Saved from the streets of London, young Jack Tucker is
totally loyal to his master, Crispin Guest, famously known
as "The Tracker". While Jack idolizes Crispin and is
learning from him how to think like an investigator, he is
definitely not enamoured by this long, bumpy and tiring trip
from London by horseback to Canterbury.
More at ease in the saddle than Jack, Crispin, a former
knight of Lancaster who had been disgraced from court, knew
he could ill afford to turn down any job. He has been
summoned by Courtenay, Archbishop of Canterbury and a rival
of his former Lord, to guard the blessed 200 year old bones
of Thomas Beckett and to ferret out a heretic suspected of
being in the church. While anxious to see the bones himself,
he has his own suspicions that something else might be at
play.
Arriving at an inn, full of pilgrims, Crispin has mixed
emotions about meeting up with Geoffery Chaucer, a
previously close friend from his days as a knight with
Lancaster. Focusing on his task, Crispin takes up watch at
the Cathedral, but being tired from the trip, dozes off a
bit. As he wakes, he hears a scream! A lady Prioress has
been brutally murdered! Then, he finds that Beckett's bones
have been stolen! Who could have committed this crime? As
the stakes gets higher and time starts to run out, will
Crispin find the real murderer before it is too late?
Steeped in medieval history herself, Jeri Westerson brings a
very authentic voice and sense of time and place to TROUBLED
BONES. It is an intricate and ingenious fusion of medieval
mystery and thoughtful sleuthing (Medieval Noir). Both
history buffs and mystery fans will have lots to relish in
this exciting Canterbury Tale. The plotting is well
layered and the characters are strongly developed. I really
enjoyed the growing relationship between Crispin and Jack
and how they sets it on a new course as Jack develops his
skills. Readers will love how Jack finds out what goes on
behind cloistered doors! While this is the fourth Crispin
Guest book written by Westerson, it is the first I have read
and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Can't wait to read the
previous three and look forward to hopefully more
adventures! So, step back in time and have a great read!
Disgraced knight Crispin Guest gets himself into some
serious trouble in London and as a result is forced to
accept an assignment far out of town. The Archbishop of
Canterbury has specifically requested Guest to investigate a
threat against the bones of saint and martyr Thomas a
Beckett, which are on display in the cathedral in
Canterbury. The archbishop has received letters threatening
the safety of the artifacts, and he wants Guest to protect
them and uncover whoever is after them.
When he arrives at Canterbury, Guest is accosted by an old
acquaintance from court – one Geoffrey Chaucer – and is
surrounded by a group in town on a pilgrimage. Trapped
amongst the pilgrims (who were, quite possibly, the model
for Chaucer’s famous story cycle), looking for a murderer, a
hidden heretic and a solution to the riddle that will allow
him to go back home, Crispin Guest finds his considerable
wit and intellect taxed to its very limit.
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