"The Templar's Penance" by Michael Jecks.
This isn't normally a book I would read, but my mother is a Cadfael fan, and several years ago I got it for her on the recommendation of someone in a Waterstones, who realised the Cadfaels I was buying were presents and in smooth piece of salesmanship persuaded me to take give her a Michael Jecks too, as she would love it. Well, she didn't love it (unfortunately, there are a lot of this series and it would have sewn up Birthdays for years to come), although she didn't mind it, but she did lose it, and so bought it for me this year so I could read it.
Now I have.
It's not bad I suppose, it passes the time. The problem is that it is just too similar to Ellis Peters' work. Like Cadfael there's an ex-crusader who now lives in peace and solves murders on the side, so basically Agatha Christie in plate armour. He's also slightly more graphic in his descriptions of violence and sex but not quite as intriguing with the plot, and when you get down to it, it's not as well written. This particular one is set in Santiago in Spain, largely around a pilgrimage that I have long wanted to do (and may well do this summer), which made it more interesting, the rest are set on and around dartmoor, which might not be as much fun.
It does pick up as it progresses, but the characters are fairly shallow and initially hard to distinguish (which might be why there's a cast list at the front of the book with a summary of al their roles), the morals are our own and don't really fit the time or the setting, which is a shame because it was a fascinating time, and the dramatic and tense finale just isn't very dramatic nor intense, and didn't even make a great deal of sense.
There is much worse stuff out there, but then there's so much better. Perhaps I know too much about the region and the knights Templar to really enjoy this (I have been fascinated with them for a long time), and have read too many of the Cadfaels, but I think this would only really appeal to real murder mystery freaks, and even then it's holiday reading.
Now I have.
It's not bad I suppose, it passes the time. The problem is that it is just too similar to Ellis Peters' work. Like Cadfael there's an ex-crusader who now lives in peace and solves murders on the side, so basically Agatha Christie in plate armour. He's also slightly more graphic in his descriptions of violence and sex but not quite as intriguing with the plot, and when you get down to it, it's not as well written. This particular one is set in Santiago in Spain, largely around a pilgrimage that I have long wanted to do (and may well do this summer), which made it more interesting, the rest are set on and around dartmoor, which might not be as much fun.
It does pick up as it progresses, but the characters are fairly shallow and initially hard to distinguish (which might be why there's a cast list at the front of the book with a summary of al their roles), the morals are our own and don't really fit the time or the setting, which is a shame because it was a fascinating time, and the dramatic and tense finale just isn't very dramatic nor intense, and didn't even make a great deal of sense.
There is much worse stuff out there, but then there's so much better. Perhaps I know too much about the region and the knights Templar to really enjoy this (I have been fascinated with them for a long time), and have read too many of the Cadfaels, but I think this would only really appeal to real murder mystery freaks, and even then it's holiday reading.