The Demon's Parchment: A Crispin Guest Medieval Noir
Jeri Westerson, Minotaur, $25.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-312-62104-9
Westerson's third 14th-century historical featuring disgraced knight Crispin Guest (after 2009's Serpent in the Thorns) is the best yet in the series, though the plotting and characterization remain a cut below that of, say, a master of the medieval subgenre like Susanna Gregory. Guest, who's developed a reputation as "the Tracker," pursues two cases: a Jewish doctor, Jacob of Provençal, retains him to recover some lost Hebrew manuscripts, and the sheriff of London asks for his help to trace a serial killer who's strangled and eviscerated four young boys. In the course of his inquiries, Guest encounters a hulking figure who may be the legendary golem, a creature molded from clay to protect the Jewish community. Those who may regard the serial killer story line as anachronistic will find a real-life model, Gilles de Rais, cited in the author's afterword. (Oct.)
Details
Reviewed on: 07/19/2010
Genre: Fiction
Compact Disc - 979-8-212-21524-4
Hardcover - 489 pages - 978-1-4104-3700-6
MP3 CD - 979-8-212-21525-1
Open Ebook - 282 pages - 978-1-62567-145-5
Paperback - 274 pages - 978-1-62567-419-7
Paperback - 312 pages - 978-1-62567-285-8