The Hawks of Delamere: Volume VII of the Domesday Books (Domesday Books (St. Martins)) [Hardcover]

Edward Marston (Author)

Book Description

Series: Domesday Books (St. Martins) | Publication Date: February 11, 2000

When Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, leads a hunting party into the Forest of Delamere his prized hawk is killed by an arrow. Two poachers are discovered hiding in the forest, and the Earl demands that they be imprisoned, but unanswered questions linger. Meanwhile, Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret, Domesday commissioners for the King, are guests of the Earl while they settle a land dispute in nearby Winchester. Exploring their new surroundings, they uncover secrets that bear directly on the shooting incident, and they discover that the intended victim was not the hawk, but the Earl himself. Inspired by genuine entries in the Domesday Book, this thrilling and richly evocative eleventh-century tale will appeal to crime and history lovers alike.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Edward Marston is perhaps best known for his Edgar-nominated series of theatrical whodunits set in Elizabethan England (The Roaring Boy and The Mad Courtesan). In his Domesday Books series, of which The Hawks of Delamere is the seventh, Marston has turned his attention to an earlier era: the 11th century, when England was still cautiously--and bloodily--attempting to negotiate the legacy of the Norman invasion.

Ralph Delchard, a Norman aristocrat, and Gervase Bret, a quiet Saxon clerk, are in dangerous territory: they have arrived at the Welsh border to settle territorial and taxation disputes on behalf of King William. The Welsh appetite for rebellion festers uneasily beneath the placid countryside, and Hugh d'Avranches, the royal delegation's host, seems destined to be the main course at that bloody feast. A man of imposing girth and even more imposing temper, he has been the target of a Welsh assassin's arrow. Only Ralph and Gervase suspect that the arrow might have been of Norman origin, and their investigation leads them to the heart of Hugh's court.

Marston has a tedious tendency to pontificate his characters' emotions to the reader rather than allowing dialogue or action to convey them more subtly: "Gervase's blood coursed, and he was momentarily confused, not sure whether he was doting on his betrothed or showing an improper interest in a vulnerable young woman. Gytha's embarrassment suggested that she, too, was grappling with warm feelings which caused her some concern." The author's slips into the jargon of 20th-century pop psychology are equally jarring: "She looked up with a pathetic need for approval. 'Did I do right?'" Even Marston's efforts to capture the physical essence of an 11th-century Norman fortress has the air of an imperfectly recalled perusal of a rather dull sightseeing guide.

Readers seeking a deftly handled combination of mystery and the Middle Ages would do better to consult Ellis Peters, whose Brother Cadfael series takes pride of place in the genre. One hopes that Marston will soon return to the more forgiving glow of the Elizabethan stage, where he and his characters seem much more comfortable. --Kelly Flynn

From Publishers Weekly

Volume seven of Marston's acclaimed Domesday series (The Stallions of Woodstock, etc.), a solid historical mystery, provides plenty of conflict--between church and state, earl and king, Norman and Saxon, English and Welsh--as well as a lesson in medieval feminism. Loutish Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester, is hunting in the forest when his prize hawk drops from the sky, pierced by an arrow. Enraged, Hugh sees to it that a pair of hapless poachers, father and son, hang on the spot for the crime. The next day one of Hugh's hunting companions, Raoul Lambert, also falls victim to a murderous archer, and this time there are no handy scapegoats. Meanwhile, a party of royal commissioners arrives in Chester to rule on some legal disputes, but first they find themselves helping Saxon beauty Gytha and her brother Beollan, whose father and elder brother have perished at Hugh's whim. Beollan has a vital clue to the actual killer's identity, though in a clever shift it develops that who shot Hugh's hawk and Raoul Lambert is less important than why. When Welsh warriors begin to march near the border, a scheming archdeacon thinks the key to averting bloodshed lies with Gruffydd ap Cynan, prince of Gwynedd, held hostage in the Chester castle dungeon. Some readers may be bothered that Gytha and Beollan fail to find justice, indeed drop out of the plot altogether, but the concluding political explanation for the deadly archery comes as a real and satisfying surprise. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books (February 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312209487
• ISBN-13: 978-0312209483
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,582,983 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An exciting medieval mystery, January 13, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hawks of Delamere: Volume VII of the Domesday Books (Domesday Books (St. Martins)) (Hardcover)

William the Conqueror sent his Royal Commissioners throughout England to determine who truly owned the lands and how much taxes should be collected on the estates. Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret visit the King's nephew, the Earl of Chartier, Hugh d'Avranches, who rules his lands with an iron fist. Hugh has subdued the nearby Welsh, but has had problems with a stealth enemy attacking from nowhere.

While the Earl hunts in his personal playground of Delamere Forest, an unknown assailant kills one of his falcons. Hugh retaliates by murdering two Saxon peasants. The next day, Hugh hunts again and another arrow lands near him. In both incidents, a Welsh arrow was used. Hugh believes the Welsh is trying to assassinate him. As the warrior Earl prepares for battle, Ralph and Gervase try to keep the peace.

Edward Marston is an author noted for his ability to entertain while educating his audience. Focusing on the era following Hastings, Mr. Marston provides varying perspective of life from the viewpoints of Saxons, Normans, and Welshmen. The protagonists stay in character as expected from two members of the ruling class, which adds to the eleventh century feel of the novel. As usual from Mr. Marston, the story line is filled with exciting action, but the plot of THE HAWKS OF DELAMERE (and the previous six chronicles) belong to the cast.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun, February 5, 2001

By 

Sean T. Carnathan (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hawks of Delamere: Volume VII of the Domesday Books (Domesday Books (St. Martins)) (Hardcover)

This is a great series. The setting and characters combine to yield a wonderful sense of historic place -- 11th Century Britain. This entry is set along the Welsh border, and Hugh,the Earl of Chester, has a Welsh prince in his dungeon to ensure the peace.

The Welsh, however, seem to be on the war path again, as a Welsh arrow kills the Earl's prize hawk, and a second arrow kills his favorite huntsman.

Protagonist Ralph Delchard, a Norman lord assigned to settle land disputes on behalf of the King, arrives to sort out some alleged land-grabbing, and finds himself in the middle of a simmering border war. As usual, the supporting characters -- an assortment of clerics and noblemen -- lend the novel plenty of twists and turns. A fun read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining Medieval!, June 7, 2009

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hawks of Delamere: Volume VII of the Domesday Books (Domesday Books (St. Martins)) (Hardcover)

This is the seventh book in the Domesday Series, and it is just as good as the others. My only regret is that I am coming to the end of this wonderful series. There are only three books left, and I will certainly miss Gervaise Bret and the wonderful Ralph Delchard. In this book the four members of the royal commission are in Cheshire, where border trouble with the Welsh appears to be building up. They are staying the in castle of the infamouse Earl Hugh who has always scandalized the countrside with his behaviour. When one of his huntsmen is shot with an arrow next to Hugh, he gets his castle mobilized for a war with the Welsh, and it looks like our intrepid four are to be caught up in the melee. These eleventh century books are so historically accurate, and so well-written, that it feels like you are actually there with the action as you read.