The Demon's Parchment: A Medieval Noir (The Crispin Guest Novels)

In fourteenth century London, Crispin Guest is a disgraced knight convicted of treason and stripped of his land, title and his honor. He has become known as the “Tracker”—a man who can find anything, can solve any puzzle and, with the help of his apprentice, Jack Tucker, an orphaned street urchin with a thief ’s touch—will do so for a price. But this time, even Crispin is wary of taking on his most recent client. Jacob of Provencal is a Jewish physician at the King’s court, even though all Jews were expelled from England nearly a century before. Jacob wants Crispin to find stolen parchments that might be behind the recent, ongoing, gruesome murders of young boys, parchments that someone might have used to bring forth a demon which now stalks the streets and alleys of London. From Publishers Weekly Westerson's third 14th-century historical featuring disgraced knight Crispin Guest (after 2009's Serpent in the Thorns) is the best yet in the series, though the plotting and characterization remain a cut below that of, say, a master of the medieval subgenre like Susanna Gregory. Guest, who's developed a reputation as "the Tracker," pursues two cases: a Jewish doctor, Jacob of Provençal, retains him to recover some lost Hebrew manuscripts, and the sheriff of London asks for his help to trace a serial killer who's strangled and eviscerated four young boys. In the course of his inquiries, Guest encounters a hulking figure who may be the legendary golem, a creature molded from clay to protect the Jewish community. Those who may regard the serial killer story line as anachronistic will find a real-life model, Gilles de Rais, cited in the author's afterword. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Crispin Guest was a landowner and knight until a treason charge stripped him of everything. Now he ekes out a living as a sort of medieval private eye. Here, in his third outing, a physician at the king’s court asks Crispin to locate missing documents that could be connected with a rash of murders. There’s no shortage of mysteries set in the medieval period, but since the era lasted about a thousand years, there’s always room for more. Especially when they’re this good: a solid plot and cast of characters, a feel for the story’s place and time (fourteenth-century England), and an appealing noirish air. A welcome addition to the medieval-mystery landscape. --David Pitt Kindle Collection : mystery The Tracker pursues mystical documents said to conjure demons while hunting for a monstrous killer in this medieval mystery with “an appealing noirish air” (Booklist).Since losing his knighthood, Crispin Guest has reinvented himself as an investigator for hire known as the Tracker. But his reputation will once again be put to the test with his latest case. Jacob of Provençal, a Jewish physician at the king’s court, is missing a set of documents that he claims contain the power to bring forth a dangerous demon.Meanwhile, it seems a monster has already been unleashed on the city. Vulnerable street children are being abducted and murdered, their mutilated bodies the only clues left behind. With the help of his orphaned servant, Jack, it is up to Crispin to unravel the grim tangle of mystery and murder.This third installment of the Crispin Guest Medieval mysteries was nominated for a Romantic Times Award and was a finalist for the Macavity Award. Former Knight And Nobleman Crispin Guest, Now Surviving As A Detective In 14th Century London, Agrees To Track Down Stolen Parchments Possibly Connected With A Series Of Brutal Murders For A Jewish Physician Attending The Queen. Jeri Westerson. A Medieval Noir--dust Jacket.