The Last Templar - Michael Jecks

1314: Paris. Pope Clement has destroyed the Order of the Knights Templar, wrongly persuaded of their corruption. Watching through a veil of tears as his friends die at the stake, a surviving knight swears vengeance on their accusers.

1316: Devon. The newly appointed bailiff of Lydford Castle, Simon Puttock, is called to a village where a charred bosy has been found in a burned-out cottage. Unaccustomed to violence in this peaceful area, Simon assumes it's accidental death - but Sir Baldwin Furnshill, recetly returned from abroad, quickly convinces him that the victim had been killed before the fire began.

As Simon and the astute yet strangely reticent knight piece together the evidence, word comes of another murder, more horrible by far, for in this case the victim was undoubtedly burned alive. Are the two incidents connected.... and will the killers strike again?


I basically got this book to find out what happened after giving up on the poor quality audio-book version I had from the library some time ago. I think it was only just worth the curiosity satisfaction, as it didn't particularly grip me and I'd guessed what some of the outcome would be long before the end. That's not how a good whodunnit should unfold!

Reckon I'd class this as a sitting-on-the-beach or by-the-pool read - something to keep you lightly occupied whilst getting down to some serious ray catching. If you want something a bit more gripping then I reckon Ellis Peters probably does it better.

Adding to Book Crossing and my Swap List - shout if you want it. :0)

Raven Black - Ann Cleeves

No one knew he had this beautiful creature to visit him. She was his treasure, the raven in his cage.

It is a cold January morning and Shetland lies beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a splash of colour on the frozen ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbour Catherine Ross. As Fran opens her mouth to scream, the ravens continue their deadly dance.

The locals on the quiet island stubbornly focus their gaze on one man - loner and simpleton Magnus Tait. But when detective Jimmy Perez and his colleagues from the mainland insist on opening out the investigation, a veil of suspicion and fear is thrown over the entire community.

For the first time in years, Catherine's neighbours nervously lock their doors, whilst a killer lives on in their midst...

You can also read another synopsis here.

Another murder mystery but this time set in the modern age. The author Ann Cleeves is, as far as I can remember, new to me.

I enjoyed the storyline (not particularly gory for a murder mystery), as it kept me guessing "whodunnit" through much of the book, due to there being red herrings aplenty, and there are some good/strong characters who's stories unfold through the book but the ending was a bit of a disappointment to me. I feel it leaves too many unanswered questions about what happens to some of the main characters and I hate being left wondering - all I can think is that perhaps their stories continue in further books where those questions will, hopefully, be answered.

Despite the disappointing ending I will be keeping an eye open for more of her books....... partly in the hopes of finding out what happens to the main characters, but also because the book was an enjoyable read and I liked her style of writing.

This is registered with Book Crossing and is now on its way to a new reader.

The Candace Robb book has now been released into the wild: I took it with us when we went to Market Rasen on Saturday and released it in the Tourist Information area within a cafe there. Now waiting to see if it's picked up and journalled on. :0)

The Guilt of Innocents - Candace Robb

This is Book 9 in the Owen Archer series of medieval murder mysteries by Candace Robb.

Winter 1372, York: a man has drowned in the River Ouse. It soon becomes clear that his death was not an accident...... but why would anyone want to kill a humble river pilot?
As the crowds around the murdered man thicken, one-eyed spy Owen Archer is quickly brought to the scene by his adoptive son, Jasper. Renowned for solving many crimes, Owen is immediately drawn into the case. But right from the start he realises that it isn't a simple question of one victim, as another body is found in the river, and one suspect. And when a valuable cross goes missing and a woman is badly burnt in mysterious circumstances, the web of deceit widens - so Owen and Jasper's lives are in danger as they get closer to the truth.

Although it's part of a series it is possible to read it as a stand alone, as I read Book 1, The Apothecary Rose, some time ago and have now read this one and soon picked up the main characters and their stories.

It was an enjoyable enough read but I was a little disappointed that I managed to guess who the murderer was about half way through the book......... I much prefer it when the suspense and guesswork carries on right through to the last chapter! It was also nice to see how the stories/lives of the main characters had developed from the first book so I might just make the effort to read the "in between" ones now. :0)

I've registered this with the Book Crossing site and am now offering it to anyone who would like it - if no one here is interested then I will do a wild release at some point.

Mark Haddon Book

Bit of a long title for a small paperback book but this is my latest finish:

A murder mystery with a twist as the detective and narrator in this instance is Christopher Boone, a 15 year old with Asperger's Syndrome. He's a maths whizz but knows very little about human beings. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being touched. He's never gone further than the end of the road on his own but after finding a neighbours' murdered dog he sets off on a terrifying journey which will turn his whole world upside down. More info here.

An award winning book (deservedly so, IMHO), it was written and is classed as Children's Fiction but there's a lot to interest adults too, though be warned: it's not always a happy read. It does, however, grab you from the first page and also makes you think about your own, and others, attitudes towards those in our society who are "different". So, if you ever wondered what Asperger's was, how it affects those who have it, and those around them, then this is a must read - it gives an amazing insight into those aspects and especially in to the Asperger's mindset.

I started reading it late Saturday night and finished it late Sunday night, picking it up in every spare moment possible and hardly got any stitching done because of it. Not many books make me do that! :0)