BERNARD KNIGHT – The Poisoned Chalice. Pocket, UK, softcover, 1998. Several reprint editions.

Genre:   Historical mystery. Leading character:  Sir John de Wolf; 2nd in series. Setting:   England-Middle Ages/1194.

First Sentence:   The chamber was almost in darkness.

   Sir John de Wolf’s life has challenges enough with a cold, social-climbing wife and her brother, the power-hungry Sheriff. He now has to solve crimes against women in Medieval Exeter: the betrothed daughter of a wealthy merchant has been raped, and the betrothed daughter of a local noble has died of a botched abortion.

   While signs point to the town’s silversmith, John must find the guilty person without the two families killing each other or the Sheriff hanging the wrong person.

   It is always a good start when an author includes Author’s Notes, a map and a glossary at the start of an historical mystery. It reveals what license the author has taken, defines the locale and saves me running to the Internet.

   More than that, from the very beginning, it brings the book to life. What wonderful characters have been created by Knight. Sir John, his bodyguard Gywn of Polruan and his clerk Thomas de Peyne are a wonderful, not completely harmonious, combination.

   Then you have John and his relationship with his wife. I am normally opposed to a protagonist having a mistress, but I’m willing to make an exception here. You empathize with John’s frustrations and cheer his constant struggle to enforce the law.

   Knight takes us deep into the 12th century, making it come to life without ever glorifying it. These were hard times and people with hard lives, poor sanitation, the demands of taxation and eternal political wrangling. The legal process was in formation yet laws would change with the kings. I always appreciate an author who can educate and entertain me simultaneously.

   The story is well plotted with plenty of intrigue, conflict and drama. The mystery is definitely there and the killer well concealed. The ending felt abrupt and slightly unsatisfying, which is why my rating is lower than it might have been. Even so, the author’s voice and the principal characters make this a captivating series. I look forward to reading the next book.

Rating: Good Plus.

Bibliographic Comments: The Poisoned Chalice is the second of now fourteen books in this “Crowner John” series, the most recent being A Plague of Heretics (2010).

   Knight has recently also begun a second series of detective novels, this one taking place in the mid-1950s. The leading character is these, with two having appears so far, is Dr Richard Pryor, a forensic pathologist. (The author himself is a well-known forensics expert.)

   For more information on the Bernard Knight and both his fiction and non-fiction, check out his website, located here.