Death of a Squire

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 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 show more 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

Well, it started out promising: tortured knight with demons attempting to solve case of youth with a hang-up; well written and intelligient; however, somewhere between my interest and my consciousness, I surrendered to the dark forces of "WTF." In effect, it just didn't retain my interest. I hate to see a book with so much potential become a agonizingly dull read.

Like the first book in this series, too many characters to keep track of. However, plot was clearer and characters are becoming better.

Like the first book in this series, too many characters to keep track of. However, plot was clearer and characters are becoming better.

Very confusing book. So many names and very disjointed.