Murder in the Holy City (Sir Geoffrey Mappestone Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Simon Beaufort (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sir Geoffrey Mappestone Mysteries | Publication Date: October 1998

In 1097 the Pope appealed to all virtuous and God-fearing men to join the Crusade to wrest Jerusalem from the Infidel. But by 1100, Sir Geoffrey Mappestone is one of the few kings who has survived the harrowing journey, the battle to take the city, and the political infighting over the rule of the kingdom.

Upon returning to Jerusalem one day following an exhausting desert patrol, Geoffrey hears screams coming from the house of a Greek baker and discovers that one of his closest friends, a fellow knight, has been murdered in the woman's bedchamber. But this is not the first suspicious death in the city--other knights and priests have also been killed, and all, it is discovered, with the same type of curved dagger with a jeweled hilt.

Ordered to investigate the deaths by his liege lord, Prince Tancred, Geoffrey realizes too late that they are somehow part of a plot to topple the most formidable lords from their uncertain hold on power. It is not long before he finds himself drawn into dire straits involving some of the most dangerous men in the city--and learns that his closest friends could also be his deadliest enemies.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this first volume of a projected series, the setting is 12th-century Jerusalem, as conflicted then as it is now. Victorious Crusaders battle heat, grit, Saracens, Greeks, Jews and one another to retain sway over the captured city. Sir Geoffrey de Mappstone, a knight allied to the Norman leader Tancred, returning to the city from a desert patrol, discovers the corpse of a recently murdered knight in a baker's bedchamber. The murder isn't unique: three monks and two knights have been similarly dispatched with carved daggers in locations throughout the city. Charged by both Tancred and the Advocate (the Catholic religious leader in Jerusalem) to solve the murders and discover their meaning, Geoffrey ferrets out treason and treachery, finding himself in constant danger. Beaufort's novel depicts the twisted alleys and markets of Jerusalem?and the equally twisted motives that brought the Crusaders there?with clarity and force. She neatly captures the particulars of everyday life, from the clothes the Crusaders wore to the food they ate. Beaufort scores with this satisfying mystery nestled securely in a well-detailed historical context.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Having fallen to the Crusaders in 1099, Jerusalem still endures an uneasy religious and military alliance a year later. The several murders of two knights and three priests, apparently by the same hand, threatens an escalation of friction between the two groups. Assigned to investigate the murders by both sides, Sir Geoffrey Mappestone is caught in the middle: he must not antagonize his own liege lord, and he fears a stray word may cause further slaughter of innocents. Good plotting, abundant action, and close attention to period verisimilitude in both event and character recommend this to all collections.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312195664
• ISBN-13: 978-0312195663
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #670,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great debut novel of a new historical mystery series, November 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Murder in the Holy City (Sir Geoffrey Mappestone Mysteries) (Hardcover)

In 1100, the holy city of Jerusalem remains a fractured place even though the Crusaders have retaken the city back from the Infidel. Returning from a desert patrol to the city, Sir Geoffrey de Mappstone hears a woman's screams from the nearby Greek bakery. Accompanied by his Sergeant of Arms, Guy goes to investigate. They meet the frazzled woman, Melisande Mikelos, who informs him that there is a corpse in her home. He goes inside and finds the murdered body of John, a Norman knight.

Norman Prince Tancred assigns his vassal Geoffrey to investigate this murder and several similar ones. However, instead of uncovering a simple serial killer or even some twisted from of vengeance, Geoffrey finds a conspiracy to overturn the current precarious power structure of the city. As he continues to make inquiries, Geoffrey places himself in danger of becoming the next victim.

MURDER IN THE HOLY CITY, the first novel in what hopefully is a long series, is a brilliant historical mystery that brings home early twelfth century Jerusalem to the audience. The who-done-it is fun, but it is the motives of the various groups and daily life in the city that makes this a necessary novel for genre fans. Simon Beaufort, a historian at the University of Cambridge, turns history into a gourmet's delight.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beaufort's Sir Geoffrey is a winner!, February 2, 2001

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Murder in the Holy City (Sir Geoffrey Mappestone Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Simon Beaufort's "Murder in the Holy City" is the first in yet another historical mystery series--and it's a welcomed entry. Set in the early 1100s, it features Sir Geoffrey de Mappestone, an English man educated in France, and is now a knight on a crusade to Jesusalem, a city of great contention, dominated at this time by a consortium of religious interests, all eager to make their mark and lay claim to "their" city. Religious causes work in strange circumstances, sometimes. However, religious and internecine strife aside, the city is caught up in a series of kilings---two knights and three priests. One of the knights is a friend of Geoffrey, who was found stabbed to death in the home of a Greek widow. All appear to have been killed by the same jeweled dagger! Geoffrey takes the commission to investigate and uncovers the plot to destabilize what is already an unnerving scenario and Beaufort's narrative, style, and literary skill take over.

This is an exciting "first of a series," as the author goes to great effort and detail--with some interesting glimpses of humor!--to portray the time, the place, and the characters. Beaufort's attention to detail--even if he does employ literary license liberally at times--is a good read. Sir Geoffrey is one protagonist who's got a good future! ([e-mail])

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Welcom Addition to the Historical Mystery Genre, May 17, 2001

By 

P. Bigelow (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Murder in the Holy City (Sir Geoffrey Mappestone Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This debut is set in 1100 Jerusalem and features Sir Geoffrey Mappestone, a knight who joined the Pope's call for a crusade in 1097 because, as a younger son, he had no hope of gaining his fortune in his home country. Sir Geoffrey has, over the course of the years he's been in Jerusalem, become disillusioned with his fellow knights, his liege lord, the Crusades, and life in general.

As he returns from a reconnaissance trip into the desert, he arrives upon the scene of a murder of a fellow knight shortly after the body is discovered. The woman who stands screaming in the street has the murder weapon in her hand. Because this is the second murder of a knight using a knife, he decides he must take her to the citadel for questioning. This causes a near riot by the woman's neighbors who, along with the other citizens of Jerusalem, have no love for the Crusaders. Within a day, his life becomes complicated beyond his wildest imagination after yet another body is found murdered in the same manner, he is asked to investigate the murders by his liege lord and his lord's competitor who swears him to secrecy. As he begins his investigation with his companions, Sir Roger and Sir Hugh (who does not want to be actively involved, but agrees to voice his opinions - wanted or not), more bodies are found, he almost loses his life, nothing is as it seems, and he begins to suspect everyone.

Beaufort has written an excellent debut historical mystery. So well written is this story that you feel the heat rising from the dusty dirt streets of Jerusalem and smell the particularly odiferous stink coming from a local butcher's store. Sir Geoffrey is a well-drawn character whom the reader comes to like and admire while the supporting cast is equally well drawn. The reader is involved from page one to the end. The reader will find herself hoping that Beaufort writes fast so that the second installment of this series arrives very soon.