Tue 13 Jul 2021
A Mystery Review by LJ Roberts: JERI WESTERSON – Spiteful Bones.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[4] Comments
Reviews by L. J. Roberts
JERI WESTERSON – Spiteful Bones. Crispin Guest #14. Severn House, hardcover, 2020.
First Sentence: Nigellus Cobmartin stood in the courtyard of his family home – its garden walls crumbling, its arched windows overlooking the tired and weedy garden with its dead flowers and gnarled trees – and sighed.
The year is 1398, and Crispin Guest’s house is filled with his assistant Jack, his wife Isabel, and their many children, as well as the satisfaction of watching grow and providing training for Christopher Walcote, the son he can never acknowledge.
Into that tranquility comes John Rykener/Eleanor Cobmartin with an urgent summons. In restoring the home, he inherited, John’s “husband’s” workers uncover a body holding a precious relic. The body had been bound and sealed within a wall for 20 years. It is up to Crispin to discover the killer while protecting the secret of John’s true identity.
One can appreciate that the author of Spiteful Bones, an historical mystery, provides a section of “Notes About Characters,” as well as a “Glossary.” The sections are not only helpful but interesting in themselves.
No one stays the same age forever, having characters who age, and whose life circumstances change, adds realism to the story and, in the 14th book of this series, much has changed for Westerson’s characters. Readers of the series will appreciate that, but even new readers are given a sense of how time has progressed.
Westerson has a wonderful voice. Her dialogue is reflective of the period without being mired in it. She writes with a balance of humor and drama. It is interesting to see how, even in this period, forensic evidence was taken into account— “But it looks as if someone coshed him good. Aye, look at the wood of the uprights here. If he was still awake, there would have been scratches and scuffs from a struggle.”
One issue, however, is the frequent use of Latin phrases. While is it very appropriate to the period, an immediate translation of each phrase, as is often done by other authors, would not have been amiss. Still, there are lines which make one smile— “Sometimes, Jack, the Church, in all its wisdom, is lacking when it comes to compassion.”
The relationships are enjoyable and add dimension yet don’t overtake the plot. They provide richness and emotion. One becomes attached to the characters. There are times where one might question whether Crispin is too modern; too good, too noble. Yet, it is part of the development one has seen in the character and is part of what draws one back to the series.
Spiteful Bones presents an effective twist and an exciting climax. Historical mystery devotees will be pleased.
Rating: B plus.
July 13th, 2021 at 7:53 pm
I’m going out on a limb questioning the use of “Cosh” in the 14th century, but I don’t have my OED around to check it out. It sounds like a likely anachronism, though in no way should that harm the enjoyment of the book. Even Dumas fell victim of a few anachronisms, it’s part and parcel of the genre.
July 13th, 2021 at 8:01 pm
You’re right. Merriam-Webster places the earliest known use of “cosh” in the sense of the quote as 1869.
July 13th, 2021 at 8:03 pm
I was wondering if Crispin Quest qualifies as a PI, and I think he may. I found this quote online:
“A nobleman is disgraced, stripped of his title and wealth. Reduced to poverty, he must eke out a living as a finder of stolen items and, occasionally, criminals. He’s a flawed character, too proud to accept the squalor he cannot escape, too romantic to overcome the wiles of women who use and abuse him, and too steeped in his own code of honor to avoid peril.â€
July 13th, 2021 at 9:16 pm
Crispin is described as “seeker.” He did work for money so I would equate to an enquiry agent in Victorian/Edwardian times, and the private investigator of today.