Veil of Lies (Crispin Guest Medieval Noir Series #1)

by Jeri Westerson

Overview

Crispin Guest has fallen far from his privileged position as a knight in medieval high society. Accused of treason, abandoned by former friends and allies, he has survived on the gritty streets of London by reinventing himself as “The Tracker,” a private investigator for hire who can locate lost objects or uncover the clandestine lives of people.

When the secretive, wealthy merchant Nicholas Walcote hires Guest to investigate his alluring young wife Philippa for adultery, he discovers a seedy underworld of covert dealings and violent men of mystery. Philippa is indeed hiding something and she’s not the only one. Guest soon learns that Walcote is rumored to be in possession of a mystical holy relic so powerful that some would even kill for it.

Guest must contend with his nemesis, Sheriff Simon Wynchecombe in the search for answers to the questions surrounding the mysterious Walcotes. With each new day comes another layer of intrigue and Guest quickly becomes entangled in a strange world of superstition, seduction, and murder.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781625674173
Publisher:	JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.
Publication date:	02/12/2019
Series:	Crispin Guest Medieval Noir Series , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	262
Sales rank:	431,611
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Jeri Westerson is the author of the Crispin Guest Medieval Mysteriy and the Booke of the Hidden series. Her books were finalists for several major mystery awards, including the Agatha, the Shamus, and the Macavity. She lives in Menifee, California.

Editorial Reviews

Crispin Guest, a former knight who was stripped of his rank after being implicated in a plot against Richard II, now makes his living as a "tracker," the medieval equivalent of a PI, in Westerson's promising debut, set in 1384 London. Nicholas Walcote, a wealthy cloth merchant, hires Guest to investigate his younger and attractive wife, Philippa, whom he suspects of infidelity. Guest's cursory probe is derailed after his client is found stabbed to death in a locked room. Philippa retains Guest's services to find her husband's killer, who may have been motivated by Walcote's possessing a legendary relic reputed to force those in its proximity to tell the truth. While featuring a hard-boiled medieval sleuth instead of a monk or a nun may not be quite as groundbreaking as the author suggests in her afterword (e.g., Susanna Gregory's 14th-century Cambridge physician Matthew Bartholomew), this is nonetheless an entertaining read that makes the prospect of sequels welcome. (Nov.)

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Publishers Weekly

In medieval London, disgraced knight Crispin Guest, convicted of treason for plotting against Richard II and stripped of his estates, ekes out a living as the Tracker, finding things for people. In his first case, he is hired to determine who killed a wealthy merchant who is believed to be in possession of a religious relic-a cloth bearing the face of Jesus and possessing magical powers. Brimming with historical detail and descriptions of life in 1383 London, Westerson's mystery debut is a brilliant tale of survival in a hostile environment, where anything can lead to death. Fans of medieval mysteries will put this on their reserve list. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ7/08.]

—Jo Ann Vicarel

Library Journal

A disgraced knight earns a meager living as a private inquiry agent in 1383 London. Crispin Guest lost everything but his life after plotting against King Richard II. Now he must use his wits to survive in a dark and dangerous world he hardly knew existed. When a wealthy merchant hires Guest to determine whether his wife is unfaithful, he quickly becomes embroiled in a more complex and ominous plot. The wife, who is indeed unfaithful, seems surprisingly dissatisfied with her adultery. When her husband is found murdered in a locked room, she hires Guest to find and dispose of a holy relic her husband has hidden in the house. The Mandyllon is a cloth said to bear the image of Jesus' face. In its presence everyone must tell the truth. Guest soon realizes there are other people interested in the Mandyllon, including the wife's Saracen lover and a group of Italians working for a powerful enemy of England. Threatened by the sheriff and left for dead in the Thames, Guest ends up falling for the merry widow. A former servant, she is no mate for a former knight who retains his honor and class prejudices. Still a loyal liege of England, he ignores the threats and keeps working to expose a sinister plot. This first installment in a planned series, introducing a conflicted hero and delving into the grim lives of ordinary people in medieval times, will appeal to mystery and history fans alike.

Kirkus Reviews

Brimming with historical detail and descriptions of life in 1383 London, Westerson's mystery debut is a brilliant tale of survival in a hostile environment, where anything can lead to death. Fans of medieval mysteries will put this on their reserve list. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“This first installment in a planned series, introducing a conflicted hero and delving into the grim lives of ordinary people in medieval times, will appeal to mystery and history fans alike.” —Kirkus Reviews

“An entertaining read that makes the prospect of sequels welcome.” —Publishers Weekly

“This authentically detailed medieval mystery has an intriguingly dark edge that will appeal to fans of both historical fiction and noir.” —Booklist

From the Publisher