Cruel as the Grave

Good historical fiction is sublime, but bad historical ... This one is bad.

Here's the formula for lazy historical fiction:

1. Talk about food. Parade it into the foreground at every opportunity. It's a substitute for realism, and an out-of-nowhere mention of something weird like "lamprey pie" will disguise the overall shallowness of your research. Don't talk about how scarce it was, because that's a downer.
2. Make your dialogue imitate Tolkien, and your readers will accept it as Middle English. It's a bit like Romans having British accents.
3. It has to be a murder mystery. Don't question it. It just does.

This book opened with promise: an intriguing description of a power struggle between Eleanor of Aquitaine and Prince John. The show more hero, Justin de Quincy, learns that John has arranged a French invasion fleet. This may have a major impact on him, even as far as who in his family lives and dies. So what does he do? He immediately forgets all about it and launches an investigation into the murder of a peasant girl he's never heard of. Because POINT 3, dammit — the formula must be followed!

A final point. It's extraneous, but I can't resist making it, because I got so damn tired of characters saying things "with a grin." It's the Diet Coke of emoting, found everywhere, always leaving a nasty aftertaste. It can mean almost anything, so it conveys almost nothing, which means you have to specify what kind of grin. But most people don't, especially not Penman. Please, everyone, stop it with the grins. Thank you. show less

I'd actually rate this three and a half stars if I could--I enjoyed it more than I did the first book in the series, "The King's Man." Part of that might have been because I had just finished Penman's trilogy dealing with Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine and was loathe to leave that world. On the other hand, if this isn't rated higher it's because it suffers in comparison to both other historical mysteries and Penman's straight historical fiction. I love her "Sunne in Splendor" and "Here Be Dragons" and this just isn't in the same category. Penman even confessed in an author's note that she wasn't at first very comfortable with pure fiction with created characters and I think it shows in particular in the first two books in this series show more (I feel different about the third and last book and am rather sorry to see the series end) I do like her protagonist detective, Justin de Quincy "the Queen's Man." But I thought the solution to the first two books far too predictable--again something I thought improved in the next book--and I did enjoy all three. show less

This is one of those "I have no idea what compelled me to buy this book" discoveries on my bookshelves. It very clearly states on the front "A Medieval Mystery." Now, the only thing I hate more than a mystery is the Medieval time period. The wimples, the tonsures, the Lord this, Lady that, the tunics, the mutton, the mead, dear God, the drinking of the mead--it's too much bad fashion, bad food, and bad social hierarchies. And heaven forbid there be a sex scene because I assume everyone in the Medieval period had a hygiene level basically on par with that of Courtney Love. So why did I buy this book?

After discovering the novel while "weeding out" the old bookshelves to make room for some new goodies, I thought I would at least read the show more first 5 to 10 pages. You know, just enough to ease my conscience that I had at least given it a shot before putting it in the donation pile. So imagine my surprise when I look up nearly an hour later and I'm already 40 pages in. Cruel as the Grave is a serviceable mystery that doesn't browbeat you with historic detail and is a surprisingly accessible, swift read.

Set in--shall I say it again?--Medieval England during the imprisonment of Richard the Lionheart, the novel focuses on Justin de Quincy, the bastard child of a bishop, who has surprisingly risen through society's ranks to become the "Queen's man." As Eleanor of Aquitaine's trusted servant, Justin becomes embroiled in palace intrigue and the bitter rivalry between King Richard and Eleanor's youngest son, John, who has put his own machinations into motion as he tries to take the crown for himself in Richard's absence. In the meantime, Justin also investigates the murder of Melangell, a young Welsh girl used by (and most likely killed by) two privileged brothers whose status within their own family (the handsome and chosen firstborn versus the "black sheep") mirrors that of the royal brothers. Feeling an outsider's kinship with the dead Melangell, Justin becomes determined to bring her murderer to justice instead of allowing her life and death to be simply swallowed up by a London that is indifferent to its poor and foreign inhabitants.

While I found the overall mystery surrounding Melangell's murder rather pat with no surprises, it was an enjoyable read. Penman isn't a slave to historical detail; where many historical writers would find an excuse to weave in every bit of meaningless trivia gleaned from their research, Penman uses it judiciously to provide authenticity to the setting without overwhelming the reader. My understanding is that these are meant to be her "fun and fast" takes on history, so her more serious works may include much more historical detail if you're a fanatic for that type of read. For me, this was a fairly painless excursion into Medieval times.

Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder show less

In the sequel to “The Queen's Man” Justin de Quincy, bastard son of a highly placed clergyman, continues his job working as an agent for Eleanor of Aquitaine. Her favorite son, Richard the Lionheart, is still held captive by the Holy Roman Emperor as she struggles to keep her youngest son, John, from mounting a rebellion to take over the realm. In a second story line, Justin is asked by his landlady to investigate the murder of a Welsh peddler's daughter. The author does a great job of linking these two stories and I think that's one of the best parts of the series. Justin works for the queen but he also lives and works among the ordinary citizens of 12th century London which gives the reader a perspective of both the royal and show more commoner characters.

The characters are filled with rich detail and Sharon Kay Penman uses her vast historical knowledge to detail the London time period. Justin is loyal and compassionate and many of the secondary characters are coming together as we move further into the series. While I still prefer the longer historical novels written by Penman this book delivers great plotting and atmosphere. I find the mystery elements compelling and plan to continue the four book series. In my opinion, “Cruel as the Grave” will be much more enjoyable for those who have already read “The Queen's Man” since book two starts immediately after book one. show less

This is the second of Penman's medieval mysteries, and I'd recommend that you read The Queen's Man first, because Penman refers to her characters' pasts a lot, and it's helpful to know those backstories. Anyway, in Cruel as the Grave, Justin de Quincy faces another important task as the queen's man: he must somehow arrange a truce between Eleanor and her rebellious son, John. At the same time, he's enlisted to help solve another private murder, this time of a 15-year-old Welsh girl found brutally struck down in a churchyard. The main suspect is an awkward young man who was in love with the girl, but Justin suspects that there is more to the story. While he investigates the murder and arranges the queen's business, he also has to deal show more with his lover Claudine's betrayal of him, as well as his anger towards his father. I wouldn't really classify this book as a "mystery"; it's more a medieval suspense novel. The murder investigation moves quite slowly. There will be one chapter about that, then the next about the siege of Windsor Castle (which John defends against his mother, the queen), then the next about Justin's personal struggles. I think the atmosphere is great, though; Penman really knows her stuff, and I felt like I was in medieval London. I'd definitely recommend this series for fans of the time period. show less

Justin de Quincy is The Queen's Man, working for Eleanor of Aquitane while Richard is imprisoned and John is trying to take over. It seemed like Penman inserted every scrap of medieval research into this novel. And every female beyond toddler age was called a whore at some point. I enjoyed the first in this series but this one was mediocre to say the least. Disappointing.

This is the second mystery starring Justin de Quincy by Sharon, Penman. The blend of fictional and "real life" characters is seamless,and they are fleshed by a writer who has a gift for captivating the essence of both so well that they all arouse the interest of the reader from the first page and hold it throughout. The plot is well woven, and keeps the suspense going to virtually the final word - just what is needed in a good mystery, with red herrings, romance and intrigue throughout. An excellent read.