Jester Leaps In: A Medieval Mystery (Medieval Mysteries (St. Martins Hardcover)) [Hardcover]

Alan Gordon (Author)

Book Description

Series: Medieval Mysteries (St. Martins Hardcover) | Publication Date: November 12, 2000

In 13th century Europe, political turmoil is the order of the day and the Fool's Guild and its agents - jesters, jugglers, and knaves to a man - works behind the scenes to manipulate events, trying to maintain a balance of power.

Theophilos, a member of the Guild known by many names, is still recovering from his last mission during which he was severely wounded and nearly lost his life but, in the person of Viola, found himself an apprentice and a wife. But there is no rest for the wicked. While he is recovering on the Dalmatian coast, the Guild approaches him with another mission. A crusade is being launched, with Venice as the staging ground, but some believe that Venice means to turn it to it's own ends. At the same time, there is trouble in Byzantine throne - a pretender to the throne is gathering European backers. And to make matters worse, all of the Guild's agents in Constantinople have gone suddenly and mysteriously missing.

So now, the newly married Theophilos and Viola must go to Constantinople to gather information, thwart the rivals of the Guild, stop the war, and maybe - just maybe - stay alive.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Having boldly appropriated Shakespeare's Feste and Viola from Twelfth Night for his well-received debut novel, Thirteenth Night (1999), Gordon returns with a cunningly plotted sequel that is sure to be another crowd pleaser. Feste the Fool and his wife, Viola, are off to Constantinople to ensure that the Crusade of 1202 sticks to its goal of capturing the Holy Land. The son of a deposed Byzantine emperor threatens to turn the Crusaders against the Eastern Christian Church in a bid to gain his throne, while certain trading interests want to divert the force to invade the Muslim empire in Egypt. Amid the sometimes confusing but never less than intriguing plots and counterplots, Feste and Viola must resort to sleight of hand, disguise and other tricks in order to unmask the assassin who's been silencing agents trying to preserve peace in ConstantinopleAbefore they themselves become victims. Gordon brings Constantinople and its environs wonderfully alive against the backdrop of the political and religious uncertainty and tension of the time. Like a master juggler, the author puts on a fine show, full of fun and surprises. While there are many medieval historicals in the marketplace, there's always room for another high quality series. An eye-catching "stained-glass window" jacket design will attract browsers. Agent, Jessica Jones. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gordon's Thirteenth Night [BKL Ja 1 & 15 99] was a clever mystery, a twist on Twelfth Night in which Feste, a minor character in the Shakespeare play, took center stage. Feste, it turns out, is an operative of the Fools' Guild, a collective of secret agents who roam the countryside, posing as jesters and keeping the Christian world safe from evil. This time the secret agent is sent to Byzantium to find out why six of his colleagues seem to have vanished and, if he's lucky, to stop an attack on Byzantium itself. Too many medieval mysteries are dull conglomerations of period detail and shopworn plots. This one, on the other hand, is exciting, original, and exceedingly well told. Gordon, a New York attorney, has a remarkable grasp of the historical period (the very beginning of the thirteenth century), and he knows how to pack an immense amount of detail into his novels without making readers feel like they are being educated. Fans of historical mysteries will be delighted by this second installment in a charming series. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (November 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312241178
• ISBN-13: 978-0312241179
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,411,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can the Jester's Guild stop a terrible crime?, January 18, 2001

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Jester Leaps In: A Medieval Mystery (Medieval Mysteries (St. Martins Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

In JESTER LEAPS IN, Alan Gordon posits a medieval Jester's Guild responsible for bringing some sort of sanity to a world in trouble. Now a Crusade, dominated by Venice, is under weigh and all of the Jesters in Constantinople have vanished. Trouble-shooting fool Theophilos, along with his beautiful new wife (and Duchess and apprentice Jester) Viola are sent to find out what has happened and what it means.

What has happened is murder. Someone has killed all of the Jesters in Constantinople in an attempt to hide a plot to kill the Emperor. Theophilos has to find out who, why, and then decide if the world would be better off with a new Emperor.

Gordon does a wonderful job describing Medieval Europe and the role played by the Byzantine Empire at this time. The concept of a Jesters' Guild is wonderful and just believable enough to make the plot more enjoyable. Better is Gordon's character development. Both Theophilos and Viola are fully characterized, likable, and motivated. They may be fools, but they're no dummies and they're a joy to see in action...

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Medieval Mystery, October 15, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: Jester Leaps In: A Medieval Mystery (Medieval Mysteries (St. Martins Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

In the thirteenth century, The Fool's Guild feels their underlying mission beyond entertainment is to quietly keep the political balance in a unreliable world. In that regard, the Guild sends Theophilas also known as Feste to Byzantium serendipitously to investigate two matters of concern to the peace of the continent. Theo is to look into the recent disappearance of six guild members. Additionally, he is to check into rumors that have spread across Europe (at least among the Fool's Guild members) that Crusaders will invade Byzantium not Jerusalem.

Only a fool would undertake this treacherous mission, but Theo, accompanied by his wife and fellow Fool Viola, still travels to Byzantium. As Theo and Viola begin to investigate both matters, they conclude that involvement begins at the highest levels of the Emperor's government. However, neither one of them knows that an unknown assailant plans to add Theo and Viola to the list of vanished Fools.

The second Fool medieval mystery (see the entertaining Thirteenth Night) is an exciting historical tale that makes the thirteenth century vividly come to life. The story line employs an enjoyable who-done-it accompanied by a high level conspiracy, starring two likable charcaters who define Fool as genius and athletic. However, sub-genre fans will devour this tale and its predecessor because Alan Gordon's picturesque descriptive plot turns back the clock seven hundred years.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Great plot from humerous writer, June 12, 2011

By 

Woody "Addicted Reader" (Colorado) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Jester Leaps In (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a good beginning to this series. Just enough introducation to place the setting and then very entertaining and funny with a nice plot, with several surprise events that helped the denouement along. Nicely written although a bit whimsical.