Tournament of Blood

Rating:
Summary: a gripping read
Review: "The Tournament of Blood" is slightly different from previous West Country mysteries by Michael Jecks in that it does not focus so much on a rather chilling series of horrific murders and that there are a a lot more characters in this mystery novel than usual. So be forewarned: there are several knights and squires with similar names that a slightly less attentive reader could get quite confused over!

"The Tournament of Blood" opens with the murder of the money lender, Benjamin Dudenay, by Philip Tyrel (information given in the first chapter.) Many years ago, Tyrel lost his wife and children because of Dudenay; and seeing Dudenay again all these many years later, even more prosperous than before and apparently feeling no remorse for his crimes, pushes Tyrel to execute Dudenay quite brutally. Tyrel thinks that his rage is spent; however the authour let's us in on one piece of important information: that Tyrel will soon meet the other men who were responsible for his family's untimely death, and that he will kill again (again info from the first chapter).

It's 1322, and Hugh de Courtenay has decided to host a tournament to take his mind off his current political problems with King Edward II. Many knights have been invited, and Bailiff Simon Puttock has been asked to see to the preparations for the tournament. And while Puttock is thrilled to have been asked to undertake so important a task, having to deal with the sniveling and quarrelsome Hal Sachevyll and Wymond Carpenter, is more than he can bear! Sachevyll and Carpenter have been commissioned to design and construct the stands and have been complaining about shoddy materials and predicting accidents if the stands are constructed with such bad wood. They have demanded that better material be provided for them to work with. This Puttock is loathe to do because the pair have already been paid to buy the materials that they need. Puttock suspects that they have pocketed the money that should have gone towards buying good wood, buying shoddy wood instead. And he's not about to reward the duplicitous pair by paying for more wood to be bought. The quarrel between Sachevyll, Carpenter and Puttock becomes quite acrimonious and things look bad indeed for Puttock when Carpenter is found beaten to death in his tent, and he becomes a suspect of the murder.

Fortunately for Puttock, his good friend Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, and the coroner, Sir Roger de Gidleigh, do not believe that he had anything to do with Carpenter's death, and they begin to look more closely into the murder. They discover that Carpenter was murdered in a manner similar to the moneylender Dudenay, and that Dudenay, Carpenter and Sahevyll were partners in quite a few enterprises. They also discover that quite a few people detested all three men -- from knights who blame them for the deaths incurred when their shoddy stands fell apart, to knights and squires who disliked Dubenay because they owed him money. In the meantime, Puttock is discovering that it is not easy to keep his attention focused on preparations for the tournament with a murder charge hanging over his head, his teenage daughter's sudden rebellious behaviour (and her sudden infatuation with a dislikable squire), and the Royal Herald's petty snipping! If only he could solve the murder before the tournament starts! But what Puttock, Sir Baldwin and Sir Roger don't realise is that Tyrel is in their midst under an assumed name, and that he is resolved to execute the third man he holds responsible for the loss of his family.

With this latest mystery novel, Michael Jecks again brings to life colourful 14th century England. The novel is peppered with enough historical fact, so that we understand the political reality of the time; but what I especially liked was his realistic portrayal of what a tournament entailed -- the brutality involved as well as the greed for ransoms (knights who loose the joust and who yield are then held for ransom by the victor). And I thought that Jecks did a wonderful job in depicting all the different hates that the knights and squires had for each other, as well as Puttock's daughter's sudden into bratty teenage behaviour. The mystery itself is a little more straight forward than usual, with very few twists and turns in plot development (except for how Jecks keeps us guessing as to which one of the suspects is Tyrel), however the tension and tight pacing was always there, and contributed a lot towards making this novel a gripping read. I enjoyed this novel immensely, and would heartily recommend to all mediaeval mystery fans.

Rating:
Summary: Jecks is Always a Good Read
Review: Michael Jecks writes some of the best medieval novels around. This one is no exception.
The book takes place in the spring of 1322, the setting a tournament held by Lord Hugh de Courtenay. The money lenders of Oakhampton see this as a great opportunity to fill their coffers. When the knights who are defeated find themselves unable to pay the ransoms to their opponents they will require the services of the money lenders, but one of the money lenders will not get the opportunity to do business. Benjamin Dudenay is found beaten to death before the tournament begins.
Sir Baldwin and his friend Simon have the task of completing the preparations for the tournament before Lord Hugh arrives but when the man commissioned to build the stands is found dead in an identical way to Benjamin, Sir Baldwin and Simon Puttock find themselves embroiled in the search for a killer

Rating:
Summary: Medieval life comes alive under Jecks' hand
Review: Readers who delight in a healthy dose of history with their mystery will find this a fine combination in Jecks' new title. A 1322 tournament leads to murder and an investigation of a host of possibilities in this fast-paced, involving account. Medieval life comes alive under Jecks' hand.

Rating:
Summary: Fine tension against a solid historical backdrop
Review: This medieval mystery tells of a planned tournament to be hosted by Lord Hugh in 1322. A month before the planned event a man who whom knights are indebted is found murdered, and it's up to Sir Baldwin and his friend Bailiff Simon to complete preparations and investigate a possibly widereaching, sinister plan. Fine tension against a solid historical backdrop.