Squire Throwleigh's Heir (Knights Templar) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The brutality of medieval life underpins Jecks's seventh mystery in this worthy series featuring Sir Baldwin of Furnshill, keeper of the king's peace and noted investigator of violent crimes. During the troubled reign of the decadent Edward II, Squire Roger of Throwleigh realizes that any day might be his last as the pain around his heart worsens. Worried about the fate of his young son and heir, Herbert, he takes some consolation in knowing that his capable wife, Katharine, will protect the lad. Alas, just days after Roger falls dead from his horse while arguing with a luckless tenant he's about to evict, a cart driver runs over Herbert in a seeming accident. Sir Baldwin, who has attended Roger's funeral, smells foul play. Against Katharine's protests, he examines Herbert's body--and sure enough, the boy's skull shows signs of having been crushed by a heavy object. The many suspects include Edmund, the tenant facing eviction; Thomas of Exeter, Roger's merchant brother, who's the next heir; Sir James van Relenghes, an arrogant Flemish mercenary with designs on the bereft Katharine; and the effeminate Brother Stephen of York, Herbert's tutor, who has a taste for thrashing small boys. Various servants, each with his or her own devious ends, thicken the plot. Jecks does his usual skillful job of building suspense and teasing the reader with first one then another possible murderer until, playing against stereotype and conventional expectations, he reveals the unlikely culprits. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The medieval era is a popular setting for mysteries these days, as evidenced by these three new titles. Clare introduces a new heroine, the exemplary Abbess of Hawkenlye, who must join forces with an emissary from Richard Plantagenet to solve the murder of first one and then two young nuns. The ending is a little limp, but the writing is fine, and the abbess is an engaging character, one of the few religious in such mysteries (along with Sister Fidelma) actually to be presented in a positive light. Wolf brings back the hero of No Dark Place, Hugh de Leon, who in his first mystery discovered that he was heir to the Earl of Wiltshire. Hugh is determined to marry his feisty beloved despite opposition from the earl and is subsequently caught up in investigating the murder of the father of the bride the earl intends for him. The cool, savvy Hugh is almost too good to be true, and the psychic communication between him and his true love doesn't seem to fit with the otherwise realistically detailed surrounds, but the plot moves along quite nicely and should entertain most fans. Over the last few years. the publisher has been releasing Jecks's series featuring Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace in 14th-century England, in an attractive little mass-market format. Like all Jecks's tales, this one--concerning the suspicious death of the new master of Throwleigh, a five-year-old boy--is nicely detailed and tightly argued, with involving action and memorable characters. The whole series belongs in any collection where historicals are popular.
-Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 337 pages
• Publisher: Headline Book Publishing; 1st THUS edition (December 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0747259526
• ISBN-13: 978-0747259527
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #421,653 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Keep Them Coming Michael, August 21, 2006

By	J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Michael Jecks gave up a career in the computer industry when he began writing the internationally successful Templar series. Well all I can say is the Computer Industries loss is the reader's gain. He has now written about a score of the Knights Templar mystery books featuring Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock and there are more to follow.

During the trouble reign of Edward II Squire Roger Throwleigh fears that any day might be his last, as the pain in and around his heart increases. He is worried about the fate of his young son and heir, Herbert, but he takes consolation in knowing that his wife Katherine will protect the boy.

Unfortunately just days after Roger falls dead from his horse in the middle of an argument with a tenant he is about to evict, a cart driver runs over Herbert, in what seems to be a cruel accident.

Sir Baldwin is already at the Throwleigh property as he had gone there to attend the funeral. Against the mother's wishes he quickly examines the boy and sure enough, the skull shows signs of being crushed by a heavy object, but Sir Baldwin is not convinced and decides to investigate further.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly well-written book, September 3, 2003

By	Valerie Adolph "Coast Journal" (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This historical mystery is thoroughly researched and well plotted. Set in the West Country of medieval England, the story uses the remote moorland setting to good advantage as Sir Baldwin and his friend Simon investigate the death of a young lad who was said to have fallen under a cart. This was a common enough occurence, hardly something for the Keeper of the King's Peace to investigate. But this lad, who recently inherited a large estate on the death of his father, had many enemies - starting, apparently with his mother.

This book has an unusually intriguing cast of characters, from the evil yet all-too-human priest to the charming foreign knight who is not what he appears to be. Even the children in this book are characters to be reckoned with. If you enjoy the medieval mystery buy not just this book but the whole series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Squire Throwleigh's Heir, August 10, 2000

By	tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

A good mystery, although it did tend to get bogged down at times. Not as intriguing as the previous mysteries in the series but enjoyable nontheless. Part of the problem I suspect is that few of the characters are likeable; it is especially difficult to feel any real empathy for Lady Katherine, who looses both her husband and son in a matter of days. However the book is rich in detail and atmosphere, and is, as I had already noted a rather good mystery.