3 out of 4 stars
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A great medieval mystery! This one is set in the city of Perth in Scotland in the year 1424. Scottish soldiers having been fighting in the war between the English and the French and many of them are now returning home.
Sir Law Kintour is our hero. While serving in France under the Earl of Douglas, Sir Law was injured in the leg. His injury has left him with a limp, and the death of the Earl in battle has left him without a patron. The Earl’s son is not interested in an injured knight and so Sir Law finds himself in Perth looking for whatever work he can get. One day, Lord Blinsele comes looking for him at the inn where he is staying. He has a story about his wife being kidnapped and wants to hire Sir Law to find her and the man she is with.
This seemingly simple task soon turns into a very tangled web of lies, mischief, and murder. Lord Blinsele is not really looking for a missing wife but for a missing artifact. The young lady working with him likes to whack people over the head. Sir Law’s friend Duncan and de Carnea, the man everyone’s looking for, both turn up dead. The Sheriff wants to please the king by hanging someone for the murders. Law has 48 hours to find that someone. Will Law and his new friend Cormac the Minstrel be able to meet the deadline? Will the Sheriff through Law to the wolves and see him hang?
Sir Law is an interesting character. One the one hand, he’s a tough, battle-hardened warrior. On the other hand, he’s very insecure about his future prospects. Duncan had saved him in battle and accompanied him home; his friendship, limited though it was, is nevertheless a loss to Sir Law. Cormac is younger and looking for adventure, even if danger is involved.
I found this story engaging with a well-developed plot line. The author does use some of the Gaelic and Scottish vernacular which may be a little challenging at first but there is an appendix included with definitions of all the words used. You would especially enjoy this if you like medieval stories. This is a very twisty story so make sure you’re wearing your thinking cap with this one. I did encounter some editing issues which did not take away from the story but were annoying when they popped up. Overall, I give this book 3 out of 4 stars because the story was clever and the characters engaging, however, it could have been a little more polished.
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The Templars Cross
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