A Tournament of Murders: The Franklin's Tale of Mystery and Murder as He Goes on Pilgrimage from London to Canterbury [Hardcover]

P. C. Doherty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1997

When a medieval knight, Gilbert Savage, learns from his dying squire the true nature of his heritage and his father's disgraceful death, he vows to avenge his family's name."

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The third series tale (following A Tapestry of Murder, St Martin's 1996), told by the Franklin while on pilgrimage to Canterbury, begins in 1356. After a dying squire, wounded in battle, confides family secrets to Gilbert Savage, his knight, Gilbert vows to avenge the squire's father's name. A fine historical.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Doherty's third tale about a pilgrim on the way to Canterbury (An Ancient Evil, 1994; A Tapestry of Murders, 1996), this one narrated by the Franklin: young Richard Greenele, squire to Sir Gilbert Savage, his protector from childhood. As Sir Gilbert lies dying on the battlefield at Poitiers, he instructs Richard to return to England to find the lawyer Hugo Coticol, who will give him information on the deaths of his real father and mother. Richard reluctantly obeys, acquiring on the peril-filled journey two companions--master bowman Cuthbert Barleycorn and a trickster named Gildas. Arriving at last in plague-stricken Colchester, the trio discovers that Coticol is dead, but his daughter Emmeline finds the letter left for Richard and joins the group as they travel to the old Greenele estate on Crokehurst island, off the Essex coast. The letter, by one Sir Roger Greenele, describes how he was set up for the murders, at Crokehurst, of his good friends Baron Simon Fitzalan and wife Lady Catherine; how Richard's mother died in a convent; how he was imprisoned and condemned to die. He escaped and reached Coticol's house, but, according to a supplementary letter added by Coticol, was found drowned in the river only days later. Richard realizes that one of the five attendant knights described in his father's letter must have been behind the carnage and the entrapment of his father, and vows to seek out the truth. There's more, much more, in a story filled with mysterious, skulking strangers, numerous bloody encounters, fatalities by the dozen, endless details of life in the 14th century, a sweet romance, and a nifty denouement that helps redeem the foregoing. Over the top, though, even for Doherty. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312170483
• ISBN-13: 978-0312170486
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #799,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New historical mystery series from prolific author, October 17, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Tournament of Murders: The Franklin's Tale of Mystery and Murder as He Goes on Pilgrimage from London to Canterbury (Hardcover)

P.C.Doherty, an English headmaster with a family of 7 children still finds time to write 3000 words a day. In this fashion he writes in the region of 4 to 5 books a year-and gets them published! His knowledge of history is encyclopeadic and readers of his earlier books will not be disappointed with this new series which takes each of the Chaucher pilgrims to Canterbury and places them at the center of a murder mystery. Readers who enjoy Doherty's work ought to know that he writes under the following pseudonyms: C.L.Grace, Ann Dukthas, Paul Harding, Michael Clynes and his very latest, Anna Apostolou.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One that may keep you up at night., September 3, 2004

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Tournament of Murders: The Franklin's Tale of Mystery and Murder as He Goes on Pilgrimage from London to Canterbury (Hardcover)

This Canterbury pilgrim series of P.C. Doherty is a wonderful medieval series. This is the third book in the pilgrims' tales series, and I think the best so far. It has everything - intrigue, murder, war, retribution and even a ghost. The story tells of a young squire that goes back to the place of his birth to try to uncover the mystery surrounding his father's disgrace and ultimate death. He finds himself and his friends pitted against some very dangerous and unscrupulous men, but he is not deterred. With the help of his friend Cuthbert, and a few others that he picks up along the way he does determine who the traitor was that framed his father. There is a battle scene in this book that is probably the best description of a medieval battle of any that I've read. I certainly wish there were a few more books in this series. It's one that I can't seem to get enough of. Great stuff!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OUTSTANDING!, June 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Tournament of Murders: The Franklin's Tale of Mystery and Murder as He Goes on Pilgrimage from London to Canterbury (Hardcover)

Quite an excellent book. Doherty perfectly intermingles the pilgrim's conversations with the story told by the franklin. A page-turner and nearly impossible to put it down; I read it in two days! This book has all the classic murder mystery parts: death, sex, intrique, romance, and for those medieval fans, knights, ladies, verderers, castles, and of course those pilgrims. A five out of five stars!