The Crediton Killings (Hardcover)

Even though I've now read two of the books out of sequence, I don't think that's a problem, although certainly I'll have to read more to find out how Simon and Baldwin got together in the first place. Michael Jecks is one terrific storyteller, in my opinion. He makes the characters as well as the time in which they live come alive, in ways that other novels seem to miss. And, from reading reviews of some of his other books here, perhaps sometimes his research is not 100% accurate, I really don't know, not having lived during the time being written about. I do know, however, that if I really wanted to learn more history, I wouldn't choose fiction as the means of doing so.

I've read enough of the medieval period, however, to believe that Mr. Jecks has done more than a little homework. I believe his version of the 1300s is more realistic--noisier, dirtier and less nice than that of many another author. On the other hand, his way with dialogue is masterful, and he chooses to forward his story by using that device more often than not.

In this episode, a troup of mercenaries--hard, coarsened men of war--stop to rest in the small town of Crediton, not far from Exeter, and before anyone has time to do much more than blink, two women of the town are found dead. A robbery occurs, and as it happens, the Keeper of the King's Peace, Baldwin Furnshill along with his friend, Simon Puttock, bailiff of Lydford Castle are visiting the local priest to celebrate a visit by the bishop.

Simon and his wife Marguerite have recently lost their toddler son to a childhood illness and have not yet been able to reconcile this loss to or with each other. This leaves Simon to spend perhaps more time than usual with Baldwin and his investigations. Initially, it certainly does appear that the culprit is a young recruit named Cole, but if he really did steal the plate from the mercenary captain, Sir Hector, what did he do with it all before he got conked on the head?

Baldwin methodically and carefully investigates all the possibilities before yet another body is discovered. With none of the modern detection methods available, Baldwin and Simon use their wits and various skills to eliminate the impossibilities and find the improbable culprit. A very satisfying and enjoyable book!

The writing isn't exactly inspiring, and doesn't power your reading on. And I found the way that Jecks comes at his plot very annoying...he spends so much time leading the reader down the garden path (for almost 300 pages, he concentrates on one particular plotline), convincing them of the verity of one apparent solution, that I became sure that that solution must surely be correct. So, any other solution then proposed completely fails to feel "right". It's almost as if a huge chunk of the book is just one big red-herring, leading practically nowhere, so that when the true solution is revealed, it's rather unsatisfying, of the "well, why on earth did I spend so long reading all that other nonsense?" kind.

Near the end, I mostly skimmed to get the main plot-points, and couldn't wait for it to be over so that I could start something I knew i'd enjoy more. The only redeeming features of this dull run-of-the-mill mystery were some rather nice developments with a couple of the main characters, and Jecks's good grasp of history and of the atmosphere of the time he is writing about, which he captures in all it's finery.