Squire Throwleigh's Heir
-
- €4.99
-
- €4.99
Publisher Description
Two generations slain… but are there more to come?
Spring, 1321. As Sir Baldwin Furnshill prepares for his wedding, he receives the news that one of his guests, Roger, Squire of Throwleigh has just died. The new master of Throwleigh is little Herbert, five years old and isolated by his grief, as his mother Katherine unfairly blames him for her husband’s death.
At Lady Katherine’s visible rejection of her son, Baldwin feels deeply disturbed about the new heir’s apparent lack of protection. For having inherited a large estate and so much wealth, the five-year-old will doubtless have made some dangerous enemies…
When Herbert is fatally hit by a horse and cart just a few days later, seemingly by accident, Baldwin and his friend Simon Puttock suspect foul play. Their investigation will lead them to the most sinister and shocking murderer they have encountered yet.
A taut and chilling historical crime novel, perfect for fans of S. J. Parris, Susanna Gregory and S. G. MacLean.
Praise for Michael Jecks
‘A torturous and exciting plot… The construction of the story and the sense of the period are excellent’ Shots
‘A gem of historical storytelling’ Northern Echo
‘Tremendously successful medieval mystery series’ Sunday Independent
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The brutality of medieval life underpins Jecks's seventh mystery in this worthy series featuring Sir Baldwin of Furnshill, keeper of the king's peace and noted investigator of violent crimes. During the troubled reign of the decadent Edward II, Squire Roger of Throwleigh realizes that any day might be his last as the pain around his heart worsens. Worried about the fate of his young son and heir, Herbert, he takes some consolation in knowing that his capable wife, Katharine, will protect the lad. Alas, just days after Roger falls dead from his horse while arguing with a luckless tenant he's about to evict, a cart driver runs over Herbert in a seeming accident. Sir Baldwin, who has attended Roger's funeral, smells foul play. Against Katharine's protests, he examines Herbert's body--and sure enough, the boy's skull shows signs of having been crushed by a heavy object. The many suspects include Edmund, the tenant facing eviction; Thomas of Exeter, Roger's merchant brother, who's the next heir; Sir James van Relenghes, an arrogant Flemish mercenary with designs on the bereft Katharine; and the effeminate Brother Stephen of York, Herbert's tutor, who has a taste for thrashing small boys. Various servants, each with his or her own devious ends, thicken the plot. Jecks does his usual skillful job of building suspense and teasing the reader with first one then another possible murderer until, playing against stereotype and conventional expectations, he reveals the unlikely culprits.
