Customer Reviews

The Tournament of Blood (Knights Templar)

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"The Tournament of Blood" is slightly different from previous West Country mysteries by Michael Jecks in that it does not focus so much on a rather chilling series of horrific murders and that there are a a lot more characters in this mystery novel than usual. So be forewarned: there are several knights and squires with similar names that a slightly less attentive reader could get quite confused over!

"The Tournament of Blood" opens with the murder of the money lender, Benjamin Dudenay, by Philip Tyrel (information given in the first chapter.) Many years ago, Tyrel lost his wife and children because of Dudenay; and seeing Dudenay again all these many years later, even more prosperous than before and apparently feeling no remorse for his crimes, pushes Tyrel to execute Dudenay quite brutally. Tyrel thinks that his rage is spent; however the authour let's us in on one piece of important information: that Tyrel will soon meet the other men who were responsible for his family's untimely death, and that he will kill again (again info from the first chapter).

It's 1322, and Hugh de Courtenay has decided to host a tournament to take his mind off his current political problems with King Edward II. Many knights have been invited, and Bailiff Simon Puttock has been asked to see to the preparations for the tournament. And while Puttock is thrilled to have been asked to undertake so important a task, having to deal with the sniveling and quarrelsome Hal Sachevyll and Wymond Carpenter, is more than he can bear! Sachevyll and Carpenter have been commissioned to design and construct the stands and have been complaining about shoddy materials and predicting accidents if the stands are constructed with such bad wood. They have demanded that better material be provided for them to work with. This Puttock is loathe to do because the pair have already been paid to buy the materials that they need. Puttock suspects that they have pocketed the money that should have gone towards buying good wood, buying shoddy wood instead. And he's not about to reward the duplicitous pair by paying for more wood to be bought. The quarrel between Sachevyll, Carpenter and Puttock becomes quite acrimonious and things look bad indeed for Puttock when Carpenter is found beaten to death in his tent, and he becomes a suspect of the murder.

Fortunately for Puttock, his good friend Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, and the coroner, Sir Roger de Gidleigh, do not believe that he had anything to do with Carpenter's death, and they begin to look more closely into the murder. They discover that Carpenter was murdered in a manner similar to the moneylender Dudenay, and that Dudenay, Carpenter and Sahevyll were partners in quite a few enterprises. They also discover that quite a few people detested all three men -- from knights who blame them for the deaths incurred when their shoddy stands fell apart, to knights and squires who disliked Dubenay because they owed him money. In the meantime, Puttock is discovering that it is not easy to keep his attention focused on preparations for the tournament with a murder charge hanging over his head, his teenage daughter's sudden rebellious behaviour (and her sudden infatuation with a dislikable squire), and the Royal Herald's petty snipping! If only he could solve the murder before the tournament starts! But what Puttock, Sir Baldwin and Sir Roger don't realise is that Tyrel is in their midst under an assumed name, and that he is resolved to execute the third man he holds responsible for the loss of his family.

With this latest mystery novel, Michael Jecks again brings to life colourful 14th century England. The novel is peppered with enough historical fact, so that we understand the political reality of the time; but what I especially liked was his realistic portrayal of what a tournament entailed -- the brutality involved as well as the greed for ransoms (knights who loose the joust and who yield are then held for ransom by the victor). And I thought that Jecks did a wonderful job in depicting all the different hates that the knights and squires had for each other, as well as Puttock's daughter's sudden into bratty teenage behaviour. The mystery itself is a little more straight forward than usual, with very few twists and turns in plot development (except for how Jecks keeps us guessing as to which one of the suspects is Tyrel), however the tension and tight pacing was always there, and contributed a lot towards making this novel a gripping read. I enjoyed this novel immensely, and would heartily recommend to all mediaeval mystery fans.

I confess to be an avid Jecks fan. Although, I do a great deal of academic reading, I got caught up in reading something just for my personal enjoyment yet that is quite well written and well researched. I was only introduced to Jecks' work recently, I have read every available book by him in or out of print in the US in a few months. I bought the recently released "The Death Ship of Dartmouth" and faithfully promised myself that I would put it on the shelf and wait a reasonable period of time to begin it and read it very slowly. Well, so much for a half a day and taking a few hours out for much needed sleep.

Michael Jecks writes some of the best medieval novels around. This one is no exception.
The book takes place in the spring of 1322, the setting a tournament held by Lord Hugh de Courtenay. The money lenders of Oakhampton see this as a great opportunity to fill their coffers. When the knights who are defeated find themselves unable to pay the ransoms to their opponents they will require the services of the money lenders, but one of the money lenders will not get the opportunity to do business. Benjamin Dudenay is found beaten to death before the tournament begins.
Sir Baldwin and his friend Simon have the task of completing the preparations for the tournament before Lord Hugh arrives but when the man commissioned to build the stands is found dead in an identical way to Benjamin, Sir Baldwin and Simon Puttock find themselves embroiled in the search for a killer

This medieval mystery tells of a planned tournament to be hosted by Lord Hugh in 1322. A month before the planned event a man who whom knights are indebted is found murdered, and it's up to Sir Baldwin and his friend Bailiff Simon to complete preparations and investigate a possibly widereaching, sinister plan. Fine tension against a solid historical backdrop.

Readers who delight in a healthy dose of history with their mystery will find this a fine combination in Jecks' new title. A 1322 tournament leads to murder and an investigation of a host of possibilities in this fast-paced, involving account. Medieval life comes alive under Jecks' hand.

Jenks knows how to write and tell a good story that is historically accurate. A really good "whodunit."

First Sentence: Benjamin Dudenay, known to most people as "Ben the moneylender", was not popular, so his murder caused no distress except to his three outstanding creditors, whose demands for compensation where stolidly rejected by his widow, Maud.

Lord Hugh de Courtenay is hosting a tournament and Bailiff Simon Puttock has been tasked with organizing it. He is there at Oakhampton with his wife, Margaret, new baby, and rebellious daughter, Edith. Simon's friend, Sir Baldwin Furnshill, is also in attendance. They have more than the tournament to occupy them.

First there is the murder of Benjamin Dudenay, money-lender to many of the participants. Shortly thereafter, Wymond, the carpenter preparing the grounds for the tournament, is murdered. When Simon is accused, his and Baldwin must find who is behind the killings.

Jecks is such a wonderfully visual, descriptive writer. His sense of time and place add so much to the reading of his books. I also appreciate that Jecks, rather than present the fairy-tale version of the middle ages, provides a very realistic view of the life and people of the time. While chivalry and honor may have been the aspiration for knights, the reality was a far cry from it.

This book was interesting as you knew the motive from the beginning, but not the identity of the killer. There were multiple threads and characters under threat for various reasons. An interesting element was dealing with homosexuality in that Baldwin, a knight, former Templar and widely traveled, was much more tolerant than his friend Simon.

There were a lot of characters in this story and it would have been confusing if not for the Cast of Characters in the beginning of the book. The primary characters of Simon and Baldwin are ones I very much enjoy, particularly the banter between them. Jecks has done an excellent job of giving life progression and growth to both characters through the series.

The plot was interesting, the dialogue always well done, and the ending unexpected but appropriate for the period. I often think of Christie when I finish a book by Jecks in that both end of with a lot of bodies.

My one critical point is that there seemed to be a fair amount of redundancy. I assume this was done to make a point, but it did become tiresome. This was another solid book in a very well-done series.

At one point in this book, toward the end, protagonist Sir Baldwin exclaims "Good God, not another death! Will there never be an end to this."

I know just how he felt. One death is heaped upon another in this overly complicated tale and the resolution to them all, while no doubt in keeping with historical reality, was unsatisfactory to me.

I have read all of Jecks' prior books in the series, and own all the rest, to be read in turn. Yet, while I finish all of them (an indication of their merit, considering I don't waste time on books I consider poorly written or plotted) I never am completely happy with them.

As I've mentioned in my review of another Jecks book, one problem to me is that he needs a far better editor and proofreader. Misspellings and inconsistent spellings abound. One glaring example: in his Author's Note, he explains why he chooses to use the old spelling for the town of Okehampton (rather than the new version, Oakhampton). Yet, throughout the book, the new spelling is used! A small but niggling detail.

In addition, there are times when I feel Jecks goes overboard to parade all the research and facts he's learned, including all the terminology he can cram into the book. Yet, he uses other words and phrases which, while possibly having their roots in medieval Europe, sound false and anachronistic.

SPOILER AHEAD ...

My biggest complaint about this book is that Jecks fails to provide key information that allows us to play detective and solve the mystery. The killer is "Mr. X" but "Mr. X" is in actuality "Mr. Z" Yet, throughout the book, he switches perspective to both characters and there is never any thought or action to betray the latter. I'm probably not making too much sense, but if you read the book, you'll understand. I don't want to give away the whole thing. Suffice it to say, I felt the ending was a bit of a cheat.

Yet, despite my complaints, I finished the book in just a few evenings and will go on to read more of Jecks. They're not perfect. In fact, they're not among the best historical mysteries I've read, but they have decent, evolving characters that make for an enjoyable read.

If you like this type of book, try the Chapman mysteries by Kate Sedley. Not as hard edged as Jecks' but engaging and historically accurate.