Customer Reviews

Wolves of Savernake (Domesday)

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Edward Marston is the pseudonym of Keith Miles, a fairly prolific and extremely good writer of mainly Elizabethan and medieval mysteries. He has also written mysteries under his own name with both sporting and golf backgrounds. However it is primarily the books that take place earlier in history that I am interested in. He read modern history at Oxford and has had many jobs, including university lecturer, but fortunately for all his readers, he turned to the writing profession.

This is the first book I ever read by Edward Marston. It is about a period of history that I love and once I had read it, I eagerly sought out all other books by the author and I have never been disappointed. His Elizabethan theatre series of books were wonderful and he has continued them through from 1988 to 2006. The Domesday series is also a great series and this is the first book in the series.

When a wealthy miller is murdered it prompts the attention of William I, better known as William the Conqueror. He immediately despatches two of his most able men to the town of Bedwyn to uncover the murderer and bring them to justice. It takes all of their knowledge and determination to uncover a two-legged killer, much more cunning and far more savage than any animal.

I.m surprised that I haven.t ever come across this author, Edward Marston, aka Kieth Miles, since he has been around since at least the mid-'80's and written quite a few historical mystery books. I stumbled on "The Wolves of Savernake" while looking for medieval fiction on my Kindle. I think I now have a new series to read, if the 1st book in the Doomsbook series is any indication of what is to follow.

I breezed through this book with great pleasure. The plot had twists and turns and was well planned and tight. The subplots enhanced this tale and were neither confusing nor superfluous. The characters were interesting and their actions/ motives/ backstories were, for the most part, believable.

I loved the two main characters: Ralph, a knight in his mid 40's, is headstrong, brawny, coarse, hormonal and a bit rowdy; Gervase, a 25 year old lawyer, is wise, driven, morally researved, and thinks before actimg. The fathe/son relationship between the two men was often refreshingly reversed; however, although the two sometimes disagreed, their true love and affection was never in doubt.

Complaints: There were a few typos, especially towards the end. Two of the characters (H. and L.) were too one-dimensional and therefore, not believable; if they appear in later books, maybe the author will 'flesh them out.' A few times the book dragged for a page or two. Also, the author has a bad habit of writting, "...and then the two people (insert characters' names) talked/ bantered/ argued/ (insert verb that means discussed) for a while/ an hour/ until sleep overtook them/ (insert words that defines a certain amount of time) ...." Maybe I.m the only one who feels this way, but shouldn.t the author write out some of the dialogue if he is going to mention it in his book. Maybe just write an example of the banter, arguement, talk... The author didn.t need to write out the entire discussion, just a bit so the reader can get the flavor and tone of the interaction.

Bottom line: I would recommend this book to a friend. I also think this would be a good book for young adults who can handle a very small amount of sex (not descriptive) and a moderate amount of physical longing ;-) I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

If historical mystery is part of your reading diet, then you cannot go wrong with Mr. Marston. If you read one, you will want to read all. The books show much referance done and well told stories...

Second book of the series. Ralph and Gervase, Norman and Saxon, cohorts, friends and agents of William collecting and finding land fraud for the Domesday Book. Strange Beasts in the forest, haunting the village, Fear stalks the land with awful results. Excellent writing and plot. Ed Marston has done his research and paints a vivid picture of village life in the 12th Century. Very hard to put down for even a minute.

First Sentence: Savernake Forest trembled in the fading light.

Set 20 years after William the Conqueror becomes king, royal tribunals are sent throughout England to compile a comprehensive assessment of his land and resources and the extent of taxes he could raise.

Although one tribunal has already visited Bedwyn, a letter received from the town's miller has prompted the sending of a second tribunal consisting of knight, Ralph Delchard, lawyer Gervase Bret, Canon Hubert and Brother Simon.

Before they arrive, the miller has been brutally killed, apparently by a wolf. Ralph suspect the cause of death was more human than animal.

This is another of those authors I can't believe I've not previously read. His writing is so visual and his descriptions so lush, I was drawn in from the very beginning. I love that he almost anthropomorphized nature: "...a weeping willow dived angrily downwards..." The scene when the members of the tribunal ride to the top of a hill and look down on Stonehenge is wonderfully done. I am not one for "casting" a book, but I found myself so doing with Delchard and Gervase.

The sense of time and place are so strong but not glamorized. Marston realistically portrays how little power most women had over their own lives and how superstition was rife. The dialogue is effective in conveying a sense of the period without making it difficult to read. There was wonderful humor to offset the brutality of the deaths.

The story is very well plotted. I certainly did not identify the killer until they were exposed. I'm now off to find all the rest of Marston's books.

This book is the first in Marston's Domesday series. It is set in England 20 years after William the Conqueror became king (1086). Two of William's men (Gervaise Bret and Ralph Delchard) have been sent to Bedwyn to do a land assessment. While they are there there are gruesome murders occuring and they appear to have been committed by a renegade wolf. Bret and Delchard are trying to figure out what is going on while they are also pursuing some shady land deals. This series looks very promising. It is very well written with a tight plot, and has colourful settings with great period detail. It is deliciously medieval, and Bret and Delchard make a great crime-fighting duo. Can't wait for more.