Crowner's Crusade
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
How a humble Devon knight became a king’s coroner: the thrilling prequel to the perennially popular Crowner John medieval mystery series, set in twelfth-century England.
1192. At the end of the Third Crusade, Richard the Lionheart, King of England, sets sail for home from the Holy Land. Sir John de Wolfe, a Devon knight, is part of the king’s small bodyguard on that ill-fated voyage – and during the journey, Sir John’s loyalty to the monarch is tested to the limit.
On his return, Sir John finds England simmering with rebellion. Richard’s younger brother John has used the king’s absence to plot to seize the throne, and the country is a hotbed of unrest. Discovering a body washed up on the shores of the River Exe, its throat cut, Sir John deduces from the device etched on the victim’s signet ring that he was a king’s courier. Tasked by Sir Hubert Walter, the Chief Justiciar, to find out why the man died and who killed him, de Wolfe finds himself drawn unwillingly into affairs of state. His new career as a king’s coroner is about to begin . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Both established fans and newcomers will appreciate Knight's engaging 15th mystery featuring Sir John de Wolfe (after 2010's A Plague of Heretics), a prequel. In October 1192, after 18 months of combat in the Holy Land, a dejected Richard the Lion-Hearted reaches a truce with Muslim leader Saladin, a decision not without controversy. To return to England safely, Richard and his troops, including de Wolfe, have a difficult route to navigate, with enemies at almost every turn. Months later, de Wolfe makes it home to Devonshire, only to encounter a murder mystery: someone has cut the throat of a man wearing a ring bearing the royal insignia. De Wolfe's work leads to an appointment as king's coroner, with a wide range of responsibilities, including tax collection and uncovering official corruption. Knight does his usual fine job of bringing the past to life, and the book's first third makes plain his skill at crafting a straight historical novel.
