MURDER AT THE JOUST by Elizabeth Rose

This busy instalment of the Harlowe & Fitch medieval mystery series will delight fans of the heroine. During the reign of King Edward III, a tournament was organised at the home of Lord and Lady Mablethorpe. A shadow is cast over proceedings by MURDER AT THE JOUST. The king was not always popular in medieval times, as the role required tax raising, abrupt justice, and handing out gifts of property to supporters. In this tale, the king, who needs to be seen by his subjects, is getting on in years and wants to attend a tourney and participate in a token jousting match. He expects to be royally fêted. We join preparations for the festivities at Mablethorpe Castle. Niece of the Mablethorpes, Lady Vivienne Harlowe is a widow with a son, Martin, aged seven. She is much liked by all and strong-minded. Unfortunately, her uncle has decided it’s high time she married again and offered her hand as a prize to the tourney winner. She doesn’t want to marry. A background story is that as a child, Vivienne witnessed her parents' murders. Abiathar and Flanie Harlowe, who were in service to the king, were killed by outlaws on the road, and the killers were not brought to justice. But Vivenne has a secret, that her real father was King Edward himself. With his unusual visit, she will have a chance to speak with His Majesty and see if he can shed any light on the deaths. Sheriff Zachariah Fitch is helping to provide security at the tournament, and when someone takes the place of the king in the first joust and is killed, he suspects a plot to assassinate King Edward. Elizabeth Rose has created several romance and mystery series. In MURDER AT THE JOUST, she combines characters from various tales, so we meet two of the three daring young men who are called the Legendary Bastards of the Crown. Lord Reed, we are told, is in Scotland, but Lords Rowen and Rook appear, turning every woman’s head and quite delighted to meet a new half-sister. Other characters in the merry tale include cooks, jugglers, men-at-arms and blacksmiths. There are children and animals, such as Vivienne’s hound Grunt, filling every corner of the castle. They all play a part in resolving the unlawful killing and securing the monarch’s safety. I enjoyed reading MURDER AT THE JOUST, which has something for everyone.

When an assassination attempt on the king goes wrong during a joust and takes the life of an innocent man, Harlowe & Fitch must hunt down a devious killer before he strikes again.

A grand tournament is about to begin, and the excitement grows as King Edward III joins the festivities at Mablethorpe Castle. Meanwhile, Lady Vivienne Harlowe\'s past comes back to haunt her, and she will do anything to find answers to the questions that have plagued her for the past seven years regarding her parents\' unsolved murders. Meeting the king is nerve-wracking, but he is the only one who might be able to shed light on her nightmarish quandary.

When an unexpected death occurs on the tiltyard, Lady Vivienne and Sheriff Zachariah Fitch find themselves searching for a killer who seems to lurk in the shadows and is always one step ahead of them at every turn. With the crowds and chaos from the tournament surrounding them, and Zachariah being distracted by an unexpected visitor from his own past, they are at a severe disadvantage in trying to discover the truth. Now, they must not only protect the king, but also clear the name of the accused before the end of the tournament, or an innocent man will die for another\'s crime.

Time ticks down quickly, forcing the sheriff to devise a dangerous plan to draw out the murderer . . . and at the same time, hope their king survives the process.

A lady and her bloodhound join the town\'s sheriff in a suspenseful hunt to apprehend a killer and bring about justice for a crime that might just be tied to Lady Vivienne\'s past, as well.