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Michael Jecks - Page 5

The Crediton Killings A Moorland Hanging The Last Templar The Merchant's Partner

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First British Edition Headline (1997)

The Crediton Killings
See Review by J.C.
Peter Clifford, priest of the bustling town of Crediton in Devonshire, is an anxious man. Already nervous about the impending visit of the Bishop of Exeter; he is disturbed to see that a company of violent mercenaries has taken up temporary residence at the inn. They threaten to make the visit a disaster. Mercenaries are an unpleasant reality in the fourteenth century, but this group seems particularly bent on havoc. Not only do they show no respect to the priest, but other travellers are terrified to come near them, and there's a rumour that a local girl has been seduced by their leader... Simon Puttock, bailiff of Lydford, and Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, are invited to Peter's house to help welcome the bishop, though both have their own reasons to want to avoid this. They welcome the diversion offered by a sudden commotion outside but when they find there's been a robbery among the mercenaries, they are less grateful for the interruption. Then a young girl is discovered murdered, hidden in a chest - and this is only the first of the Crediton killings. As murder follows brutal murder; Simon and Baldwin must discover the killer's identity before he can murder again - and before their own lives, dangerously caught up in the intrigues, are put at risk.…
Praise for Michael Jecks' novels:
'Girt about with a goodly helping of period authenticity' Oxford Times
'A gem of historical storytelling authentic recreation of the modes and manners, superstitions and primitive fears that made up the colourful but brutal tableau of the Middle Ages' Northern Echo

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Paperback - Headline

A Moorland Hanging
In fourteenth-century Devon, runaway villeins were brutally punished if apprehended by their masters. But when Peter Bruther flees the home of Sir William Beauscyr, he puts himself in the protection of the king by setting up as a tin miner on the moors. And the bailiff of Lydford, Simon Puttock, has to inform an irate Sir William that he has no legal claim on his wayward servant. When Bruther's body is found hanging from a tree, Simon, assisted by the former Knight Templar Sir Baldwin Furnshill, finds himself investigating cold-blooded murder. And there's no shortage of suspects, from Sir William himself, to his feuding sons, to Thomas Smyth, a wealthy tinner who runs a ruthlessly enforced protection racket funded by landowners. The pressure is on Simon and Baldwin to unravel the truth before further violence ensues. And the scene is set for an excellent mystery shedding new light on the ways of medieval Devon, and telling a fast-paced tale of murder, blackmail and revenge. Cover Illustration by Danuta Mayer
'Even if historical novels do not attract, this one should. A rattling good tale. Clues scattered like clitter on the moor a mystery among the best…. Michael Jecks' third book, A Moorland Hanging, still keeps its Crediton base with the two characters from the area this time being thoroughly embroiled in solving quarrels with the Dartmoor tinners and estate owners… Again, well researched the book is not only an excellent read, it is the attention to detail that has had more than one person compare Jecks with Ellis Peters' tales of Cadfael…. That Michael loves this area is obvious. In this book, as the others, Michael gives an insight into the people and ways of medieval Devon. Little glimpses that set the reader considering further.' From The Crediton Country Courier
'Murder mystery with a difference: it is set in 14th century Devon, an area and an era which Michael Jecks has visited previously with some success. Here he continues the rich atmosphere of those days of long ago, and his studies of medieval history help to provide an authenticity, but his skill as a writer means you are not bogged down in dry history. This is lively fare where the modern-style talk hardly grates. Jecks well settled into his stride, conducts a pacy tale with skill and control' From The Croydon Advertiser
'Historical novels seem to be getting more popular - a fact which author Michael Jecks appears to be fully aware of. He creates the cruel atmosphere of the times when serfs were as much the property of their masters as manor houses and land.' North Devon Journal

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First British Edition Headline (1995)

The Last Templar
1307. Paris. A Knight Templar weeps as he watches his friends, broken by torture, go to their deaths at the stake. Pope Clement has destroyed the Order, persuaded of corruption within it. All that remains is the desire for vengeance on those who defiled the Order's name. 1316. Devon. Two years of heavy rains and poor harvests have driven many to a life of thieving; bands of outlaws known as trail bastons rove the countryside, spreading terror in their wake.
The newly appointed bailiff of Lydford Castle, Simon Puttock, has had little experience of violence. When the charred body of Harold Brewer is found in his burned-out cottage, Simon assumes it's accidental death. It's the new master of the local Manor, Sir Baldwin Furnshill, recently returned from Europe, who deduces that Brewer was dead before the fire began.
With the assistance of the astute yet strangely reticent knight, Simon begins to piece together the events of Brewer's last days. Then word comes of another murder, more horrible by far - for in this case, the victim was undoubtedly burned alive. Are the two incidents connected, and will the killers strike again?
In his first novel, Michael Jecks tells a riveting tale of petty jealousy, burning passion and brutal vengeance, and brings each page alive with the colours and smells of fourteenth-century Devon, from its tiny, slumbering hamlets to the wild and dangerous moors.
The growing number of medieval mystery writers following in the footsteps of Ellis Peters and Brother Cadfael makes for an interesting time for crime buffs. And the latest includes a fascinating insight into life in 14th Century Britain.' South Wales Evening Post
Murder mystery novels are nothing new. But would-be thriller writers need to find a exceptional gimmick to make their stories of death and detection appear fresh and vibrant. Michael Jecks has achieved this in his first foray into the whodunit genre…. He has taken his story back in time when England was under-populated with people and over-populated with trees, and where the honest burghers of Devon lived in fear of the rampaging armies of Cornishmen....' From The Croydon Advertiser
'Read Michael Jecks' book set in 14th century Devon, and you will be riding all the local roads. It is a fascinating book created from Michael's life-long love of Devon and his fascination with the demise of the Knights Templar. Even more interesting, it is set all around this area (Crediton). Sandford, Copplestone, Cadbury. Bickleigh, North Tawton, Okehampton all come into it. What is even better, Michael's interest and love of this countryside comes through so that you see the sun on the distant moors or splash through the muddy lanes…. Michael loves the countryside deeply. and says that if his book has any sort of message, it is to look at your rural surroundings - they need to be protected…. Don't be put off by the thought that anything historical is dusty old stuff. This book certainly isn't.' From The Crediton Country Courier

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Paperback - Headline (1995)

The Merchant's Partner
FOURTEENTH-CENTURY DEVON... Midwife and healer Agatha Kyteler is regarded as a witch by superstitious villagers of Wefford, yet she has no shortage of callers, from the humblest villein to the most elegant and wealthy in the area. But when Agatha's body is found frozen and mutilated in a hedge one wintry morning, there seem to be no clues as to who could be responsible. Not until a local youth runs away and the hue and cry is raised. Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, is not convinced of the youth's guilt and soon manages to persuade his close friend Simon Puttock, bailiff of Lydford Castle, to help him continue with the investigation. As they endeavour to find the true culprit, the darker side of the village, with its undercurrents of suspicion, jealousy and disloyalty, emerges. And what is driving the young foreigner, son of a nobleman, who has visited the normally sleepy area only to disappear down towards the moors?
'... we come to 14th-century Devon where the murder of a midwife sets the local keeper of the King's Peace sniffing around for clues. Girt about with a goodly helping of period authenticity; with a story roaming around medieval Europe and taking in some of the horrors of the Crusades The Merchant's Partner features an anti-hero who is almost as nasty a piece of work as the merchant himself, and as for that son of his, it's a bit like Dynasty in doublet and kirtle and even ends up with a thrilling cop and-robber chase on horseback. This is Michael Jecks's second book in this genre and there's little reason to suppose that there won't be a third' Oxford Times

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