Customer Reviews

A Moorland Hanging

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With his third book, Michael Jecks has hit his stride incredibly sucessfully. This is a complete sucess, a prime example of a goo historical crime novel.

When Peter Bruther, servant to the Beauscyr household, runs off up to Dartmoor to become a tin miner, the family are furious. They demand his return, and attempt to get the Bailiff of Lydford, Simon Puttock, involved in the dispute. But, due to old standing ancient laws, the Beauscyrs have no legal claim on their servant any more. As long as he is mining tin (which will of course eventually beneift the Kings armaments) he is exempt from normal laws.

Then, one morning, Peter Bruther's body is found hanging from a tree on the edge of an ancient woodland...

Cue the investigating team of Simon Puttock and his friend Sir Baldwin Furnshill. They must play games of diplomancy with the Beauscyr family and the mining community, especially the important landowner and mining magnate Thomas Smyth, who controls most of the mining that goes on, to try and stop the situation exploding. They must do this alongside their murder investigation. This task is difficult enough, but it becomes further complicated when an almost all-out war between the miners and landowners begins to rage up on the moor...

Excellent. For any fan of historical novels, i would reccomend this one unreservedly. It's Jeck's best book by far. The plot is absolutely fascinating and multi-layered. The examination of the complexities of English law is engrossing and incredibly interesting, and the tensions between the two groups of people are depicted excellently. As the situation escalates, Jecks manages to pile on a fair amount of suspense, too, which im not always used to in mostly leisurely historical mysteries.

The characters, and their oft antagonistic relationships with one another, are very well developed and interesting. The conclusion is exciting and action-filled, the atmosphere of the setting is drawn out brilliantly, and the final solution is satisfying. This book comes highly reccomended.

Dartmoor has always fascinated me. In this compelling book, Jecks mixes good mystery writing with a depiction of place so realistic one could almost believe one was on windswept Dartmoor.

In this third outing of Bailiff Simon Puttock and Keeper of the King's Peace Sir Baldwin de Furnhill, Former Knight Templar, the investigation begins with the complaints of a knight and his family about the incursions of tin miners into his property. But tinners had special priviledges and could mine the metal just about whereever they wanted. The tension between landowner and tin miners explodes into murder and a near land war. Sir Baldwin assists Simon in resolving the hanging of a former serf who has established a claim for mining and therefore has made himself free before chaos overwhelms Simon's bailiwick. Excellent use of historical detail. Medieval law was often labyrinthine, and presented more loop holes than modern tax law. The two friends are in very good shape as they delve into this complex situation.

I am no scholar of the 12-1300's but I did enjoy the mystery surrounding the history lesson. If you simply want a good read, in a different time frame that anyone in the family can read this is a good choice. I enjoy the word play and personal exchanges that have grown between Simon and Baldwin through the course of this series. This book and the others in the series are great travel and beach books. We don't always have to take everything in life seriously enjoy the read.