The Manor of Death

by Bernard Knight

Overview

Coroner Sir John is caught up in a seafaring conspiracy in this entertaining instalment in the Crowner John medieval mystery series, set in twelfth-century England.

1196. When an unidentified body is discovered in the harbour town of Axmouth, twenty miles from Exeter, Sir John de Wolfe, the county coroner, is summoned to investigate. The manner of the young man's death is a matter of some dispute – but, as Sir John soon discovers, it was no accident.

The victim did not drown, as the manor reeve alleges, but was strangled to death. In the ensuing murder investigation, Sir John is frustrated by what appears to be a conspiracy of silence among the seamen and townsfolk. Just what is the local population trying to hide? It soon becomes clear that some of Axmouth’s inhabitants will go to any lengths to ensure the shocking truth behind the death remains hidden. Sir John will need to muster all his courage, cunning and determination if he is to escape from the town alive . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781448300280
Publisher:	Severn House
Publication date:	11/01/2015
Series:	A Crowner John Mystery , #12
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	370
Sales rank:	450,096
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Bernard Knight is a retired Home Office pathologist renowned for his work on such high-profile cases as the Fred and Rosemary West murders. Bernard is the author of the ‘Crowner John’ series, as well as the Dr Richard Pryor forensic mystery series.

Editorial Reviews

The lack of a true puzzle mars Knight's otherwise solid 12th historical to feature Devon coroner Sir John de Wolfe (after 2008's The Noble Outlaw). In April 1196, an attack by one ship on another in the English Channel culminates in the massacre of the attacked ship's crew. Shortly afterward, de Wolfe looks into the discovery of a strangled corpse in the coastal town of Axmouth. The body turns out to be that of Simon Makerel, a sailor who returned from his last voyage suspiciously affluent and ridden with guilt. The link between the murder and the act of piracy will be obvious to every reader, as it is to de Wolfe, who rapidly takes the measure of the port town and finds evidence that unscrupulous traders are routinely evading customs taxes needed for the king's treasury. Knight offers no plausible alternative motive for Makerel's murder, though as usual he nicely evokes the atmosphere of the period. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Sir John de Wolfe uncovers a nest of pirates and smugglers in his 12th medieval adventure (The Noble Outlaw, 2008, etc.). When the body of a sailor is found buried inland, the king's coroner must be summoned. So Sir John de Wolfe rides for the port town of Axmouth along with his oafish squire Gwyn and his weakling clerk Thomas. The dead man is a young lad with a mere two voyages to his name and humble hopes of entering the Church. No one seems to have a motive, and the town's bailiff and portreeve are suspiciously hostile to Crowner John's inquiries. In the absence of both leads and cooperation, the coroner returns to Exeter and his usual duties, pronouncing on the accidental drowning of a dead miller, disposing of the body of a whale that's been discovered. Irritated by his wife and beginning to tire of his mistress, Sir John finds increasingly flimsy excuses to visit lovely Hilda of Dawlish, widowed during a previous adventure. However, two more deaths bring him back to Axmouth and draw the attention of the king, who cannot let piracy stand. To advance his career at court and earn the satisfaction of imposing justice, Sir John devises a clever, risky plan to trap the pirates in their own net. A sometimes pedantic tale complete with maps, glossary and largely unsympathetic characters. The thoroughness of the historical detail, however, will doubtless appeal to fans of medieval intrigue and derring-do.

Kirkus Reviews

"The thoroughness of the historical detail, however, will doubtless appeal to fans of medieval intrigue and derring-do."  —Kirkus Reviews

"Packed with the sights, sounds and smells of medieval England, the Crowner John series is a national treasure."  —Birmingham Post

"Detection and suspense are combined with historical authenticity."  —Daily Mail

From the Publisher