Praise for The Medieval Murderers
‘Monks, mists, madness, taverns: the evocation of a strange but familiar Other Britain shrouded in time . . . A must for Historical Crime buffs and an ideal starting point for any reader new to the genre’ TANGLED WEB
‘The writers really know their stuff . . . A variety of backgrounds, from the Holy Land to Oxbridge and Saint Bartholomew’s Fair add to the colour and make this a truly entertaining historical
mystery’ GOOD BOOK GUIDE
‘If your taste is for well-written crime and well-written historical fiction, they are combined tantalisingly here’ CRIME TIME
Also by The Medieval Murderers
The Tainted Relic
Sword of Shame
House of Shadows
A Historical Mystery
By
The Medieval Murderers
Bernard Knight
Ian Morson
Michael Jecks
Philip Gooden
Susanna Gregory
C. J. Sansom
LONDON • NEW YORK • SYDNEY • TORONTO
First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2008
This edition first published by Pocket Books, 2009
An imprint of Simon & Schuster UK
A CBS COMPANY
Copyright © The Medieval Murderers, 2008
This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.
No reproduction without permission.
® and © 1997 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.
Pocket Books & Design is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster Inc.
The right of The Medieval Murderers to be identified as authors
of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78
of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-84739-900-7
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and
incidents are either a product of the author's imagination or are
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A small group of historical mystery writers, all members of the Crime Writers’ Association, who promote their work by giving informal talks and discussions at libraries, bookshops and literary festivals.
Bernard Knight is a former Home Office pathologist and professor of forensic medicine who has been publishing novels, non-fiction, radio and television drama and documentaries for more than forty years. He currently writes the highly regarded Crowner John series of historical mysteries, based on the first coroner for Devon in the twelfth century; the thirteenth of which, Crowner Royal, has recently been published by Simon & Schuster.
Ian Morson is the author of an acclaimed series of historical mysteries featuring the thirteenth-century Oxford-based detective, William Falconer, and a brand-new series featuring Venetian crime solver, Nick Zuliani, the first of which, City of the Dead, has recently been published.
Michael Jecks was a computer salesman before turning to writing full time. His immensely popular Templar series, set during the confusion and terror of the reign of Edward II, is translated into most continental languages and is published in America. His most recent novels are The Prophecy of Death and, the 26th in the series, The King of Thieves. Michael was chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association in 2004–5 but balances that by Morris Dancing enthusiastically – and badly.
Philip Gooden is the author of the Nick Revill series, a sequence of historical mysteries set in Elizabeth and Jacobean London, during the time of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. The latest titles are Mask of Night and An Honourable Murder. He also has written a 19th century murder mystery, The Salisbury Manuscript. Philip was chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association in 2007–8.
Susanna Gregory is the author of the Matthew Bartholomew series of
mystery novels, set in fourteenth-century Cambridge, the most recent of which are A Vein of Deceit and To Kill or Cure. In addition, she writes a series set in Restoration London, featuring Thomas Chaloner; the most recent book is The Westminster Poisoner. She also writes historical mysteries under the name of ‘Simon Beaufort’.
C. J. Sansom is the author of the bestselling Matthew Shardlake series, set during the reign of Henry VIII. The most recent titles are Revelation, Sovereign and Dark Fire. He is also the author of Winter in Madrid, a historical thriller set in 1940s Spain.
Prologue – In which Bernard Knight lays the foundation for the murderous tales that follow.
Act One – In which Bernard Knight’s Crowner John confounds a band of treasure-hunters.
Act Two – In which Ian Morson’s Nick Zuliani dices with death in a Russian blizzard.
Act Three – In which Michael Jecks’ Keeper Sir Baldwin and Bailiff Puttock investigate murder most foul in the abbey crypt.
Act Four – In which Susanna Gregory’s Matthew Bartholomew and Brother Michael become embroiled in a bloodthirsty college feud.
Act Five – In which Philip Gooden’s player Nick Revill receives a letter from a mysterious uncle.
Act Six – In which C. J. Sansom confronts the Day of Judgment.