Maureen Ash

King John has just married and crushed his foes. Now he's set to meet with the King of Scotland to receive his pledge of loyalty. They're going to meet in the Lincoln castle. But when a squire is found murdered, hanging from a tree a few days before the meeting, there's a rush to get this death resolved before the king shows up. Was he killed by bandits, as the sheriff would like to believe? Or was it a political death, as his wife fears? Templar Bascot de Marins is asked to investigate.

I show more really enjoyed this book. I forgot that I had read the first in this series, The Alehouse Murders, a couple of years ago. I must have enjoyed it and put this one on the TBR list, but somehow forgot about it. I'm glad this challenge encouraged me to pick it up. King John is not in the book until the end, but he is still a presence in the story, with his coming royal visit. If there is a plot, the king is not known for being even a little forgiving, so the pressure is on to solve the murder in a hurry. show less

Bascot de Marins is a character I will be following as long as Maureen Ash wants to write his story. He is spiritual and a defender of justice. Watching his mind work out the mystery of the murdered man and the interweaving of all of the information he discovers.
I love his relationship with his young servant, Gianni. How he nurtures and guides Gianni to follow his strengths so that when de Marins goes back to his Templar duties, Gianni won't be at a loss for a position in life.
Greed is show more prevalent throughout the book and takes all forms. Some give into it and others resist.
Plenty of red herrings to go through with de Marins as he makes mistakes, but ultimately figures it all out.
Five medieval mystery beans..... show less

I've had this on my BookCrossing shelf for a little bit. I picked it up at a local book sale thinking I might like is, hoping it would lead to a series of books like Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael or Kate Sedley's Roger the Chapman. (I'm especially bereft because there will be no more of Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series.) I found a decent enough mystery, but not one that grabbed me with the characters. Maybe it's the cold I'm battling, but about 3/4 the way through, I show more just found myself not really caring much any more, and skim read til the end. No doubt I missed the best part of the story, but I can live with that.

Basic plot: Bascot de Marin, a Templar Knight, somewhat out of sync with his faith, finds himself drawn in to helping solve the deaths of four people on the eve of the Lincoln Fair.

This is the first book in a series, and should I stumble upon another, I will give it a try. show less

A twist on the previous novels in the series. The action takes place almost entirely outside of Lincoln and some of the supporting characters we know from previous stories are therefore missing. The main character, of course, is the Templar knight Bascot de Marins and he once again solves the mystery. The book lays down an intriguing red herring in the death of King john's nephew Arthur (still open to speculation) and uses it as a plot device to introduce King John more fully, as well as show more some new supporting characters that I suspect we will see again. The mystery side is well done - enough clues to keep you guessing but in doubt until close to the end - and the book has the usual historical elements (although these the historical details are somewhat fewer than in some of the previous stories, as this one uses broader aspects of the history of that time). A good mystery and a good look into the politics and atmosphere of 13th century England. show less