A Friar's Bloodfeud: (Knights Templar 20)
Read A Friar's Bloodfeud: (Knights Templar 20) Online
Authors: Michael Jecks
Tags: #blt, #General, #_MARKED, #Fiction
Michael Jecks
Copyright © 2005 Michael Jecks
The right of Michael Jecks to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.
First published as an Ebook by
Headline Publishing Group in 2014
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library
eISBN: 978 1 4722 1981 7
HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP
An Hachette UK Company
338 Euston Road
London NW1 3BH
Michael Jecks gave up a career in the computer industry to concentrate on his writing. He is the founder of Medieval Murderers,
has been Chairman of the Crime Writers’s Association, and helped create the Historical Writers’ Association. Keen to help new
writers, for some years he organised the Debut Dagger competition, and is now organising the AsparaWriting festival for new
writers at Evesham. He has judged many prizes, including the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. Michael is an international speaker
on writing and for business. He lives with his wife, children and dogs in northern Dartmoor.
Michael can be contacted through his website:
www.michaeljecks.co.uk.
He can be followed on twitter (@MichaelJecks) or on
Facebook.com/Michael.Jecks.author
.
His photos of Devon and locations for his books can be found at:
Flickr.com/photos/Michael_Jecks
.
The Last Templar
The Merchant’s Partner
A Moorland Hanging
The Crediton Killings
The Abbot’s Gibbet
The Leper’s Return
Squire Throwleigh’s Heir
Belladonna at Belstone
The Traitor of St Giles
The Boy-Bishop’s Glovemaker
The Tournament of Blood
The Sticklepath Strangler
The Devil’s Acolyte
The Mad Monk of Gidleigh
The Templar’s Penance
The Outlaws of Ennor
The Tolls of Death
The Chapel of Bones
The Butcher of St Peter’s
A Friar’s Bloodfeud
The Death Ship of Dartmouth
Malice of Unnatural Death
Dispensation of Death
The Templar, the Queen and Her Lover
The Prophecy of Death
The King of Thieves
No Law in the Land
The Bishop Must Die
The Oath
King’s Gold
City of Fiends
Templar’s Acre
‘Michael Jecks is the master of the medieval whodunnit’ Robert Low
‘Captivating… If you care for a well-researched visit to medieval England, don’t pass this series’
Historical Novels Review
‘Michael Jecks has a way of dipping into the past and giving it that immediacy of a present-day newspaper article… He
writes…with such convincing charm that you expect to walk round a corner in Tavistock and meet some of the characters’
Oxford Times
‘Great characterisation, a detailed sense of place, and a finely honed plot make this a superb medieval historical’
Library Journal
‘Stirring intrigue and a compelling cast of characters will continue to draw accolades’
Publishers Weekly
‘A tortuous and exciting plot… The construction of the story and the sense of period are excellent’
Shots
‘This fascinating portrayal of medieval life and the corruption of the Church will not disappoint. With convincing characters
whose treacherous acts perfectly combine with a devilishly masterful plot, Jecks transports readers back to this wicked world
with ease’
Good Book Guide
The twentieth novel in Michael Jecks’s medieval Knights Templar series.
March 1323: in the rural idyll of Iddesleigh, a gang of men break into the home of Bailiff Simon Puttock’s servant and attack his family. When word reaches Simon, he and Sir Baldwin de Funshill, Keeper of the King’s Peace, hurry to the home, finding it burned to the ground and the bodies from within already buried.
Could this be the result of a tragic accident, or is a darker force at work? As Baldwin and Simon attempt to uncover the truth, it quickly becomes clear that a terrible evil lurks in the land, and that the pain and bloodshed are far from over.
This book is for dear old
Don Morton.
A friend for life to all who knew him.
He’s sorely missed.
The Officers | |
Sir Baldwin de Furnshill | Once a Knight Templar, Sir Baldwin is a Keeper of the King’s Peace and occasionally a Justice. In his time as a law officer |
Lady Jeanne | Baldwin’s wife, Jeanne has been married before, to Sir Ralph de Liddinstone, but is a great deal happier with her second husband. |
Bailiff Simon Puttock | Baldwin’s closest friend, Simon was bailiff of Lydford, maintaining the peace over the moors, but now he has been given a |
Edgar | Originally Baldwin’s sergeant in the Knights Templar, Edgar has remained Baldwin’s servant and steward of his household since |
Hugh | Once a shepherd, Hugh has long |
Emma | Jeanne’s maid since their youth in Bordeaux, Emma has still not been able to accustom herself to the weather and manners of |
Fishleigh | |
Sir Odo de Bordeaux | The keen servant of Sir John Sully for many years, Sir Odo is now master of Sir John’s manor at Fishleigh, and his jurisdiction |
Robert Crokers | Under Sir Odo’s stewardship, Robert is the bailiff or sergeant, charged with the maintenance of the lands. He oversees the |
Walter | A man-at-arms who serves Sir Odo, Walter is an older man who is used to warfare. |
Iddesleigh | |
Constance | Wife of Hugh, Constance was once a novice at the priory at Belstone, but she had been allowed to leave by the prioress (see |
Father Matthew | The local priest, Father Matthew has lived in Iddesleigh for many years and has grown to sympathise with the natural suspicion |
Jankin | Owner of the local inn as well as a farmer, Jankin is an excellent host, and a fount of knowledge about the people in the |
David | Known as ‘Deadly Dave’ for his ability to kill men with boredom, David is a lonely local man. |
Monkleigh | |
Sir Geoffrey Servington | Steward of the Despenser lands, Sir Geoffrey is an older warrior. In his youth he gambled all on tournaments, and lost. After |
Ailward | The sergeant of the Monkleigh estates, Ailward is bitter at his sudden fall. His father and grandsire were both squires, and |
Adam of Rookford | Known as ‘Adcock’, the new sergeant of the Despenser manor of Monkleigh is keen to make his mark. This job is a great advance |
Nicholas le Poter | A man-at-arms, Nicholas is not impressed by Sir Geoffrey and is certain he could do the job more effectively. |
Mary | Known as Malkin, Ailward’s wife adores her husband. |
Isabel | Malkin’s mother-in-law, Isabel is used to bereavement, having lost her father to the Irish wars and her husband during the |
Pagan | An old servant of Isabel’s family, Pagan feels adrift without the two men he had served. |