Head for Poisoning, A [Hardcover]

Set shortly after the killing of English King William Rufus in 1100, this absorbing historical mystery features the return of Sir Geoffrey Mappestone, the unusual crusader knight and unwilling amateur detective who first appeared in Murder in the Holy City. After 20 years abroad, Geoffrey is informed of his father's impending death, and he reluctantly wends his way home to his family's estates near the Welsh border. On the way, a knight in his retinue who carries messages to the king is killed during an ambushAnot a propitious start to Geoffrey's homecoming. King Henry I orders Geoffrey to uncover the truth behind the suspicious happenings at the crusader's own home, Goodrich Castle, including the slow poisoning that is killing his father and the sudden death of his favorite sister, Enide. At home, Geoffrey discovers a hornet's nest of greed and treachery, wherein his three brothers and surviving sister wait for their hard-hearted father to die so they can inherit his estates. Geoffrey's father is then found slain by his own dagger, and the knight must strive to discern the murderer as more bodies pile up around him. Beaufort's lively prose and diabolical characters, as well as Geoffrey's sorely tested indestructibility, keep matters moving swiftly. The novel offers finely written descriptions of medieval life and, above all, the exceptionally engaging character of the bookish, highly moral Geoffrey. An exciting finale caps this entertaining period tale from the pseudonymous Beaufort.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

When Geoffrey Mappestone returns from the Crusades to his family's castle in Wales, he is not exactly welcomed by his feuding brothers and sisters-in-law or his cruel father, who is convinced that someone is trying to murder him. Soon Godric Mappestone really is dead, and Geoffrey must defend himself against a murder charge while uncovering the scary truth of his beloved sister's death. Taut, quick-paced, and full of excellent characterization, this sequel to Murder in the Holy City (LJ 12/98) is another winner.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Battle weary and disillusioned with the Crusades, Sir Geoffrey de Mappestone leaves the Holy Land and returns to his native Wales in order to make peace with his rapidly failing father before he dies. When Geoffrey discovers that both his father and his beloved sister have been poisoned to death, he initially suspects his three older brothers of foul play. Though it is widely known that the de Mappestone heirs have been feuding over the division of the family estate for years, it soon becomes evident that the murderer had an even broader and more daring agenda. At the behest of the king himself, Sir Geoffrey undertakes an investigation to expose a murderer and uncover a treasonous plot to topple the royal house. The twists and turns of the meticulously crafted plot will keep readers guessing until the last page. Margaret Flanagan

The second in a series by the pseudonymous Beaufort (an acclaimed mystery writer). It's the 11th century, and back to England comes Sir Geoffrey de Mappestone, done with the Crusades. He's been gone 20 years, having left when he was 12. If you ask him, though, 20 years isn't long enough, since hearth and home have never signified more than casual abuse, general neglect, and dismal memories. Only the fact of a dying father could have drawn him away from civilized France, his country of choice. Not that Geoffrey has much feeling for this harsh, intemperate parent who had always paid him so little attention. It's duty that matters. And in this, he is certainly an atypical Mappestone. None of his five siblings cares a hoot about duty. What they all care about is the vast family estate and how it's to be sliced up once the old man succumbs. Now, Geoffrey's siblings (of surpassing nastiness) plus spouses are gathered to await the last breath. But to Geoffreya warrior, a scholar, and, most importantly, a sleuth (Murder in the Holy City, 1998)it's clear that at least one Mappestone is champing at the bit. Mappestone pre, he's convinced, is being steadily, skillfully poisoned. Is it the same poison that Geoffrey himself was tricked into imbibing? Accusations, protestations, universal detestation among this cheerless, charmless, wearying brood followand long before it all gets straightened out you may find yourself rooting for the poisoner to widen his field. Okay period detail overwhelmed by endless repetition. Who would have thought the old 11th century had so much talk in it? -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

The second book in the critically acclaimed mystery series featuring Sir Geoffrey Mappestone

In the year 1101, disgusted with the political bickering among the lords who rule the Holy City, Sir Geoffrey Mappestone returns to his home at Goodrich Castle on the Welsh border. He is travelling in the company of a knight who claims to be carrying an urgent message for King Henry I. When the knight is killed during an ambush, Geoffrey feels obliged to deliver the message to the King himself, but quickly regrets his decision when the King orders him to spy on his own family in order to ferret out a dangerous traitor.

Geoffrey returns home to find his father gravely ill and his older brothers and sister each determined to inherit the Mappestone estate. And they are not the only claimants for the lands that will soon fall vacant--the powerful and sinister Earl of Shrewsbury has an acquisitive eye on them, as does their volatile Welsh neighbor, Rhodri of Llan Martin. Geoffrey's father claims he is being poisoned by one of his own children, a claim no one takes seriously until he is found murdered with his own knife in the dead of night.

Geoffrey's investigation of the murder, however, takes him far beyond a family quarrel. Accusations are flying, and Geoffrey must prove his own innocence in the face of greed and fear. The dodgy Earl of Shrewsbury is clearly implicated, and as Geoffrey delves deeper, he discovers a plot that reaches far beyond the realm of Goodrich Castle to that of the entire kingdom: the assassination of the King.