Customer Reviews

The Chapel of Bones (Knights Templar)

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While this latest West Country mystery featuring Keeper of the King's Peace, Sir Baldwin Furnshill, and his good friend and fellow crime solver, Bailiff Simon Puttock, may not be as suspenseful or as edgy as previous West Country installments, it still did make for a rather engrossing and compelling read. One piece of advice though: read author Michael Jecks' note at the very beginning of the book carefully because the murder of Chaunter Walter de Lecchelade at Exeter Cathedral in 1283 lies at the center of "The Chapel of Bones," and would help many readers understand better what's going on in the earlier chapters.

In 1283, the Chaunter of Exeter Cathedral, Walter de Leccehlade is brutally murdered, along with the churchmen loyal to him, by churchmen who opposed him and by certain townsmen who felt hostile towards him. Some of the churchmen involved in the murder were punished, while others kept quiet and melted into the background. The townsmen involved were never betrayed by their ecclesiastical accomplices, and so they too blended back into the background, even though the then mayor of Exeter was hanged by Edward I as punishment for their crime. And for the next forty years, everyone went on with their lives and tried hard to forget that fateful and awful night. But now, in 1323, as the cathedral is being rebuilt, and three men who had left Exeter after the dreadful events of 1283 are back again in the city of their childhood. One of the men is the mason, Thomas, who had fled Exeter in guilt over his part in the murder; the other man is Friar Nicholas, who had left after being so grievously injured during the attack; while the third man is the priory's new corrodian, William, who left Exeter to serve Edward I. Many of the townsmen who had taken part in the murder and who had never left are not happy to see these men back again. And when one of the townsmen, the wealthy saddler Henry Potell, is slain on Cathedral grounds, both Sir Baldwin and Simon (summoned to help discover the murderer) naturally begin to wonder if Potell's murder is linked to the events of 1283, or if Potell, who seems to have been in the middle of two disputes with a rich German client and with his old friend, joiner Joel Lytell, was murdered over something else. But when another man who was involved in the 1283 killing is also found murdered, Sir Baldwin and Simon realise that what their dealing with is someone with a secret to hide and who is willing to kill in order to protect that secret...

Even though the plot was a little straightforward, with very few surprising twists or turns, "The Chapel of Bones" still made for an enjoyable read. As usual the author has written a book that is rich in ambiance, colour and historical detail. And the character development was brilliantly done as well -- each character, no matter how small was vividly and credibly rendered. I especially liked the manner in which the author showed us how the guilt that many of the characters felt over the wrongs that they had committed, coloured and affected their lives. And if I was a little disappointed that the mystery subplot was not a very perplexing one, Michael Jecks' stark accounting of how guilt and loss affects people more than made "The Chapel of Bones" a good and worthwhile read.

(Why, though, has this series been subtitled a "Knights Templar" mystery? The Knights Templar don't figure into this series at all -- or at least not since "The Last Templar," and that was about 18 mysteries ago, where Sir Baldwin put his past firmly behind him. It seems rather strange to bring up the Knights Templar at this stage. Is it a marketing ploy?)

A terrible deed occurred in the city of Exeter and forty years on some of the city's most prominent citizens cannot forget the part they played in the murder that happened within the Cathedral close.

An unfortunate accident to one of the stone masons working on the new Cathedral triggers a sequence of events that leads to the murder of a prominent citizen. The Dean who has asked for help from Sir Baldwin in his capacity as Keeper of the King's Peace, sends a messenger to his manor requesting his help in solving the murder.

Sir Baldwin in turn sends to his friend Simon to come and assist him, particularly as he knows he would like a break from his new job, which Simon destests, but has not got the heart to tell his employer the Abbott.

Baldwin has hardly arrived in Exeter before another murder takes place. Slowly he begins to put together what happened forty years ago and the names of the people involved. Are the current murders connected with what happened so long ago . . .

I really enjoyed this one and think that Mr. Jecks is back to his best.

Since the previous reviewer describes the basic plot of THE CHAPEL OF BONES, I will not discuss the plot,except to say that the storyline highlights the various individuals of Medieval society as it was like in the 14th century. We see a poor, working class family, a middle class family trying to hold on to what comforts they have achieved, beggars, clergymen, in short, medieval society. Mr. Jecks' books are always well researched and the history of his characters and their world have factual foundations.

The theme of guilt, also as mentioned by the previous reviewer, is a strong, moving motif. Guilt, real or imagined, shapes the actions and decisions of various characters in this book. It is a fascinating and moving subtheme and forms a strong link between all the characters in one way or another. Some scenes in the book are emotionally painful, but it is well written, well researched and well worth reading.

Books in this series are an enjoyable read both for the quality of writing and the well researched historical back ground. I was only recently introduced to this author but have read at least 5 thus far. I had missed something in the historical mystery venue since Candace Robb has had nothing out in recent times. There are books called "historical mysteries," but they are lacking in historical research wherein they place their characters not to mention the quality, or should I say lack thereof. While I am often reading technical material, it is nice to take a break a read a good mystery as one find in the Knights Templar Mysteries.

Jenks knows how to write and tell a good story that is historically accurate. A really good "whodunit."

I read this book out of sequence because I like the title, The Chapel of Bones. It was very evocative. The story is based on an actual event in history, and although the author takes "liberties," as he tells you in the Author's Notes, it is a wonderful recreation of an event and an good psychological interpretation of what might have followed. It's definitely a good depiction of the weight of guilt on different types of individual and of what effect an act has on the personal history of its perpetrator.

The book adheres to the best standards of historical fiction. It is well researched as to the details of the period, but it is not pedantic in its introduction of historical accuracy. One doesn't feel the need to take "notes" as though there would be a test at the end of the class. Always a plus, and not always easily achieved. Similar examples with which you may or may not be familiar are the Owen Archer series: Cross-legged Knight, The A Spy for the RedeemerThe King's Bishop: An Owen Archer Mystery (Owen Archer Mysteries) and others by Candace Robb and the Brother Cadfael series: A Rare Benedictine (Brother Cadfael Mysteries)One Corpse Too Many: The Second Chronicle of Brother Cadfael and others by Ellis Peters.

With this book I did have difficulty with all the "suspect" characters. There were so many of them, and they were more or less similar except for their "job descriptions," many of which were already confusing enough to me that I had to refer to the glossary in the preface pages. To some extent I felt this was because the author was well versed in church history and culture, but to some extent I felt it was a sleight of hands trick to keep me from determining who was the guilty party. All things considered, though, the experience was a positive one and I will read the other volumes.

Jecks is giving me just the education on church life in the 14th c that I wanted. And, a good mystery, too