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Ebook366 pages
The Demon's Parchment
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
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About this ebook
Since losing his knighthood for treason and reinventing himself as an investigator for hire known as The Tracker, Crispin Guest has grown accustomed to unusual clients with dark requests. Yet when Jacob of Provencal, a Jewish physician at the King’s court arrives at his doorstep late one frigid night, Guest cannot quiet his unease. Jacob and his son Julian are missing a set of documents, items they claim contain a spiritual and deadly power that, in the wrong hands, could bring forth a demon and put all of London in danger.
Meanwhile, there is evidence that a monster has already been unleashed in the city. Vulnerable street children are being abducted and murdered, their mutilated bodies the only clues left behind. With the help of his orphaned young servant Jack, it is up to Guest to unravel the grim tangle of mystery and murder that has taken over the wintry streets of London. Along the way, he encounters old enemies, finds friends in unexpected places, and has his long held convictions challenged at every turn.
This third installment of the Crispin Guest medieval mystery series was nominated for a Romantic Times award and was a finalist for the Macavity Award. The Demon’s Parchment is a gripping, vividly told story that will leave even the most seasoned mystery readers guessing until the very end.
Meanwhile, there is evidence that a monster has already been unleashed in the city. Vulnerable street children are being abducted and murdered, their mutilated bodies the only clues left behind. With the help of his orphaned young servant Jack, it is up to Guest to unravel the grim tangle of mystery and murder that has taken over the wintry streets of London. Along the way, he encounters old enemies, finds friends in unexpected places, and has his long held convictions challenged at every turn.
This third installment of the Crispin Guest medieval mystery series was nominated for a Romantic Times award and was a finalist for the Macavity Award. The Demon’s Parchment is a gripping, vividly told story that will leave even the most seasoned mystery readers guessing until the very end.
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Author
Jeri Westerson
Jeri Westerson was born and raised in Los Angeles. As well as nine previous Crispin Guest medieval mysteries, she is the author of a paranormal urban fantasy series and several historical novels. Her books have been nominated for the Shamus, the Macavity and the Agatha awards.
Read more from Jeri Westerson
Troubled Bones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Veil of Lies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shadow of the Alchemist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Serpent in the Thorns Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oswald the Thief; A Medieval Caper Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Demon's Parchment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Library of the Damned Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCup of Blood; A Crispin Guest Medieval Noir Prequel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Blood Lance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Daemon Device Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Roses in the Tempest; A Tale of Tudor England Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Though Heaven Fall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Clockwork Gypsy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Moonrisers; A Werewolf Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBaying for Blood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Pole on the Left; A Santa Noir Short Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
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Reviews for The Demon's Parchment
Rating: 3.625 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
28 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another mystery for the intrepid Crispin guest to to get to the bottom of. In this tale he is confronted with the gruesome murder of boys in and around London and the search for lost jewish scrolls. There are plenty of suspects for, the less than perfect but always interesting, Crispin to pursue. There's also an amourous encounter, or two, that will surprise. This one is every bit as well written as the previous novels in the series and just as entertaining. A good read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An engaging mystery with several surprises along the way. I've enjoyd all three Crispin Guest novels that I've read so far.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I enjoyed this mystery immensely... I love the author 's attention to detail, love the hero, Crispin, as well as his young helper, Jack. I couldn't put I down, and I read it about a year ago. Didn't realize till today that I hadn't reviewed it!! I eagerly await all future installments. I've read the whole series, including the new prequel, Cup Of Blood.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5After reading the last installment of Jeri Westerson's series, The Serpent in the Thorns, which had a pretty healthy dose of comedy throughout, I didn't expect this. It was a lot darker than the first two Guest mysteries. Much, much darker. Here, Westerson takes a stab at mixing her unusual medieval noir/historical fiction with gothic horror. There are some very gruesome and disturbing things going on here. In this installment, a reluctant Crispin is hired by a French Jewish physician who has been brought to the Court to service the Queen. The doctor claims parchments containing the secret on how to conjure up a golem have been stolen from his apartment. Simultaneously, young boys are being found murdered and mutilated along the Thames River. The doctor worries that the parchment has fallen in the wrong hands. Some nefarious soul has conjured up an evil golem set out to do unspeakable things. Crispin vows to catch the monster - whether supernatural or not - and bring him to justice. Throughout the story Crispin has to deal with his own demons: namely his English anti-semitism (the Jews had been exiled from England at the time the novel takes place); his loss of status and ensuing poverty; bitter rivalries from his past; and his own homophobia. I rather enjoyed seeing Crispin overcome some of his prejudices that were so thick they were hindering his ability to see the truth. I found this book incredibly entertaining; never a dull moment here. It was creepy (I love creepy!), dark and disturbing with more of a nod to the supernatural than the previous books. Westerson's writing is simple yet she does a brilliant job of just putting you there in medieval England. It kept me up way past my bedtime - I found myself just as confused as Crispin was while he tried to connect the dots and swim through a mass of rather well-placed and entertaining red herrings. I just had to know who-done-it & couldn't rest until I did. I've had marathon reading sessions before with mysteries before and found myself rather disappointed with an anti-climatic ending. (So disappointed that I almost gave up on the genre altogether.) I definitely was not disappointed this time. The ending here set my pulse racing and shivers up my spine.Some reviewers had a hard time dealing with the gruesomeness of the murders, and just the idea of child murders in general. It is rather disturbing, of course, but Westerson doesn't dwell too much on the gruesome details (at least it didn't bother me - and I am very easily grossed out and disturbed!). I thought the nature of the crimes made for a very compassionate and incredibly passionate Crispin whose dedication to solving the case got him in some precarious fixes that nearly got him killed and had him, at times, at the verge of what seemed to be a nervous breakdown. Throughout the story, Crispin and Jack's (Jack being his "apprentice," a young "cutpurse" he saved from the street) relationship seems to deepen and we see Crispin tapping into some paternalistic protective feelings for his sidekick. We also get a little more of a background on the ginger-haired young Jack and get to see him play the hero (kind of). At the end of the day, moving forward, I think we're left with a bit of a different Crispin and Jack than the ones in the first two books.I'd almost consider these books simple guilty pleasure reads - because they're so much fun and simply written - but Westerson's mysteries don't insult your intelligence. As a matter of fact, she uses her Guest series to teach a bit of medieval English history. In the Afterword here, we read about the actual events and characters in history she based the story on.*shiver*Good stuff.3.5 solid stars overall; 4 stars for entertainment factor.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I really enjoy Jeri Westerson's writing style: you can practically smell and taste 14th Century London, and you end up empathizing with her lead characters, a dis-honored knight, Crispin Guest, and his sidekick, young Jack. Her books move quickly, with lots of intrigue and suspense, and I found myself blowing off work to finish her books. This one, The Demon's Parchment, is no exception. Along with Crispin, I discovered historical (for me per se) facts I never knew. How refreshing to read a novel and pick up some history.I have to say the topic is this book is challenging, and not only for the readers. Jeri puts our hero through the grinder, and he really had an emotional journey in this installment. I felt for him so many times. I love to read books that really move me, and trust me, this one will move you.