A Maiden Weeping

December 14, 2015
An unlikely supporting character takes a prominent role, at the expense of credibility, in Westerson’s eighth Crispin Guest mystery (after 2014’s Cup of Blood). In 1388, an explosion inside London’s Westminster Abbey disrupts the Feast of the Holy Virgin’s Nativity, whose attendees include Richard II; Guest, who’s known as the Tracker for his investigative prowess; and Guest’s 15-year-old apprentice, Jack Tucker. No one is injured, but when the smoke clears, the Stone of Destiny, which was captured a century earlier from the Scots and stored underneath Edward I’s coronation chair, is gone. The king, who fears that he’ll appear weak if he goes before Parliament without the stone restored to the chair, gives Guest three days to retrieve it. Since Richard has his doubts about Guest’s loyalty, he holds Jack hostage to ensure the Tracker does his bidding. During the apprentice’s
captivity, Jack manages to gain a powerful ally in a subplot that relies too much on contrivance. Despite the high stakes, Westerson fails to generate much suspense. Agent: Joshua Bilmes, Jabberwocky Literary Agency.

August 1, 2016

In his eighth adventure (after The Silence of Stones), Crispin Guest wakes up in a strange bed next to a strangled woman. After another victim is found, he must rely on apprentice Jack Tucker to handle the investigation.

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August 1, 2016
October 1389. Crispin Guest, a former knight (he was expelled from the brotherhood for his alleged part in a conspiracy against King Richard II), is what we would call in modern parlance a private eye. And this series is very much in the hard-boiled tradition, even if it is set seven centuries in the past. In the eighth installment, Crispin awakens after a night of debauchery in a bed he doesn't recognize. But that's nothing compared to the other surprise in his bed: a dead woman. Did he kill her? He's not sure, but the authorities are, and they promptly lock him up, leaving Crispin's young protege, Jack, to try to spring Crispin from the slammer. There are plenty of mysteries set in the medieval era, but the Crispin Guest series sets itself apart from the crowd by its gritty, noirish atmosphere and the author's writing style, straight out of Hammett and Chandler. For those who don't mind historical mysteries with a distinctly modern flavor, this one is a must.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)