A Tournament of Murders: The Franklin's Tale of Mystery and Murder as He Goes on Pilgrimage from London to Canterbury

This Canterbury pilgrim series of P.C. Doherty is a wonderful medieval series. This is the third book in the pilgrims' tales series, and I think the best so far. It has everything - intrigue, murder, war, retribution and even a ghost. The story tells of a young squire that goes back to the place of his birth to try to uncover the mystery surrounding his father's disgrace and ultimate death. He finds himself and his friends pitted against some very dangerous and unscrupulous men, but he is not deterred. With the help of his friend Cuthbert, and a few others that he picks up along the way he does determine who the traitor was that framed his father. There is a battle scene in this book that is probably the best description of a medieval battle of any that I've read. I certainly wish there were a few more books in this series. It's one that I can't seem to get enough of. Great stuff!

This is another installment in P. C. Doherty's Chaucer series. The Franklin tells the tale of a young squire, Richard Greenele, sent on a mission by his Knight as he lays dying on the battlefield. Richard finds out that he is really a noble and begins a quest to unravel the mystery behind his father's downfall. This is a story of the coming of age of young Richard as well as a wonderful mystery full of murder and deceit.P.C Doherty is in my opinion the best writer of historical mysteries out there. This book kept me riveted. I loved it.

Quite an excellent book. Doherty perfectly intermingles the pilgrim's conversations with the story told by the franklin. A page-turner and nearly impossible to put it down; I read it in two days! This book has all the classic murder mystery parts: death, sex, intrique, romance, and for those medieval fans, knights, ladies, verderers, castles, and of course those pilgrims. A five out of five stars!

Having read and enjoyed The Man of Law's Tale and The Knight's Tale, I was expecting to find The Franklin's Tale to be no less intriguing. My expectations were far exceeded. I was scarcely able to put it down, and, when I had finished it, I got my husband to read it, and HE couldn't put it down, either. This book is more "gothic" in flavor than the previous two, and perhaps that why I enjoyed it more. This has all the markings of a classic, one that I'll read again and again.

P.C.Doherty, an English headmaster with a family of 7 children still finds time to write 3000 words a day. In this fashion he writes in the region of 4 to 5 books a year-and gets them published! His knowledge of history is encyclopeadic and readers of his earlier books will not be disappointed with this new series which takes each of the Chaucher pilgrims to Canterbury and places them at the center of a murder mystery. Readers who enjoy Doherty's work ought to know that he writes under the following pseudonyms: C.L.Grace, Ann Dukthas, Paul Harding, Michael Clynes and his very latest, Anna Apostolou.