Crowner Royal

The charms of Bernard Knight's long-running series about "Crowner" John, a twelfth-century British coroner, lie in their wealth of medieval details, the nuanced portrayals of the characters, and their sometimes-gruesome deaths. Although the writing very occasionally falls flat, narrator Paul Matthews imbues it all with interest and verve. In this installment, Crowner John has been appointed coroner of Westminster, where he discovers that intrigue and murder--don't drink that foxglove tincture!--rule the court. Matthews voices everyone from high-borne ladies to gruff innkeepers in a way that entertains and informs. His easy-listening baritone smooths the narrative. And his diction makes every historical tidbit clear. With Matthews in our ear, we want to stay forever in the past. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

August 24, 2009
Set in 1196, the intriguing 14th entry in Knight's Crowner John series (The Manor of Death
, etc.) takes Sir John de Wolfe to Westminster, where Richard the Lionheart has appointed him Coroner of the Verge. One hot summer day, from the window of the coroner's office, one of de Wolfe's officers chances to observe a stabbing by the river below. The assailant flees, while the body of a palace clerk is extracted from the Thames. As de Wolfe investigates, he must assert his authority over the haughty and incompetent London sheriff's department. The victim, the coroner learns, appears to have heard something not meant for his ears while servicing the palace's guest chambers. The murder fuels the king's suspicions that traitors are plotting to overthrow his rule. Straightforward, descriptive prose, spiced with a few period terms, brings 12th-century England to life.