Veil
of Lies
A
Medieval
Noir Mystery
Jeri
Westerson
St.
Martin's Minotaur (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-312-58012-6 (0312580126)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-58012-4 (9780312580124)
Publication Date: October 2009
List Price: $14.99
Synopsis (from the publisher): Former knight turned detective, Crispin Guest, is called to the compound of a successful but reclusive cloth merchant who suspects his wife of infidelity and wants Crispin to look into the matter. In dire need of money, Crispin reluctantly agrees and discovers that the wife is indeed up to something. But when he comes to inform his client, he finds the merchant dead in a sealed room, locked from the inside. Now Crispin has come to the unwanted attention of the Lord Sheriff of London and finds himself in the middle of a complex plot involving dark secrets, international intrigue, and a missing religious relic—one that lies at the very heart of this heinous and impossible crime.
Review:
Set in
1384 in London, Jeri Westerson introduces Crispin Guest, an amateur
sleuth, in Veil
of Lies, the
first in a series of medieval noir mysteries.
Crispin is of royal blood, a knight in the service of the Duke of
Lancaster. In an accusation of treason against the King, he is stripped
of his knighthood and lives in a squalid district in London in a single
room above a storefront. He's determined to rebuild his disgraced
reputation. To survive, he takes on the role of a "tracker", one who,
for a fee, will track down stolen articles and return them to their
rightful owners. Familiar with the mannerisms of the rich, yet so poor
as to be invisible to those with money, he is ideally suited to this
kind of work. When well-to-do cloth magnate Nicholas Walcote summons
him, Crispin is delighted ... until he learns of the job. He is asked
to follow Walcote's wife, who is believed to be having an affair.
Although Crispin is reluctant to accept the job, he needs the money.
When he visits Walcote the following day, however, Crispin finds him
murdered, stabbed several times in his back. What is so unusual is that
Walcote is found in a sealed room in his mansion, locked from the
inside. Although Crispin has no official authority, the Lord Sheriff
allows him help with the investigation.
But the case gets more complicated when Walcote's brothers come to
claim the body and are dumbfounded to discover the dead man is not
Nicholas. So many questions to be answered: Who was killed? How was he
killed? Why was he killed? And where is Nicholas Walcote? Crispin the
Tracker must first find all the pieces of this elaborate puzzle before
he can solve the unknown man's murder.
The multifaceted, well-crafted plot involving dark secrets,
international conspiracy, religious rivalry, an ancient artifact
reputed to have magical properties, and, of course, a locked room
murder mystery, is but one reason that Veil of Lies
is so noteworthy.
Another is the principled character of Crispin Guest, who makes for a
very appealing amateur sleuth. The individuals in his alliance and
those working against him are also all credibly drawn. There is even a
touch of humor and romance. This solid debut will have readers looking
forward to Crispin Guest's next case.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Veil of Lies and to St. Martin's Minotaur for providing a trade paperback edition of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Veil of Lies? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Veil of Lies
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover), October 2008
ISBN-10: 0-31237977-3 (0312379773)
ISBN-13: 978-0-31237977-3 (9780312379773)
Serpent
in the Thorns
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover), September 2009
ISBN-10: 0-31253498-1 (0312534981)
ISBN-13: 978-0-31253498-1 (9780312534981)
Omnimystery
keywords for Veil of Lies
...
Location(s) referenced: London, England.
