What do You think about The Crediton Killings (2005)?
A wild group of mercenaries take over a quiet inn in a prosperous medieval commercial town. While there, some silver goes missing and three unrelated women die--a tavern server, a beggar and a third I don't want to identify for fear of giving away too much of the story. It's a case for the local Bailiff and the Keeper of the King's Peace.This crime novel is fascinating as the investigation unfolds with all it's twists and turns. It gives the reader a true sense of what it was to live in the area, including the social discrimination, the unhygienic conditions, and the sheer brutality, sometimes mixed with true tenderness. Jecks is very good at developing the relationships between the various characters in his books--and not everything is always rosy. Tragedy hits equally--in fact, tragedy is the one great equalizer.The other beauty of this book, as with many of the Knights Templer series, is that solving the crime does not mean the end of the story. There is another little twist.This is not a deep read, but is a well written historical crime novel. I loved reading it, and found it to be just what I needed while away at camp last week.
—M.J. Perry
A medieval West Country Mystery, The Crediton Killings is set in 14th century England is the small town of Crediton. A band of mercenaries has ridden into town and taken up residence at the local inn much to the dismay of the innkeeper and the towns folk. When one of the serving girls at the Inn turns up dead a trunk belonging to the Knight who heads the mercenary band the Keeper of the King’s Peace and his friend the Bailiff of Lydford begin to investigate. When the Knights stash of silver plate also turns up missing the mystery deepens. Add two more murders and more suspects to the mix and things really get interesting. A good period mystery for those who like them.
—Bob
Much better than the first three books, although I did enjoy those, this book has a lot more going for it. The plot holds your interest, and there are plenty of nasty suspects, along with some interesting red herrings thrown in along the way. There are several sympathetic characters as well, and the bailiff and his family seem more real having suffered a personal tragedy in the loss of their son. Sir Baldwin is "fleshed out" a bit more and his character is made more interesting. All in all, a great improvement and an encouraging preview of more to come.
—Nancy Ellis
