Veil of Lies by Jeri Westerson

December, 2012

Jeri Westerson is the author of the Crispin Guest medieval mysteries, hard-boiled detective fiction set in fourteenth century London. Lively and detailed description of the period's urban life and contemporary mores form the foundation upon which Westerson builds her effective puzzlers. The author's characters are well-honed individuals, products of their time who evolve as the series progresses. Disgraced knight Crispin Guest's work and methods would be familiar to any modern gumshoe, yet his investigations are both timeless and timely - infidelity, religious relics, and Geoffrey Chaucer all figure into Westerson's tidily-plotted stories. Start with: Veil of Lies.

In Veil of Lies, Westerson introduces readers to her protagonist, Crispin Guest. Crispin is a knight who has fallen into disgrace, accused of plotting against King Richard II, and as a result begins a life of crime solving as a sort of medieval private detective working the streets of London. Though Crispin refers to himself as a Tracker, Westerson is open about the fact that she based him on famous noir detective Sam Spade.

Crispin Guest medieval noir mysteries

1. Veil of lies: a medieval noir (Oct 2008)

2 . Serpent in the thorns (Sep 2009)

3.The demon's parchment: a medieval noir (Oct 2010)

4.Troubled bones: a medieval noir (Oct 2011)

5.Blood lance: a medieval noir (Oct 2012)

Read alikes:

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Dame Frevisse and nuns of St Frideswide series

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Author’s website:  http://www.jeriwesterson.com/

includes video of author demonstrating a broad sword; book trailer for the Crispin Guest novels; discussion guides.

For fans of historical fiction and mysteries set in Europe, I’ve this book to be useful:

Timeline of Kings & Queens from Chrlemagne to Elizabeth II by Gordon Kerr (2008, Barnes & Noble by arrangement with Canary Press; 978-1-4351-0868-4)

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