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“A disgraced knight earns a meager living as a private inquiry agent in 1383 London” in a series debut that “will appeal to mystery and history fans alike” (Kirkus Reviews). Accused of treason and stripped of his knighthood, Crispin Guest has survived on the gritty streets of London by reinventing himself as The Tracker, an investigator for hire who can locate lost objects and uncover secrets. When the merchant Nicholas Walcote hires Guest to investigate his young wife Philippa for adultery, he discovers an underground world of danger and dirty dealings. Philippa is indeed hiding something—but she’s not the only one. Walcote himself is rumored to possess a holy relic so powerful that some would even kill for it. To get to the truth about the mysterious Walcotes, Guest must contend with his nemesis, Sheriff Simon Wynchecombe, as be becomes entangled in a strange world of superstition, seduction, and murder. With vivid period detail and a complex, thrilling story, Veil of Lies was a finalist for the Macavity and Shamus awards.
Originally published: New York: St. Martin's Minotaur, 2008.
A quest to find the ancient sword Excalibur quickly turns into a hunt for a determined killer for Crispin Guest.London, 1396. A trip to the swordsmith shop for Crispin Guest, Tracker of London, and his apprentice Jack Tucker takes an unexpected turn when Crispin crosses paths with Carantok Teague, a Cornish treasure hunter. Carantok has a map he is convinced will lead him to the sword of Excalibur - a magnificent relic dating back to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table - and he wants Crispin to help him find it. Travelling to Tintagel Castle in Cornwall with Carantok and Jack, Crispin is soon reunited with an old flame as he attempts to locate the legendary sword. But does Excalibur really exist, or is he on an impossible quest? When a body is discovered, Crispin's search for treasure suddenly turns into a hunt for a dangerous killer.
In the spring of 1348, tales begin arriving in England of poisonous clouds fast approaching, which have overwhelmed whole cities and even countries, with scarcely a human being left. While some pray more earnestly and live yet more devoutly, others vow to enjoy themselves and blot out their remaining days on earth by drinking and gambling. And then there are those who hope that God's wrath might be averted by going on a pilgrimage. But if God was permitting his people to be punished by this plague, then it surely could only be because they had committed terrible sins? So when a group of pilgrims are forced to seek shelter at an inn, their host suggests that the guests should tell their tales. He dares them to tell their stories of sin, so that it might emerge which one is the best.That is, the worst ...
"Among the most courageous and compelling protagonists at work in fictional detection." —Richmond Times-Dispatch Crispin Guest, returning home after a late night, sees a body hurtling from the uppermost reaches of the London Bridge. Guest's attempted rescue fails, however, and the man—an armourer with a shop on the bridge—is dead. While whispers in the street claim that it was a suicide, Guest—known in certain London circles as The Tracker for his skill in solving puzzles—is unconvinced. What Guest uncovers is that the armourer had promised Sir Thomas Saunfayl, a friend from Guest's former life, that he would provide him something that would make him unbeatable in battle, something...
The Tracker pursues mystical documents said to conjure demons while hunting for a monstrous killer in this medieval mystery with “an appealing noirish air” (Booklist). Since losing his knighthood, Crispin Guest has reinvented himself as an investigator for hire known as the Tracker. But his reputation will once again be put to the test with his latest case. Jacob of Provençal, a Jewish physician at the king’s court, is missing a set of documents that he claims contain the power to bring forth a dangerous demon. Meanwhile, it seems a monster has already been unleashed on the city. Vulnerable street children are being abducted and murdered, their mutilated bodies the only clues left behind. With the help of his orphaned servant, Jack, it is up to Crispin to unravel the grim tangle of mystery and murder. This third installment of the Crispin Guest Medieval mysteries was nominated for a Romantic Times Award and was a finalist for the Macavity Award.
A diabolical plot is afoot to kill thousands by connecting England’s railway lines to a deadly curse. The beautiful and mysterious Mingli Zhao, Special Inspector from Scotland Yard, enlists the help of Leopold Kazsmer, the Great Enchanter, who uses his skills with summoning Jewish daemons to perform true magic to help solve supernatural crimes. Meanwhile, a Hungarian Romani—part man, part clockwork—will stop at nothing to kill the man he believes is responsible for his Hell of an existence that is slowly grinding his mind into the nothingness of gears and pistons. It’s a race against time for Leopold to foil the fiendish plot of the railway barons, fight off a plutocratic society of goblins, struggle to gain the romantic attentions of Miss Zhao…and discover the identity of the Clockwork Gypsy before he kills again.
The Tracker encounters his old friend Geoffrey Chaucer while on a case for the Archbishop of Canterbury in this “murderous spin on The Canterbury Tales” (Kirkus Reviews). Since losing his knighthood, Crispin Guest has crafted a new reputation for himself. From the shadowy corners of London to the halls of the royal court he is known as the Tracker, an investigator for hire who can find anyone or anything. But when the Archbishop of Canterbury hires him to expose the culprit threatening the sacred relics of a holy martyr, Crispin finds himself a stranger in an unfamiliar land. Within a city of pilgrims and priests, he unexpectedly encounters his former friend Geoffrey Chaucer, poet, rabbl...
The Tracker takes the case of a French alchemist who is targeted for his secrets in this mystery set in the gritty streets of fourteenth century London. After losing his knighthood, Crispin Guest has found a new calling as the Tracker, a private investigator who can locate anything—or anyone. Now famed French alchemist Nicholas Flamel needs Crispin to locate his wife, Perenelle, and his apprentice, Thomas Cornhill. But the case takes a sinister turn when Flamel’s apprentice is found murdered. The kidnapper promises that Flamel’s wife will be next . . . unless he hands over his precious Philosopher’s Stone, a magical object that can turn lead into gold. Soon, strange, antiquated symbo...
In this urban fantasy series debut, the discovery of a mysterious book in her tea shop immerses a woman in a world of demons, witches, and murder. To get a fresh start away from a bad relationship, Kylie Strange moves across the country to open a shop in the seemingly quiet town of Moody Bog in rural Maine. During renovations on Strange Herbs & Teas, she discovers a peculiar and ancient codex, The Booke of the Hidden, bricked into the wall. Every small town has its legends and unusual histories, and this artifact sends Kylie right into the center of Moody Bog’s biggest secret. While puzzling over the tome’s oddly blank pages, Kylie gets an unexpected visitor—Erasmus Dark, an inscrutabl...