The Lions of the North (Domesday Books (St. Martins)) [Hardcover]

Edward Marston (Author)

Book Description

Series: Domesday Books (St. Martins) | Publication Date: September 1996

William the Conqueror sends Gervase Bret and Ralph Delchard into the lands of Yorkshire to investigate a rogue named Olaf Evil Child, but on the way, they hear rumors of two lions owned by a rich merchant that have been killing people.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Historical fans will welcome the newest addition to Marston's 11th-century series featuring Gervase Bret and Ralph Delchard. The pair journey to Yorkshire, ruled by a rogue warrior, where they discover vicious lions, murder, and the usual secrets. Dependable entertainment.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Commissioned by William the Conqueror to conduct an extensive survey of his recently acquired kingdom, soldier Ralph Delchard and lawyer Gervase Bret travel to York to settle a series of tangled property disputes. Intrigued by a comely young maiden's claim that her family's estate was illegally annexed by a devious overlord, Ralph and Gervase attempt to gather evidence to support her petition. When one man is fatally mauled by a pair of vicious trained lions and another is strangled, they link the assassinations to the land seizure, endangering their own lives in the process. As Ralph and Gervase prepare to unravel an entangled web of deceit, murder, and treason, they are betrayed by a friend and set upon by the notorious lions of York. Another intriguing and exuberant installment in the Domesday Books series. Margaret Flanagan

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 227 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031214671X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312146719
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,616,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fourth Book in an Excellent Series, December 2, 2006

By 

J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lions of the North (Domesday Books (St. Martins)) (Hardcover)

Edward Marston is the pseudonym of Keith Miles, a fairly prolific and extremely good writer of mainly Elizabethan and medieval mysteries. He has also written mysteries under his own name with both sporting and golf backgrounds. However it is primarily the books that take place earlier in history that I am interested in. He read modern history at Oxford and has had many jobs, including university lecturer, but fortunately for all his readers, he turned to the writing profession.

After reading the first book in the series, I avidly sought out all the other books by Edward Marston and not a single one has ever disappointed me. They are about a period of history that I love. His Elizabethan theatre series of books were wonderful and he has continued them through from 1988 to 2006. The Domesday series is also a great series and this is the second book in the series.

The Domesday series is about a period in England's history shortly after the Norman conquest , during the reign of William the Conqueror. It was King William himself who called for an `inventory' to assess taxes and survey landholdings. This inventory was called the Domesday book and was a tremendous undertaking, but one that brought stability to England. Edward Marston's Domesday novels are based upon actual entries in the Domesday Book.

Ralph Delchard and is friend and associate layer Gervase Bret lead some of William the Conqueror's finest commissioners into Yorkshire to settle and claims and continue to compile the Domesday Book. Ralph feels more than a little guilty when he remembers the part that he played in this battle scarred land. Pillaging the shire some years before when he helped to put down a revolt against the Conqueror. However there is still one isolated part of the shire that remains wealthy and that is the castle of the merchant Aubrey Maminot. There the King's Commissioners learn of two great terror. Firstly Olaf Evil Child, a hero of the poor Saxon folk and the ravenous lions that are kept as pets by Aubrey Maminot.

The lions feast on the body of an anonymous person who tries to sneak into the castle. Gervase wonders why anyone would commit such an act of suicide . . .

4.0 out of 5 stars another good one, January 8, 2012

By 

Michael Burke - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Lions of the North (Domesday Books) (Kindle Edition)

Another interesting investigation for the Domesday Book Team. Ralph and Gervase, Knight and clerk, working together to right wrongs and solve murder and fraud. Our protagonists are again fighting against powerful forces to bring justice to downtrodden Saxons. African Lions are actually the first killers. Although out of place in Northern England they are not the real enemy. Read and enjoy.

1.0 out of 5 stars The Lions of the North, December 28, 2011

By 

PeterM Morris (Yucca Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Lions of the North (Domesday Books) (Kindle Edition)

This review is NOT about the text; rather it is regarding the execrable job of editing by the publisher of the Kindle version. It appears that the text was pushed through a converter and made available for sale without the result even having been looked at. Some paragraphs have no indentation. Some paragraphs wrap only two or three words from the start. Some lines appear to have fixed length and thus wrap incorrectly. Where there is a break in the story and a double carriage return or other indicator is the norm, none exists, causing confusion for the reader. It is unconscionable to charge the customer $7.99 for this trash. It is apparent that for this publisher providing a quality product is secondary to charging far more than the product is worth.