Knights Templar Mysteries Books
A company of mercenaries is in residence in the town of Crediton. Although they are commonplace in 14th-century England, this group is particularly troublesome, seducing the local girls and showing no respect for anyone. When a robbery takes place among the mercenaries, Sir Baldwin Furnshill and Simon Puttock are on hand to investigate. Then a young girl is discovered murdered, hidden in a chest. This is only the first of the Crediton Killingsand as murder follows brutal murder, Furnshill and Puttock must discover the killer's identity before he strikes yet again.
When a local goldsmith, Godfrey of Harwood, is found brutally murdered in his home, Furnshill and Puttock are called on to investigate. But when rumors begin spreading that patients from a local leper hospital might have been involved in Godfrey's murder, a series of vicious attacks on the unfortunate victims ensues, culminating in a disastrous fire at the hospital. In a surprising turn of events, Godfrey's daughter Cecily donates a sum to make good the damage. Her connection to one of the lepers is her motive, and only when that connection has been revealed will the truth about Godfrey's murder emerge.
The fates are not being kind to the Hatherleighs. First the head of the family, Sir Roger, is killed in a riding accident; then his young son John is found dead, his poor body horrifically beaten. Although the small West Country community is eager to believe his death was an unfortunate accident, it soon becomes clear that the truth is far more disturbing. This, the seventh mystery featuring Sir Baldwin Furnshill and Simon Puttock, is another absorbing medieval "whodunit."
It is 1321, and Lady Elizabeth of Topsham, prioress of St. Mary's, is fighting to retain her position in the face of devastating opposition. She has been accused by Sister Margherita, St. Mary's treasurer, of giving much-needed funds to the new vicar, a man she often sees alone at night. Many of the nuns are convinced that Margherita would make a better prioressespecially now that it is certain that Moll, a young nun, was murdered in her sick bed. Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, together with his old friend Simon Puttock, are summoned to investigate. There is no doubt that the threefold vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty are being broken with alarming frequency. Then, when a second nun is murdered, they find themselves facing their most difficult case yet.
In 1321, the King's favorite, Hugh Despenser, is using his position to steal land and wealth from the other lords. His rapacity has divided the nation, and civil war looms. In Tiverton, rape and murder have unsettled the town, which is preparing for the feast of St. Giles; Philip Dyne has confessed and claimed sanctuary in St. Peter's church. Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, and Bailiff Simon Puttock, arrive at Lord Hugh de Courtenay's castle at Tiverton for the feast. When a messenger arrives calling for the coroner, Baldwin and Simon accompany him to view the body of Sir Gilbert of Carlisle, Despenser's ambassador to Lord Hugh. Not far off lies a second corpsethe decapitated figure of Dyne. When Baldwin and Simon are themselves viciously attacked, they know that a sinister force is at large, someone with a powerful motive to kill. But there are so many suspects.
For Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, and Bailiff Simon Puttock, the Christmas of 1321 promises to be one of great festivity. They are to receive the prestigious Gloves of Honor in a ceremony led by the specially elected Boy-Bishop of Exeter. But they soon learn that Ralph, the glovemaker, has been stabbed to death. Then Peter, a Secondary at the cathedral, collapses from poisoning. Sir Baldwin and his colleague must waste no time in solving the riddles surrounding the deaths, but as they dig for the truth, they find that many of Exeter's leading citizens are not whator whomthey seem to be. The Boy-Bishop's Glovemaker is the tenth novel in this superbly plotted medieval mystery series.
It is 1322, and Lord Hugh de Courtenay's plan to host a tournament is a fantastic opportunity for the money-lenders of Oakhampton. When the defeated knights find themselves unable to pay the traditional ransoms to their captors, they will have only one course open to themaccruing interest by the hour. But when the most prominent money-lender, Benjamin Dudenay, is found brutally murdered a month before the festivities, Sir Baldwin Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock find themselves on the trail of a most sinister killer. The Tournament of Blood is the eleventh tale in this superbly plotted medieval mystery series.
As the summer of 1322 brings sun to the Devonshire countryside, it seems that the small village of Sticklepath is destined to remain in darkness. An afternoon of innocent adventure becomes one of gruesome terror when two playmates uncover the body of a young girl up on the moors. The body is that of ten-year-old Aline, who had gone missing six years earlier. When Sir Baldwin Furnshill and his friend Simon Puttock are called to the scene to investigate, they soon discover that Aline is not the only young girl to have been found dead in recent years. It seems that the villagers have been concealing not only a serial killer, but a possible case of cannibalism. Or, if the rumors are to be believed, a vampire.
Amidst the myth and folklore of Tavistock, one tale above all others strikes fear into the hearts of the townspeoplethat of the murders on the Abbot’s Way. One cold winter, many years ago, a young acolyte led a group of fellow novices in the theft of their abbot’s wine store. Later, consumed by guilt and fear of discovery, he was driven to commit still more crimes. As legend has it, the devil himself meted out his punishment, leading the acolyte and his cohorts to their deaths on the treacherous Devon moors. Now, in the autumn of 1322, it looks as if history is repeating itself. Abbot Robert has found his wine barrel empty, and a body has been discovered on the moors. Furnshill and Puttock are called upon to investigate, but the case seems only to become increasingly complicated. It soon becomes apparent that it’s not just wine that’s missing from the abbeyand that the body on the moors isn’t the last.
Alone in his isolated, windswept chapel on the edge of Dartmoor, who could blame the young priest, Mark, for seeking affection from the local miller's daughter, Mary? But when Mary's body is found brutally stabbed, Mark is the obvious suspect, and the discovery that she was pregnant seems to confirm his guilt. Called in to investigate, Baldwin Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock soon begin to have their doubts. Could it not have been one of Mary's many admirers who murdered her in a fit of jealousy? Or her father, the miller, who is acting in an increasingly disturbed manner? And what exactly is the local Baron trying to hide? Will they be able to find the murderer before he strikes again?
Sir Baldwin Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock have been granted leave to go on pilgrimage, both seeking solace after the recent, traumatic events in Gidleigh. Together they travel across Europe to Santiago de Compostela but, as usual, danger is never far away. A beautiful young girl is found raped and murdered on a hillside. Baldwin and Simon lend their investigative skills to the local enquiry, but the unexpected appearance of a face from Baldwin's past threatens both the investigation and Baldwin's very future.
On their return home from their pilgrimage, Baldwin and Simon's ship is attacked off the coast of the Scilly Isles by pirates and storms and Simon looks on in horror as Baldwin is swept overboard. Washed ashore on the tiny island of Ennor, Simon is distraught to think that his closest friend is dead, but he has to put aside his grief when the master of the castle, Ranulph de Blancminster, orders him to investigate the murder of the island's tax gatherer. Ranulph is convinced that one of the the lawless inhabitants of the neighbouring island of St Nicholas is the culprit and prepares to attack. Meanwhile Baldwin himself has been washed up on St Nicholas and is nursed back to health by the beautiful Tedia. He uncovers a different picture of the island as he too begins to investigate the murder. Although there are plenty of suspects, Baldwin finds it impossible to penetrate the tight network of secrets and loyalties that bind the villagers in this isolated community. As Balwin and Simon's parallel investigations bring them closer to the truth, they become embroiled in the bitter rivalry between the two island communities. Can they uncover the truth in time to prevent a massacre?
After their gruelling journeys to Galicia and Scilly, Baldwin and Simon are at last back on the English mainland, dumped unceremoniously when their shipmaster partakes of his cargo and almost wrecks the ship. Eager to get home, Baldwin and Simon set off on horseback but only get as far as Cardinham on Bodmin Moor. Here, they are detained by the castellan who requires their help to solve two murders on the estate. The first victim is a widow, found dead with her two children. The second is Serlo, the Miller, who has recently been discovered embezzling castle money taken in tolls. As Baldwin and Simon begin a double investigation, they must look beneath the village friendships and family loyalties to find an evil killer and secure Cardinham's safety.
Forty years ago, Exeter Cathedral close was the scene of a vicious ambush. Afterwards, the bodies left lying in their blood bore witness to the conflicts tearing at heart of the Cathedral itself. Today, in 1323, more deaths have occurred. Is the first an accident? The second is surely not. Murder is again polluting the Cathedral close, but this killer will not be easily caught. The victim, Henry Potell, was feared by many, and held secrets that some wished to keep hidden... For Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, and his friend Bailiff Simon Puttock, events become increasingly mysterious. Who among Henry Potell's companions knows the truth about his death? What first appears to be a matter of lust or greed soon grows more troubling as Baldwin becomes aware of the ominous Chapel of Bones, built long ago in reparation for a terrible murder...
When a merchant in Exeter hears an intruder in his home one night, his first thought is to conceal his adulterous lover. But then he witnesses a sinister figure stooping over the bed of his only child, a figure who seems to vanish into thin air. Two years on and the identity of the intruder has become common knowledge: the idiot of the city who lost his own children many years ago, and who seems doomed to wander the town searching for them. But when a boy then disappears, suspicion immediately falls on him. The local constable is determined to solve the mystery, as his own son disappeared some years ago and he always suspected the fool. Sir Baldwin is asked to follow a lead to the manor of Bishop's Clyst to try and find out what has happened. While he is there a body is found under the stone bridge - the body of a boy, but not the one who recently went missing...
Bailiff Simon Puttock's servant, Hugh, has been granted leave to look after his wife Constance and help raise her child. One day she is attacked and raped by a gang of men at her home. She sees her son being murdered and her man Hugh struck down before she is killed and the house set on fire. When Simon and Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, arrive on the scene, the cottage has burned to the ground and the body of the child lies outside. Inside there is a woman's torso, badly burned, but no remains of Hugh. The fire raged so fiercely, all believe Hugh died inside. However, things are not so simple, and not only does Simon vow revenge, there are dark forces lurking which will cause no end of mischief and bloodshed.
When a body is found lying in the road, many in Dartmouth assume that a drunk had fallen and killed himself. At the same time, the town is on alert because a ship has been found ravaged by pirates out at sea, the crew killed or captured. Is this the beginning of a new onslaught by pirates, or is something more sinister happening? Sir Baldwin de Furnshill has been told of spies and messengers being sent to the great traitor Roger Mortimer in France. If the messengers reach Mortimer, civil war in England will soon break out. This is the most important investigation of their lives: it could result in their own execution if they fail to learn the facts. But if they succeed, other men will want them silenced forever.
1324: The English kingdom is in uproar. Roger Mortimer, once the King's most able commander, but now his most hated enemy, is plotting to assassinate the King. But he's not the only one with murder on his mind... When the bodies of a local craftsman and the King's messenger are found in the city of Exeter's streets, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill, the Keeper of the King's Peace and his friend Bailiff Simon Puttock, are implored by the Bishop to find out who was responsible. The dead messenger was carrying a dangerous secret that may prove fatal, should it fall into the wrong hands. Baldwin and Simon must find the murderer before he can strike again. But when murderers can use magic, no one is safe...
1325: England is a hotbed of paranoia under the reign of the increasingly unpredictable Edward II and his lover, Sir Hugh le Despenser. When the Queen's lady-in-waiting is slaughtered and a man's body, hideously mutilated, is discovered behind the throne, the King demands to be avenged. Sir Baldwin de Furnshill, an experienced investigator of murders, is appointed to track down the killer, aided by his friend, Simon Puttock. In an age of corruption, when the king's friends can use torture, blackmail and murder to promote their ends, a rural knight and bailiff must fight to stay alive.
Isabella, Queen of England, has been dispatched to France in an attempt to bring about peace between the two countries, and Baldwin must accompany her. But the day after their arrival, a servant is found murdered, with Baldwin's dagger lying next to the body. As Baldwin struggles to prove his innocence, the killer strikes again. With so many English enemies gathering in Paris, will Baldwin be able to expose the culprit in time to protect the English King?
The new thrilling medieval mystery from the West Country's master of crime. 1325: There is turmoil in England. But could the Prophecy of St Thomas's Holy Oil save King Edward? It is believed that the king who is anointed with it will conquer France, unite Christendom and throw the heathens from the Holy Land. King Edward II has rejected his wife, confiscated her income and taken away her children. Yet even now she is in France to negotiate peace with her brother, King Charles IV. Meanwhile, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, and his friend Bailiff Simon Puttock return from France with an urgent instruction for the King. Before long Baldwin and Simon find themselves at the centre of a deadly court intrigue involving the most powerful and ruthless men in the country, who will stop at nothing to achieve their ambitions...
King Edward II is furious when he learns that his wife Queen Isabella has defied him and remains in France with their son. As the unfortunate messengers of this unhappy news, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, and his friend, bailiff Simon Puttock, are instantly dismissed from court. Returning to their homes in Devon, the pair are shocked to find that outlaws now hold sway in the land. As the chaos escalates, the bodies of two clerics are found among a party of travelers, all of themmen, women, and childrensavagely murdered. Baldwin and Simon are called to investigate, but when they discover the culprit is a friend of the king, they become wary about accusations of treason. Until, that is, Simon's own daughter suddenly disappears.
As the threat of war hangs over England, Sir Baldwin and Bailiff Puttock must work desperately to prevent murder, in the latest thrilling mystery in this hugely popular series 1326. In France, King Edward II’s estranged wife Queen Isabella shames him by refusing to return to England and humiliates him further by flaunting her adulterous relationship with the king's sworn enemy, traitor Sir Roger Mortimer. When the king hears she has betrothed their son to the daughter of the Count of Hainault, all England fears an invasion of Hainault mercenaries. Meanwhile the Treasurer of England's life is threatened. He has made many enemies in a long political life, and Sir Baldwin and Simon must do all they can to find the would-be assassin before he can strike.