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Summary
Summary
"Westerson has mastered her subject and has used that knowledge to create erudite entertainment."
-- Richmond Times Dispatch on Veil of Lies
Disgraced knight Crispin Guest gets himself into some serious trouble in London and as a result is forced to accept an assignment far out of town. The Archbishop of Canterbury has specifically requested Guest to investigate a threat against the bones of saint and martyr Thomas a Beckett, which are on display in the cathedral in Canterbury. The archbishop has received letters threatening the safety of the artifacts, and he wants Guest to protect them and uncover whoever is after them.
When he arrives at Canterbury, Guest is accosted by an old acquaintance from court - one Geoffrey Chaucer - and is surrounded by a group in town on a pilgrimage. Trapped amongst the pilgrims (who were, quite possibly, the model for Chaucer's famous story cycle), looking for a murderer, a hidden heretic and a solution to the riddle that will allow him to go back home, Crispin Guest finds his considerable wit and intellect taxed to its very limit.
Author Notes
JERI WESTERSON is the author of three previous books featuring Crispin Guest - Veil of Lies , Serpent in the Thorns, and The Demon's Parchment . She lives in Menifee, California.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Set in 1385, Westerson's fine fourth historical featuring disgraced knight Crispin Guest (after 2010's The Demon's Parchment) takes Crispin (aka "the Tracker") to Canterbury, where he's greeted by his old friend Geoffrey Chaucer-and where Lollard heretics have been making threats against the bones of Thomas a Becket, on display in the cathedral. The archbishop of Canterbury wants Crispin to both safeguard the sacred relics and identify the Lollards' agent, who's posing as a monk. When someone slays prioress Eglantine de Mooreville, one of several pilgrims visiting the town, with a sword in the cathedral, the archbishop insists the crime's an ecclesiastical matter, not the king's business, and orders the Tracker to find the culprit. The Agatha Christie-like solution will please puzzle buffs, while series fans will welcome the author's efforts to further flesh out the lead and his apprentice, Jack Tucker. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Medieval private detective and disgraced former knight Crispin Guest is lured into taking a case in Canterbury after the bishop offers twice his usual rates. When Crispin arrives, he finds that not only must he discover a traitor among the monks but he also has to deal with old friend Geoffrey Chaucer, who is recently arrived from London with a group of pilgrims. Readers familiar with The Canterbury Tales will recognize many of the characters and will likely be intrigued by this view of the famous stories. Those unfamiliar with Chaucer's work may miss out on some of the subtext, particularly in the development of the secondary characters. As usual, Crispin is accompanied by his loyal apprentice and squire, Jack, who takes on an undercover assignment. Jack has grown up considerably since Veil of Lies (2008), making him an increasingly useful assistant (and a more engaging character). A must-read for fans of medieval mysteries, but also of interest to readers of Alex Bledsoe's Eddie Lacrosse fantasy series, set in an alternate version of Camelot.--Moyer, Jessica Copyright 2010 Booklist
Kirkus Review
The Canterbury Tales. Disgraced knight Crispin Guest has gained such a reputation as a tracker of criminals (The Demon's Parchment, 2010, etc.) that the Archbishop of Canterbury calls on him to investigate a threat against the bones of Saint Thomas Becket. The archbishop suspects a plot by the Lollards, whose attack on papal authority and church doctrines has the veiled approval of some of the highest in the land, including Guest's former lord, the Duke of Lancaster. Guest and his servant Jack are staying at an inn that also houses Geoffrey Chaucer, a friend of Guest from the days when Guest was still a favorite of Lancaster, and many of the characters who are due to be immortalized in his Canterbury Tales. When the prioress is murdered and Becket's bones go missing, Guest has his work cut out for him. A second murder only confuses his task. The archbishop wants the murders solved, the bones returned, and the Lollards rooted out. When Chaucer's dagger is used as a murder weapon, Guest has to look deep into the past and the death of Becket in order to save his old friend from the hangman's rope. Westerson's latest medieval noir is a very readable combination of historical fact and mystery even though it telegraphs the killer's identity early on. ]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
In his fourth case (after The Demon's Parchment) disgraced knight Crispin Guest is off to Canterbury, and would you be surprised to note that Chaucer plays a part, too? (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
