Customer Reviews

A Head for Poisoning

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It's 1101--dawn of a new century, and Sir Geoffrey Mappestone is back in "A Head for Poisoning," this being the second in the series by Simon Beaufort. Taking up where the first episode was centered (in Jerusalem), Sir Geoffrey is throughly disgusted with the bickering--and lack of success--in the Holy City and returns home, to the Welsh border (he's been gone 20 years!). His companion on the return trip is a knight who claims he is carrying an urgent message for King Henry I. Alas, the knight is killed and it falls upon Sir Geoffrey to deliver the message to the king. Henry immediately "enlists" his help and Sir Geoffrey finds himself in an awkward position--spying on his own family! Unfortunately, too, Sir Geoffrey's father dies, and these inheritors of his estate are not the meek! He soon concludes that his father's death is murder and even Sir Geoffrey is a suspect! Beaufort's series--and it's continuing--is a good one, one that is historically bound--as far as most historical mysteries actually are!--and his style of writing is sound, quickly paced, and filled with anecdotal episodes that spice up the narrative. This novel of greed, fear, and eventually justice is well worth the read!(Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

I can positively say I like Geoffrey Mappestone's dog. God forbid anything should happen to him as he's the best thing in the book. Maybe I am cynical after years of reading P.D. James, Colin Dexter, and others, but I am getting a bit tired of Geoffrey Mappestone's goody-two shoes behaviour. I don't want him to be bad, just a little more human.

Geoffrey is the product of a mega-dysfunctional family and he's spent years surving in the Holy Lands as a Crusader. He's in his thirties and as as far as I know (after two books) he doesn't even know what sex is. Even Cadfael had an affair. Also, Beaufort's 21st Century ruminations about the morality of the Crusades are getting a bit old. The author is an historian, but as nearly as I can tell from my reading, hisorians disagree about the Crusades. At least one school says the West would be a very different place if the Jihad had succeeded. Call me sentimental, but I much prefer Ellis Peters views of the Crusades via Cadfael. I am aware the Crusades mostly failed, but I think the one Cadfael and Mappestone participated in was at least motivated by good intentions. I know Constantinople was sacked by Crusaders later on--probably why it eventually fell and that the Albigensians were destroyed. However, the infidels who wreaked havoc on the Byzantine Empire--including the Levant were not "good" guys. And, the eye-for-an-eye, slavery, and enshrouded women still exist in the Middle East.

My biggest objection to this book, however, is it's failure to be a good mystery. Writers like Penman, Peters, and Candice Robb write historical mysteries that sometimes 'modifiy' the truth--whatever that is--but they never subvert their tale by constantly dropping in value laden judgments concerning the times which tend to get the reader "off story." Peters novels contain comments about the futility of war, especially civil war, but she doesn't take sides with Stephen or Maude and she doesn't beat the reader over the head. Why shouldn't Mappestone take a similar objective stance about the Crusades. He can certainly have a moral center and engage in acts of kindness without constantly harping about pillaging knights.

Second, Beaufort's plot itself is a bit thick. There are so many false starts (not red herrings) one cannot reconstruct what happened--even after Mappestone explains it. A good mystery writer lays a trail the reader can follow, so that step by step you think you're getting somewhere. Sometimes you even work out the story a step before the detective. Each new plot twist Beaufort introduces seems to force Geoffrey--and the reader--to backtrack and start over again. A certain amount of that is expected or the story is dull and boring, but I was exhausted by the end of this book.

I think a mystery must start with a central question for which an elementary answer is provided. Veteran readers know the initial answer is always (well usually) wrong. Bits of information are added as the investigator goes about his business and determines what is relevant (or seems to be, but mostly is) and what is not. A good tale often has several subplots, but they must come together in a logical way when the investigator finally unravels the mystery. The best authors work in subtle red herrings that may or may not be explained. Some plot elements are so obvious both the investigator and the reader fall over them together but they should never be so obtuse that the reader cannot say at the end with a slap on the forehead, "Why didn't I get that! " or "Wow, am I smart, I figured that out!"

Thirdly, a reader is willing to accept a certain amount of 'suspension of disbelief' but this is a mystery after all, not science fiction. One of the reasons some mysteries are better is because you learn something while you have fun. I don't want to learn blatent lies. Did anyone really understand lead was poisonous until modern times--if so, why not put that in the historical footnote. Did Geoffrey learn about chemicals in the Holy Land the way Cadfael came to understand the properties of herbs from Miriam?

On my scale of historical mystery writers, Beaufort is a 4, Robb is a 6, Penman and Peters are 8's and Colin Dexter a 10 (an historical novel set in the 19th century that Morse solves--from his hospital bed).

First Sentence: The early morning mist lay thick and white across the river, and there was a chill in the air.

Upon hearing that his father is dying, Sir Gregory Mappestone heads back to his family's home, Goodrich Castle. But rather than a warm family reception, he finds a feud between his family and their Welch neighbors of Llan Martin which results in the death of a knight carrying a message to King Henry I. Henry asks Gregory to spy on his family in order to identify a traitor. His youngest sister, Enid, is dead, his father claims he is being poisoned and his other siblings are continually bickering among themselves and accusing him of only coming home in an effort to take over the Castle.

Any book by Beaufort/Gregory is one I know will be well researched and very well written. This was certainly no exception.

Even with the setting in the 1100s, the characters come alive. The scenes of the family arguments reminded me of the scene from "The Lion in Winter" when they are all in the dungeon. Geoffrey is an unusual knight. He is a hardened warrior, more interested in education than looting, and with his own personal phobia. He is in a situation where no one is what they seem but he must uncover the truth before he can leave and return to France.

What made it fun was that, as a reader, I was being continually surprised by the characters who are enabled by a deceptively twisted story. I've become a real junkie for mysteries in historical periods/setting but they must be done well. Beaufort does it very well.

In 1101, Sir Geoffrey Mappestone has returned after 20 years away--the last years as a Crusader Knight in the Holy Land, and is heading to his family's Goodrich Castle. His father, Sir Godric, who fought at the battle of Hastings, is dying and Geoffrey wants to pay his respects one last time. He's not exactly thrilled to be going home. He was the youngest son and his early years among his siblings were not filled with loving memories. He returns to a father who claims he is being poisoned by someone in the family and to three older brothers and their spouses who are openly vying for the inheritance of the estate and are willing to go to extreme lengths to do so. King Henry I, newly king after his older brother Rufus is killed in a hunting accident a year or two before is concerned enough to call Geoffrey before him and command him to find out who is behind the poisoning. For some reason, the King thinks it might be related to Rufus' death--or at least to the unsettled allegiances and politics of the region between the local lords and the Welsh and the powerful Earl of Shrewsbury, who has his eye on Goodrich Castle himself as a way to gain more wealth and power.

There is also the additional unsolved murder of Geoffrey's younger sister for him to look into. In short, there are threats and danger from a number of people with a host of motivations, along with a number of plots and mysteries. Geoffrey is called upon to do what is right because he is a rare man who has little personal ambition and a solid sense of honor and is forthright and honest, even with those he should defer to or to those he dislikes. He's also intelligent, one of the few who are literate. He is conscientious about solving the mysteries, even though he finds he doesn't care much for any of his family members... or the King of England, for that matter.

Set in the 12yh century this novel has multiple murders and multiple suspects.The plotis so good that you cant put it down.Even modern mystery fans will like this and i dont often reccommend historical mysteries to non officianados.For fans of historical novels i bet you will love it.Better than the first in the series which was set in the holy land.The plot surrounds a succession dispute within a noble family and is coupled with a plot to kill the king.Very believable and i bet you cant guess who the murderers are until the end of this book.