It is 1321 and the King's favourite, Hugh Despenser, is corruptly using his position to steal lands and wealth from other lords. His rapacity has divided the nation and civil war looms. In Tiverton rape and murder have unsettled the folk preparing for St Giles' feast. Philip Dyne has confessed and claimed sanctuary in St Peter's church, but he must leave the country. If he doesn't, he'll be declared an outlaw, his life forfeit. Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, and his friend, Bailiff Simon Puttock, arrive at Lord Hugh de Courtenay's castle at Tiverton for the feast. When a messenger arrives calling for the Coroner, Baldwin and Simon accompany him to view the body of Sir Gilbert of Carlisle, Despenser's ambassador to Lord Hugh. Not far off lies a second corpse: the decapitated figure of Dyne. The Coroner is satisfied that Dyne killed the knight and was then murdered: Dyne was an outlaw, so he doesn't merit the law's attention, but Sir Baldwin feels too many questions are left unanswered. How could a weak, unarmed peasant kill a trained warrior? And if he did, what happened to Sir Gilbert's horse – and his money? When Baldwin and Simon are themselves viciously attacked, they know that there must be another explanation. A more sinister enemy is at large, someone with a powerful motive to kill. But there are so many suspects…

When Jack Blackjack disobeys the orders of his spymaster, he enters dangerous waters in this lively Tudor mystery. London, 1555. Queen Mary is newly married to Philip II of Spain – and not everyone is happy about the alliance. The kingdom is divided between those loyal to Catholic Mary and those who support her half-sister, Lady Elizabeth.Former cutpurse turned paid assassin Jack Blackjack has more immediate matters to worry about. Having been ordered to kill a man, he determines to save him instead. But Jack defies his spymaster at his peril ... and even the best-laid plans can sometimes go awry. When it appears that Jack has killed the wrong man, he reluctantly finds himself drawn into affairs of state, making new enemies wherever he turns. Can he survive long enough to put matters right? This engaging Tudor mystery will appeal to fans of S J PARRIS and RORY CLEMENTS.

The discovery of a young girl's skeleton leads to Simon and Baldwin's darkest investigation yet...As the summer of 1322 brings sun to the Devonshire countryside, it seems that the small village of Sticklepath is destined to remain in gloom. Two playmates uncover the body of a young girl up on the moors. The body is that of Aline, the ten-year-old daughter of Swetricus, who went missing six years ago. Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, and his friend Bailiff Simon Puttock are summoned to the scene to investigate, and soon discover Aline is not the only young girl to have been found dead in recent years. It seems that the villagers have been concealing not only a serial killer, but, judging by the state of the girls' bodies, a possible case of cannibalism. But strange noises heard late at night from the Sticklepath cemetery and a haunted look in the eyes of the villagers could suggest an explanation more... supernatural. A dark and...

The twenty-seventh novel in Michael Jecks's medieval Knights Templar series. King Edward II is furious when he learns that his wife Queen Isabella has defied him by remaining in France with their son. As the unfortunate messengers of this news, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and his friend, Bailiff Simon Puttock, are dismissed from court. Returning home to Devon, they are shocked to discover that outlaws now hold sway in the land. When two clerics are found murdered, Baldwin and Simon must investigate. But the culprit is a friend of Dispenser and the King, and in taking the matter further they could be accused of treason. So they decide to leave the affair to others. Until, that is, Simon's own daughter comes under threat, and all hell is let loose...

The Knights TemplarThey were warrior monks, dedicated to the protection of pilgrims in the Holy Land—until an avaricious king destroyed the order. One knight, however, escaped the stake, vowing justice for his murdered brothers.A fatal tide of intoleranceWith civil war looming, tensions are high in the town of Crediton—and the foul murder of a local gold merchant and assault on his daughter merely feed the flames. Keeper of the King's Peace and former Knight Templar, Sir Baldwin Furnshill, and his partner, Simon Puttock, bailiff of Lydford, must find the culprit and resist the temptation to quickly condemn the most obvious suspect. But their cool heads may not prevail, for rumors are spreading that suggest the lepers of St. Lawrence's hospital—the shunned outcasts of society—are somehow responsible for Crediton's current ills. And any delay on the part of Furnshill and Puttock in apprehending a killer may well lead to a full-scale slaughter of the despised unfortunates.

Amidst the myth and folklore of Tavistock in 1322, one tale above all others strikes fear into the hearts of the town's inhabitants - that of the murders on the Abbot's Way. One cold winter, many years ago, a young acolyte eager for distraction led a group of fellow novices in the theft of their abbot's wine store. Later, crippled with guilt and fear of discovery, Milbrosa was driven to commit still more crimes in an effort to disguise his sins. But his soul had been destroyed with his first sip of illicit wine, and, as legend has it, the devil himself appeared to mete out his punishment, leading the unwitting Milbrosa and his cohorts to their deaths on the treacherous Devon moors. Now, in the autumn of 1322, it looks as though history may be repeating itself. Abbot Robert has found his wine barrel empty, and a body has been discovered on the moors. Bailiff Simon Puttock, in Tavistock for the coining, is called upon to investigate, but the case seems only to get more complicated with time. It soon becomes apparent that it's not just wine that's gone missing from the abbey, and the body on the moor isn't the last. With the arrival of Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, the townspeople hope the mystery will finally be solved - but do the terrors of the past provide the key to their present turmoil?

The twenty-fourth novel in Michael Jecks?s medieval Knights Templar series. Queen Isabella, wife to Edward II of England, has been dispatched to France in an attempt to bring about peace between the two countries, and Sir Baldwin de Furnshill must accompany her with his friend Simon Puttock. But the day after their arrival, a servant is found murdered, with Baldwin?s dagger lying next to the body. As Baldwin struggles to prove his innocence, the killer strikes again. With so many English enemies gathering in Paris, will he be able to expose the culprit in time to protect the diplomats and their mission?

The Twenty-Ninth Knights Templar Mystery 1326 . In an England riven with conflict, knight and peasant alike find their lives turned upside down by the warring factions of Edward II, with his hated favourite, Hugh le Despenser, and Edward's estranged queen Isabella and her lover, Sir Roger Mortimer. Yet even in such times the brutal slaughter of an entire family, right down to a babe in arms, still has the power to shock. Three further murders follow, and bailiff Simon Puttock is drawn into a web of intrigue, vengeance, power and greed as Roger Mortimer charges him to investigate the killings. Michael Jecks brilliantly evokes the turmoil of fourteenth-century England, as his well-loved characters Simon Puttock and Sir Baldwin de Furnshill strive to maintain the principles of loyalty and truth.

It’s late spring in 1321 and as Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King’s Peace, prepares for his wedding, he receives the news that one of his guests, Roger, Squire of Throwleigh, has just died. Roger’s death is sad, though not entirely unexpected for a man of his age, and Sir Baldwin – together with his friend Bailiff Simon Puttock – travels to the funeral. The new master of Throwleigh is little Herbert: five years old, and isolated in his grief, for his distraught mother Katharine unfairly blames him for her husband’s death. At Lady Katharine’s visible rejection of her son, Baldwin feels deeply disturbed about the new heir’s apparent lack of protection. For having inherited a large estate and much wealth, the boy will undoubtedly have made dangerous enemies… When Herbert is reported dead only a few days later, however, the evidence seems to show that the boy was accidentally run over by a horse and cart. But Baldwin nevertheless suspects foul play. And as he and Simon begin to investigate the facts, they are increasingly convinced that Herbert was murdered. There is no doubt that there are many in Throwleigh who would have liked to see Herbert dead, but little do Baldwin and Simon realise that their investigation will lead them to the most sinister and shocking murderer they have yet encountered.

The fifteenth novel in Michael Jecks's medieval Knights Templar series. It is the summer of 1323, and Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock have been granted leave to go on pilgrimage. Together they travel across Europe to Santiago de Compostela. But danger is never far away, and when a beautiful girl is found murdered on a hillside, the friends are among the first on the scene. Baldwin and Simon lend their investigative skills to the inquiry, headed by the local pesquisidore. But the unexpected appearance of a face from Baldwin's past could threaten the investigation, as well as the future of Baldwin himself...

The fourteenth novel in Michael Jecks?s medieval Knights Templar series. As the winter of 1323 descends upon a windswept chapel on the edge of Dartmoor, who could blame the young priest, Father Mark, for seeking affection from Mary, the miller?s daughter? But when Mary, and her unborn child, are found dead, Mark is the obvious suspect. Called to investigate, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and his friend Bailiff Simon Puttock soon begin to have their doubts. Could one of Mary?s many admirers have murdered her in a fit of jealousy? Or might it be someone even closer to home? By the time their search is over, life for Baldwin and Simon, and their families, will never be quite the same again.

The nineteenth novel in Michael Jecks?s medieval Knights Templar series. Exeter, 1323: a strange figure ? obsessed with children ? seems intent on entering people?s homes at night. Though many believe him to be harmless, a man now lies dead, slaughtered for protecting his family, and the person responsible must be caught. To Sir Baldwin de Furnshill, the death is suspicious, for the victim had many enemies amid the city?s criminal underworld. As the country prepares for yet another civil war, Baldwin faces an impossible task. And when two further bodies are uncovered, the city shudders at the prospect of a killer still at large...

It is 1320 and civil war is looming in England as the monk Ralph of Houndeslow rides into Crediton. Ralph faces a daunting task in his new position as Master of St Lawrence's, the leper hospital. Not only are his charges grievously ill, they are also outcasts of society, shunned and feared by all healthy folk. The citizens of Crediton have other concerns as well. The murder of goldsmith Godfrey of London and the assault on his daughter Cecily, for instance, crimes all too easily attributed to John of Irelaunde, a womaniser who has in the past tried to defraud the church. Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, is not convinced that John is wicked enough to commit murder, and soon he is following other leads, with the able assistance of Bailiff Simon Puttock. But only when they discover the identity of the man overheard talking to Cecily before the attack will the astounding truth begin to emerge. Meanwhile, feeling against the lepers is growing, fed by rumours deliberately spread. Unless the burghers of Crediton can be made to see reason, Baldwin and Simon could have full-scale slaughter on their hands.

The twenty-sixth novel in Michael Jecks?s medieval Knights Templar series. 1325: Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and his friend Simon Puttock are in France guarding King Edward?s son on his perilous journey to meet the French king, Charles IV. But they are unaware that King Edward?s wife Isabella is disaffected and plotting her revenge? What first appears a simple diplomatic mission is fast becoming lethally dangerous. Meanwhile, two murders in Paris are causing alarm. Is there a connection between the killings and the shadowy `King? of thieves? Simon and Baldwin know the future of the English crown is at risk. And in order to protect it they must put their own lives in jeopardy.From Publishers WeeklyFans of well-researched historicals will welcome Jecks's 26th Knights Templar mystery (after 2008's The Prophecy of Death). In 1325, England's Edward II prepares to pay homage to the French king, Charles IV, in order to retain two precious territories in France. At the last minute, Edward decides to send his willful and untested teenage son in his place, with orders to Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Baldwin's longtime friend, Simon Puttock, to watch over his son on the journey. In Paris, Queen Isabella, Charles's sister and Edward's wife, is trying to keep the peace, though she bitterly resents her husband's relationship with his intimate adviser, Sir Hugh le Despenser. Meanwhile, the Procureur of Paris, Jean de Poissy, has two murders to investigate—that of a man who was on a mysterious visit to the Louvre palace, and that of a naked woman found near the palace. Frequent scene shifts help move the complex, multilayered plot. (July) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"Fans of well-researched historicals will welcome Jeck's 26th Knights Templar mystery."  —Publishers Weekly"The whole series belongs in any collection where historicals are popular."  —Library Journal"Memorable characters, steadily absorbing period background . . . a commendable achievement."  —Kirkus Reviews"The most wickedly plotted medieval mystery novels."  —The Times"Really difficult to put down."  —Historical Novels Review"Each page is densely packed with cuckolding, coarseness, lewdness, lechery, gore galore, but also with nobility. A heady mix."  —North Devon Journal"A gem of historical storytelling."  —Northern Echo"Complicated, well-populated, written with cross-cutting gusto, and accompanied by scholarly extras."  —Ellery Queen