Knights Templar Series by Michael Jecks
Knights Templar #15
The Templar's Penance: (Knights Templar 15)
Michael Jecks
The fifteenth novel in Michael Jecks's medieval Knights Templar series. It is the summer of 1323, and Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock have been granted leave to go on pilgrimage. Together they travel across Europe to Santiago de Compostela. But danger is never far away, and when a beautiful girl is found murdered on a hillside, the friends are among the first on the scene. Baldwin and Simon lend their investigative skills to the inquiry, headed by the local pesquisidore. But the unexpected appearance of a face from Baldwin's past could threaten the investigation, as well as the future of Baldwin himself...
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Knights Templar #16
The Outlaws of Ennor: (Knights Templar 16)
Michael Jecks
The sixteenth novel in Michael Jecks?s medieval Knights Templar series. On the return from their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, in the summer of 1323, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock?s ship is attacked by pirates. They fight their attackers off, but then there are too few shipmen when a terrible storm strikes. As the ship breaks up, Simon sees Baldwin washed overboard. Distraught, Simon makes his way to shore. But on the island of Ennor, he must put aside his fears and investigate the murder of Robert, the island?s hated tax collector, at the behest of master of the castle, Ranulph de Blancminster. Meanwhile, washed up on the other side of the island, Baldwin begins his own investigation of the same murder. As the friends dig deeper, they become embroiled in a bitter rivalry between the two island communities. Can they uncover the truth in time to prevent certain massacre?
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Knights Templar #17
The Tolls of Death: (Knights Templar 17)
Michael Jecks
The seventeenth novel in Michael Jecks's medieval Knights Templar series. Summer 1323: in the Cornish village of Cardinham, a penniless young woman is found hanged alongside the dead bodies of her children. Passing through the village on the final leg of their long journey home, friends Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock are detained and tasked with leading the investigation. Simon and Baldwin quickly discover the young woman's death is not an isolated incident. And as the escape of a traitor threatens to embroil the country in a new civil war, they must look beyond friendships and family loyalties to find an evil killer - and secure the safety of Cardinham, and all who dwell there.
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Knights Templar #18
The Chapel of Bones: (Knights Templar 18)
Michael Jecks
The eighteenth novel in Michael Jecks's medieval Knights Templar series. In 1283, Exeter Cathedral Close was the scene of a vicious ambush. Now, forty years on, more deaths are occurring. Is the first an accident? The second is surely not, and the killer will not be easy to catch. The victim, Henry Potell, was feared by many and held secrets some would wish to keep hidden, at any cost... For investigators Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, and his friend Bailiff Simon Puttock, events become increasingly mysterious. Who among Henry Potell's companions would have wanted him dead? The key to the mystery lies in the ominous Chapel of Bones, built in reparation for a terrible murder long ago.
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Knights Templar #19
The Butcher of St Peter's: (Knights Templar 19)
Michael Jecks
The nineteenth novel in Michael Jecks?s medieval Knights Templar series. Exeter, 1323: a strange figure ? obsessed with children ? seems intent on entering people?s homes at night. Though many believe him to be harmless, a man now lies dead, slaughtered for protecting his family, and the person responsible must be caught. To Sir Baldwin de Furnshill, the death is suspicious, for the victim had many enemies amid the city?s criminal underworld. As the country prepares for yet another civil war, Baldwin faces an impossible task. And when two further bodies are uncovered, the city shudders at the prospect of a killer still at large...
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Knights Templar #20
A Friar's Bloodfeud: (Knights Templar 20)
Michael Jecks
The twentieth novel in Michael Jecks's medieval Knights Templar series. March 1323: in the rural idyll of Iddesleigh, a gang of men break into the home of Bailiff Simon Puttock's servant and attack his family. When word reaches Simon, he and Sir Baldwin de Funshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, hurry to the home, finding it burned to the ground and the bodies from within already buried. Could this be the result of a tragic accident, or is a darker force at work? As Baldwin and Simon attempt to uncover the truth, it quickly becomes clear that a terrible evil lurks in the land, and that the pain and bloodshed are far from over.
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Knights Templar #21
The Death Ship of Dartmouth: (Knights Templar 21)
Michael Jecks
The twenty-first novel in Michael Jecks?s medieval Knights Templar series, shortlisted for the Teakston?s Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year, 2007 Autumn, 1324: when a man is found dead in the middle of a Dartmouth road, many assume his demise to be the result of a drunken accident. Meanwhile, a ship is found ravaged by pirates out at sea, the crew killed or captured. Could this be the beginning of a new onslaught, or something even more sinister? Sir Baldwin de Furnshill has been told of spies and messengers being sent to the great traitor Roger Mortimer in France. If this is true, then civil war in England is surely imminent. Together with his friend, Simon Puttock, Baldwin is tasked by the most powerful men in the Kingdom with uncovering the truth. Fail, and they will be executed. Succeed, and others may be ready to silence them for ever.
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Knights Templar #22
The Malice of Unnatural Death:
Michael Jecks
The twenty-second novel in Michael Jecks?s medieval Knights Templar series. 1324 and the English kingdom is in uproar: Roger Mortimer, once the King?s most able commander and now his most implacable, hated enemy, is plotting the King?s assassination. And Mortimer is not the only person with murder in mind... When the bodies of a local craftsman and the King?s messenger are found in the streets of Exeter, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and his friend, Simon Puttock, are implored to find the person responsible. The deceased messenger was carrying a dangerous secret that could prove fatal in the wrong hands. Baldwin and Simon must find the murderer before he can strike again?From Publishers WeeklyWithout the character list, glossary, maps and author's note, a reader could get lost in Jecks's 23rd Knights Templar mystery (after The Dispensation of Death), but the tale, set in 1324 Exeter during Edward II's corrupt regime, is no less gripping for its complexity. Esteemed Knight Templar turned investigator Sir Baldwin de Furnshill reluctantly joins London's fledgling parliament after the Bishop of Exeter suggests that the king's French wife might be part of a conspiracy against the throne. Soon an inquest into several mysterious deaths uncovers further evidence of a plot centered on the nefarious work of John of Nottingham and Richard de Langatre, necromancers who have found a way to assassinate prominent personages using mommet dolls and bone needles. Fear and speculation spread with the discovery of several corpses, including a royal messenger buried in a rubbish heap. Stirring intrigue and a compelling cast of characters will continue to draw accolades from fans of the author's hefty historicals. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"Enough 14th-century English malice and murder to keep several intrepid investigators hard at work." —Kirkus Reviews
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Knights Templar #23
Dispensation of Death: (Knights Templar 23)
Michael Jecks
The twenty-third novel in Michael Jecks?s medieval Knights Templar series. 1325: England is a hotbed of paranoia under the reign of the increasingly unpredictable Edward II and his lover, Sir Hugh le Despenser. When the Queen?s lady-in-waiting is slaughtered and a man?s body, hideously mutilated, is discovered behind the throne, King Edward demands to be avenged. Sir Baldwin de Furnshill is appointed to track down the killer, aided by his friend, Simon Puttock. But in an age of corruption, the knight and bailiff must fight to stay alive. And Baldwin and Simon soon learn that while their failure to find the murderer will carry its own peril, uncovering the truth may also be fatal.
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Knights Templar #24
The Templar, the Queen and Her Lover: (Knights Templar 24)
Michael Jecks
The twenty-fourth novel in Michael Jecks?s medieval Knights Templar series. Queen Isabella, wife to Edward II of England, has been dispatched to France in an attempt to bring about peace between the two countries, and Sir Baldwin de Furnshill must accompany her with his friend Simon Puttock. But the day after their arrival, a servant is found murdered, with Baldwin?s dagger lying next to the body. As Baldwin struggles to prove his innocence, the killer strikes again. With so many English enemies gathering in Paris, will he be able to expose the culprit in time to protect the diplomats and their mission?
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Knights Templar #25
The Prophecy of Death: (Knights Templar 25)
Michael Jecks
The twenty-fifth novel in Michael Jecks?s medieval Knights Templar series. It?s 1325, and in England turmoil is rife. But could the Prophecy of St Thomas?s Holy Oil be the key to saving the ill-fated reign of King Edward II? It is believed the one anointed with it will be a lion among men: he will conquer France, unite Christendom and throw the heathens from the Holy Land. Meanwhile, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill, Keeper of the King?s Peace, and his friend Simon Puttock return from France with urgent messages for the King himself. Soon they find themselves at the centre of a deadly court intrigue involving the most powerful and ruthless men in the country, who will stop at nothing, not least murder, to achieve their ambitions...
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Knights Templar #26
The King of Thieves:
Michael Jecks
The twenty-sixth novel in Michael Jecks?s medieval Knights Templar series. 1325: Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and his friend Simon Puttock are in France guarding King Edward?s son on his perilous journey to meet the French king, Charles IV. But they are unaware that King Edward?s wife Isabella is disaffected and plotting her revenge? What first appears a simple diplomatic mission is fast becoming lethally dangerous. Meanwhile, two murders in Paris are causing alarm. Is there a connection between the killings and the shadowy `King? of thieves? Simon and Baldwin know the future of the English crown is at risk. And in order to protect it they must put their own lives in jeopardy.From Publishers WeeklyFans of well-researched historicals will welcome Jecks's 26th Knights Templar mystery (after 2008's The Prophecy of Death). In 1325, England's Edward II prepares to pay homage to the French king, Charles IV, in order to retain two precious territories in France. At the last minute, Edward decides to send his willful and untested teenage son in his place, with orders to Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Baldwin's longtime friend, Simon Puttock, to watch over his son on the journey. In Paris, Queen Isabella, Charles's sister and Edward's wife, is trying to keep the peace, though she bitterly resents her husband's relationship with his intimate adviser, Sir Hugh le Despenser. Meanwhile, the Procureur of Paris, Jean de Poissy, has two murders to investigate—that of a man who was on a mysterious visit to the Louvre palace, and that of a naked woman found near the palace. Frequent scene shifts help move the complex, multilayered plot. (July) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"Fans of well-researched historicals will welcome Jeck's 26th Knights Templar mystery." —Publishers Weekly"The whole series belongs in any collection where historicals are popular." —Library Journal"Memorable characters, steadily absorbing period background . . . a commendable achievement." —Kirkus Reviews"The most wickedly plotted medieval mystery novels." —The Times"Really difficult to put down." —Historical Novels Review"Each page is densely packed with cuckolding, coarseness, lewdness, lechery, gore galore, but also with nobility. A heady mix." —North Devon Journal"A gem of historical storytelling." —Northern Echo"Complicated, well-populated, written with cross-cutting gusto, and accompanied by scholarly extras." —Ellery Queen
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Knights Templar #27
No Law in the Land: (Knights Templar 27)
Michael Jecks
The twenty-seventh novel in Michael Jecks's medieval Knights Templar series. King Edward II is furious when he learns that his wife Queen Isabella has defied him by remaining in France with their son. As the unfortunate messengers of this news, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and his friend, Bailiff Simon Puttock, are dismissed from court. Returning home to Devon, they are shocked to discover that outlaws now hold sway in the land. When two clerics are found murdered, Baldwin and Simon must investigate. But the culprit is a friend of Dispenser and the King, and in taking the matter further they could be accused of treason. So they decide to leave the affair to others. Until, that is, Simon's own daughter comes under threat, and all hell is let loose...
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Knights Templar #28
The Bishop Must Die: (Knights Templar 28)
Michael Jecks
The twenty-eighth novel in Michael Jecks?s medieval Knights Templar series. 1326: King Edward II?s estranged wife Queen Isabella shames him by refusing to return from France to England. When the king hears she has betrothed their son to the daughter of the French Count of Hainault, all England fears invasion by a Hainault army. The King?s knights, including Sir Baldwin de Furnshill, are commanded to London to protect the realm. Meanwhile Bishop Stapledon, the Treasurer of England, is under severe threat ? but from whom? He has made many enemies in his long political life, and Sir Baldwin and his friend, Simon Puttock, must do all they can to find the would-be assassin before he can strike...
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