort,
Philip Gooden,
Susanna Gregory,
Michael Jecks,
Bernard Knight,
Karen Maitland,
Ian Morson, and
C.J. Sansom.

Reviews

[Labijose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confieso que a mitad del libro estuve a punto de dejarlo, por encontrarlo falto de interés. Pero entonces vinieron los tres últimos capítulos, que ocupan el 50 % final, y entonces ya decidí acabarlo, porque esos últimos capítulos son, sin duda, los mejores, y los que te hacen engancharte al conjunto de la obra.

Las “peripecias” de un supuesto trozo de la Santa Cruz, con su mancha de sangre y todo, arrancan en Jerusalén en 1100, y a lo largo de varios capítulos escritos por famosos autores especializados en novela medieval culminan en Londres en el año 2005. La reliquia posee una maldición, y todo aquel que la toca y al final acaba deshaciéndose de ella termina falleciendo, normalmente asesinado.

El mayor interés radica en leer las diferentes aproximaciones al tema de cada autor, según su estilo de escritura. Por lo demás, no ha sido una novela excesivamente gratificante. Eso sí, como expertos que son, la ambientación de la época medieval está muy bien conseguida.

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Eugenea Pollock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I began this short story collection as the Christmas holidays approached, and I knew my time for reading would be limited and sporadic. However, it was an interesting cluster of tales that were united by an ancient stained splinter of wood that was enhanced by a legendary curse of death. Superstition? Self-fulfilling prophecy? Uncanny coincidence? You decide!

[Lucy Barnhouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because I was intrigued by the conceit, and I've enjoyed several of the authors' other works. The execution of this, though, I found less than satisfactory. The crimes relied far too much on coincidence for my taste, I felt the pacing to be off, and I was frustrated by some of the inaccurate clichés about medieval public health.

[Vickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this at work and that might have been part of my not digging it as much as I could have. It took me a little while to get into the story and then to understand everything that was going on. I got that the relic was supposedly cursed and death followed in its wake. My issue was not following who was dying and it seemed like there were a lot of victims with each story. They died before I had a chance to know them or the people solving the crimes or the people doing the killing or even why the killing was occurring, except part of it was to get the relic back from whoever had it.
The only time I could truly understand the story was when it moved up to William Shakespeare's time. The story made me laugh and care about the characters.
All that said, I will be getting more of this series of books, especially KING ARTHUR'S BONES, the reason I started looking for this team of authors. I have a collection of Arthurian legend, saw this book in a review, put it on the WWBL and then found out there's a series of books by this team who call themselves Medieval Murderers. Very cool premise and still intriguing. I know not all books are for all people and I will likely get this as a handheld book to read and pay closer attention....and read it someplace without distractions..like work can be....silly work....
Three need fewer distractions beans....

[Sophie Narey (Bookreview- aholic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published: 01/05/2005
Author: The Medieval Murderers
Recommended for: fans of murder mysteries.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down! I love all of the authors in this book. It was brilliantly well written and I would definately recommend it to anyone who likes murder mystery novels! The authors in this one are: Michael Jecks, Susanna Gregory, Ian Morson, Philip Gooden, Simon Beaufort and Bernard Knight, these are all incredible authors seperately so put them together all in the same book and you get a really incredible novel!

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a great read, captivating the reader, and introducing new characters and mysteries along the way. The Tainted Relic is historical fiction written by a team of writers, each taking a chapter detailing the events surrounding the tainted relic. This is the first book in this series written by this group of authors. I am pleasantly surprised and intrigued and intend to read each of these authors own individual books.

[EuroHackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was definitely an interesting read, and a fairly clever way to introduce new readers to the series characters of 6 historical mystery writers. For the most part, I enjoyed this, though the reasoning for a supposed holy relic from Jerusalem continuing to float around England for 500 years is tenuous, at best.

The plot is exactly as it says on the tin. The "tainted relic" is supposed to be a splinter from the True Cross, stained with Holy Blood. A curse was put on it when the family of its keeper was slain during the First Crusade. Barzak proclaimed that anyone who handled the sacred piece of wood would die once it left that person's possession. This novel follows the relic as it travels from the Holy Land, to France, and then on to England, from 1100 AD to the 1600s.

Each author contributes a self-contained "Act" to the story. The Prologue is by Simon Beaufort and features the knight, Geoffrey Mappstone, who is present in the Holy Land and writes the certificate of authenticity for the relic. The unusual deaths start right away, and this was a very good setup for the story to come.

Act 1, set in 1194 in Devonshire, features Sir John de Wolfe, who served as a coroner in medieval England (Bernard Knight). While nicely written and a good overview of his series and characters, I didn't enjoy this introduction to de Wolfe. The idea of adventures of one of the first coroners to hold the office was enticing, but de Wolfe is selfish and mean, IMO. I'm not sure I'd seek out this series.

Act 2, set in 1269 in Oxford, features the Falconer, penned by Ian Morson. The relic has come into the hands of monks who are dying pretty gruesome deaths, which the academic William Falconer sets out to solve. I enjoyed this section a lot, and quickly warmed to the characters here.

Act 3, set in 1323 in Lincolnshire, features former Knight Templar Sir Baldwin and is written by Michael Jeck. Perhaps surprisingly, this was perhaps my favorite act of the book - the plot moves at a fairly quick pace, and features a series of strange deaths, the aftereffects of which ripple through the town. It has a rather wry twist ending, too. I've tried and failed with the first book in Jeck's series featuring this character, but perhaps it is worth revisiting.

Act 4, set in 1353 Cambridge, features Susanna Gregory's series characters Matthew Bartholomew and Brother Michael of Michaelhouse, as the relic passes from a character in the previous act through the hands of several here, leading to a trail of improbable deaths. I found this act to be way too long, the plot too convoluted, and I actively disliked Bartholomew for most of it. Given my history with this character and this author, perhaps this is no surprise, but it was disappointing nonetheless. Gregory piles twist upon twist at the end, basically to prove that she can.

Act 5, set in 1600s London, is narrated by Nick Revill, one of the actors at Shakespeare's Globe Theater during the Elizabethan age. This is the only first person narration in the book, and I take it that this is a feature in Phillip Gooden's series. Revill is sent by Shakespeare into the depths of St Bartholomew's Fair to retrieve an early edition of a drawer play, but Nick and his friends stumble into more than they bargain for when the bookseller produces the ancient relic and its curse instead. The trio find him dead less than a hour later and are accused of committing the crime. This one has the most unusual solution of all, I'd wager.

There is a postscript epilogue at the end, also by Bernard Knight, in which the relic is unearthed from the mud of the Thames in 2005 by a construction worker who is working on the Millennium Dome. It is quite the fitting ending to this story, honestly, as the curse of the relic lives on.

I see that this group of writers has pooled together for 9 more books in a similar vein, and I'd definitely read more of these. I'm likely to seek out some of these series on their own as well, so overall, I'd say it's a win-win for me!

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting experiment in a sort of shared world alternate history in which six mystery writers combine to create a single tale across Medieval England. The story is of a relic which is cursed by its protector as his family is slain: allegedly a piece of the cross of Jesus Christ, stained by His blood. Any who touch the relic will die upon relinquishing control of the item.

Each author tells another tale through a few hundred years of history, a short story about the relic as it passes through hands, featuring the author's main characters. Several are somewhat forgettable; but to be fair, a short story does not give time to develop characters nor adequate time to truly tell a compelling story in most cases. Still, Michael Jecks and Phillip Gooden stand out with interesting stories and characters, and Bernard Knight does a decent job.

The real drawback is that the book feels unsatisfying, with a strangely sudden ending to the tale, without a real feeling of completion or resolving the events and the legend.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting concept - five short stories linked together by the premise of a cursed relic that brings death to its possessors. The stories span a period from 1100 to 1600, and each is written by a different author. The authors are all known for their historical mystery series, and their protagonists feature in their individual contributions.

Well researched and enjoyable. I had already read other books by the five authors, and enjoyed seeing how their characters dealt with the deaths ‘caused’ by the relic. 3.5 stars as some of the plots were stronger than others.

[Jellygiraffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5!
I've had this series on my shelf since like... 2012?? I really should have read it earlier considering I loved studying the Old and Middle English period at uni. We all need more of it in our lives because the writers of the time were creating some crazy, crazy things.

The last two stories are what really bring it together, and they're the shortest by far. A raven and Willie Shakesy plus a cursed object making one last smackdown kill after 500 years before being returned back to holy ground makes for a great full circle conclusion. (Yes, I am happy for a relic.)

[lqmzjjx · Rating 2 out of 5]

《被污染的圣物》 巴拉克诅咒的十字架碎片，不消停地在多个时间地点里杀人。直到末尾的2005年 被挖土机扔进废墟。

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book to get an idea of how the writers were. found a couple to add to my reading list. Some I liked more than others but overall pretty good book

[Victor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished reading “The Tainted Relic” by a conglomerate of writers known as the Medieval Murderers. This is in essence,five short novellas and a prologue detailing events pertained by cursed relic,a splinter of the true cross of stained with the blood of Christ kept safe by a religious order in Jerusalem. When the Crusader army invaded Jerusalem,they killed every Muslim and Jew, including the family of the guardian, which, in a fit of rage, cursed the item to cause death to everyone that relinquishes it to another.

You can read the story as a murder mystery, or as a horror
story. It stories are a true representation of the superstitious nature of people for religious relics evident throughout the Middle Ages. Several episodes are very interesting and are very consistent; others are flat and hard to understand. In a way, this book is a good sample to see if you might like to read from some of these authors. I found Acts II and V very enjoyable and witty, although they were by far, the shortest.

The main strength of the stories as a whole is the way in
which they present the events as common occurrences or unavoidable accidents; however, the medieval and esoteric character ingrained in each passage can defy our logic into becoming believers of the power of the curse. A short epilogue gives a nice ironic twist to the circle of death abounding in the book.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six-word Review: Ambitious effort but falls somewhat short.

As a fan of Michaels Jeck's Templar Series, I thought this would be a good fun read. I was wrong. It's not horrible but boring in sections and doesn't hang together as well as I had hoped.

Each of the five authors wrote a chapter in this story that traces a relic first discovered in the 12th Century in Jerusalem by Crusaders. Because its caretaker was a Muslim, he was killed as was his family but not before he pronounced a curse on the sliver of cross supposedly stained with Christ's blood. The curse was that anyone who touched the sliver would die as soon as they passed it on, hence the term "Tainted Relic."

As the relic passes down through the centuries, each person who comes in contact with it dies as soon as they let go of it. The narrative sometimes drags on and on instead of moving the plot along. Perhaps, someone unfamiliar with the periods being covered might find the detailed descriptions interesting, but I often found them boring.

I did finish the book and appreciated its ironic ending, but I am unlikely to read any more volumes in the series.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collaboration between five medieval mystery writers, Susanna Gregory, Michael Jecks, Bernard Knight, Philip Gooden and Ian Morson. Apart from the prologue and epilogue which set and complete the theme, each section consists of a novella which traces the events at different times as the cursed relic, a piece of the Cross stained with Christ's blood passes from place to place.

I enjoyed Michael Jecks section the most, but this may be because I have read most of his books and it was a pleasure to come across Baldwin de Furnshill and Simon Puttock in Exeter again. Historically Susanna Gregories was the most interesting as I had not known of fierce division between the Fransiscans and the Benedictines over the question of the sanctity of Christ's blood, and the implications it could have for the celebration of Mass. This formed the basis of her contribution, although in the event simple greed was the motive. Philip Gooden has a light touch and a lively modern style. I must try to read more of his Nick Revill series set in Elizabethan and Jacobean London.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting short story book. Authors of several medieval murder mystery series wove their characters into a series of short stories relating to an object moving through time. The tainted relic, a piece of the "true" cross, soaked with the blood of Christ that has been cursed.

I am not familiar with any of these series, so I am unable to compare the stories to the longer stories. I found the stories entertaining, but not enthralling. A nice read, perfect for me at the moment while I fight allergies & jet lag. I picked up more of the series and will continue to read them. I may pick up a few of the serials eventually, but must admit to rather disliking one. One of the best things about anthologies is introducing me to new authors for the good & the bad. I found authors here I liked and one I rather disliked.

[Bonnie Wilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

After a promising start in which the unutterable savagery of the taking of Jerusalem by the Crusaders is baldly related, I am 2&1/2 "Acts" in and I give up. These are essentially short stories linked by "the tainted relic." While I have read some marvelous short stories, the form is not my preferred choice, and I do not think these even stand up within its constraints.

The sections are such a jumble of characters - way too many, seems to me, for the form - clerics and clerks, commissars, villagers and beggars, wandering Knights and outlaws. Half-way through each "Act" I've forgotten half of them. When they pop-up I have to go try to find their introduction to place them. None are well-enough developed to really engage a reader - or this reader, at least.

It's too much work for too little reward.

[Wagrobanite · Rating 2 out of 5]

So dissapointed by this book. It sounded so good when I read about the series but as I read it, it was just... a mess. Having this many authors does not do the historical fiction genre any favors. They may be greats with their own books, but combining them together created just a mess. There were five acts in this book and I could tell where each author had written. The story did not flow, and was extremely loosely connected by a relic. In addition to the mess of writing, I cannot stand it when authors (and it seems to happen more with British authors) use words that are frankly, just pretentious. If you're using a word that has a more common meaning, use that common meaning! Don't try to sound uppity and snooty just because you can.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of novelettes (or Acts) that follow the path of a piece of the Holy Cross which is cursed over a period of approximately 1000 years. Decent mysteries. I especially liked Act 4 by Susanna Gregory, because it rang true to what medieval clerics would have really cared about, i.e. the intellectual rivalry between the Dominicans and Franciscans, and were relics real and effective, why or why not? While this may sound esoteric and irrelevant to modern readers, it mattered in the Middle Ages and that controversy gives the story an authentic flavor. I was disappointed in Act 5, because it didn't pick up the thread of Act 4, although the resolution of the curse was ingenious. (The Epilogue sort of spoiled this resolution, however.)

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of five mysteries, each of which centers on a supposed relic of the true cross stained with Christ's blood that also happens to be cursed. The stories take place over time in the five Medieval settings the five authors of the tales set their main mysteries. This premise is intriguing, but I found the execution less enjoyable and somewhat contrived. I am a big fan of Susanna Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew mysteries, which take place in 14th century Cambridge, and she is one of the authors here. Although I enjoyed some of the other stories, I don't feel the need to rush out and start reading the main series of those authors.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was both attracted and repelled by this book, excited about a new series, dismayed to see it was written by a "committee" of multiple authors though each chapter is a short novella which mostly stands on its own. Not a bad introduction to six other mystery series since each chapter features the author's main character from their own series of books. The concept of tracing a particular story element through the centuries was a good premise but I just could not get interested in the individual story lines. This would probably appeal more to fans of the other series who were more familiar with the characters.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five well known writers use their well-known medieval crime fighting characters to solve mystery and murder in 5 separate, but interlinked stories is an interesting concept. On one level it works, but it can also be a bit confusing as the 'Acts' are about 100 pages long and the number of peripheral characters can be quite confusing. Even more so if you are not fully acquainted with the heroes of each piece, as I was not. Of course this was not made any easier by the rather disjointed way that I read the first two Acts, but it was well worth sticking with it.

I will be reading more by the Medieval Murderers.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book on audio, but it was not able to hold my attention. The Tainted Relic is a collection of 5 related short stories centered around a relic. The relic, a splinter of the one true cross, was cursed at the beginning of the story during a crusade in Jerusalem in 1100AD. Whoever touches the relic will die once they relinquish the relic from their possession/guardianship. I really enjoyed and was able to follow the first story, but the subsequent stories were confusing to me. It seemed that characters kept dieing before I was able to know who they were, or their significance to the story. I also felt that the supporting characters and investigators were 2 dimensional.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is written by a series of authors tracing a holy relic over time. A curse is placed on the relic when its keeper, a Muslim, is killed by a knight during the first crusade. Thereafter, anyone who touches the relic is doomed to die. The relic is taken on a journey, not only passed on from person to person throughout history but passed from author to author. Each story has an interesting take on religious relics, greed and sanctity, the church and those who serve it. Though each new period in history is written by a different author, their styles are similar and the story moves seamlessly.

[Sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This long (13 disc) audio book was interesting. It spanned a time span of about 1000 years and I could not help feeling like "how is this going to end?" a number of times throughout the story. However, when I finally got to the end, I was not totally "wowed" by a surprise ending but I did think the end was clever. The narrator did a great job with the characters and I felt the characters developed enough to make the story work even though the times changed in the story. Also, speaking as a medieval history buff, the historical context of the work seemed correct.

[John Barclay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun reading this book. It's really more like a collection of linked short stories, but that is it's charm. Each story is a different part of this history of the relic in the title and each section has it's own mystery. I would say that some of the mysteries are better than others, and one strains credibility, but that's fine, it's all good reading.

The Medieval part, that is the historical information and ideas are well done, good period feel and some nice specific details that really give a sense of veracity to the work.

I can't wait for book 2!

[patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book opens in 1100 in Jerusalem. A relic of the true cross with Christ's blood has been guarded by an Arab family for generations, when the Crusaders sack the city they murder the current guardian and his family. He lays a curse on the relic-whoever touches it will die when it leaves their hands. The story moves on and the relic changes hands and leaves death in it's path. One chapter includes Sir Baldwin and Simon. The story ends in the 21st century. The Tainted Relic is truly tainted by the curse and The Medieval Murderers tell a wonderful story.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Jerusalem is "saved" by the Crusaders in 1100, a long-protected piece of the true cross is cursed to kill anyone who ever touches it down through the ages. Naturally a variety of deaths occur in close proximity to this relic — are they natural, accidents, or murders? That is what the various investigators must determine. I actually found this book rather dark and depressing, and slogged through the second half. Not sure if it was a fault in the book itself or my mood at the time (I was not feeling well).

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really interesting idea and enjoyed the journey this relic made through the ages. The people it pulled into its curse and the illuminating method of teaching us all a little history of religious England. The narrative was divided into different sections from the crusades to Shakespeare's time and the author's styles fitted well together. I think I'll be reading more from them for sure!