The Lions of the North: An Action-Packed Medieval Mystery from the Bestselling Author

First Sentence: The two men were courting danger. Soldier Ralph Delchard and lawyer Gervase Bret lead the King's commissioners to Yorkshire in their continuing task to settle land claims as part of the compilation of the Domesday Book. Ralph is looking forward to this particular location as the castle there is owned by his former comrade Aubrey Maminot, whose two captive lions recently mauled an intruder to the castle. It is also a painful visit for Ralph as it brings back memories of his part in the brutality he and his fellow Norman soldiers brought down upon the Saxons of this region. Ralph and Gervase are implored by a young Saxon woman and her mother to render judgment against a nobleman of the area they claim stole the property and inheritance which should have been theirs and bring justice to the dispossessed, while discovering the identity of the lions' victim and learn what he sought within the castle. I'll admit I love maps in books and was, therefore, delighted to find a number of them included in the opening pages of this book. I also love English history and so appreciate that not only dies Marston tell a thoroughly engrossing tale with a very good mystery, but teaches me more about the history of the period as well. I love the characters Marston has created. Brother Simon, with his fear of women; Canon Hubert, a blend of piety and ego; Gervase, a man of intellect; Golde, the woman with whom Ralph loves; and Ralph, a warrior sick of war. Marston brings the characters to life and you know their personalities as well as, with each book, more of their background. But it's not just the primary characters; the secondary characters are fully dimensional. Marston's historic research is very apparent. He incorporated documented events and historic characters seamlessly into the story. He doesn't clean up or sterilize life in the 11th Century; life was hard, particularly for women, and often unpleasant. It was also a time when it almost no one could be trusted. That is a theme which runs through the series and certainly in this book. The plot contains a nice level of complexity without crossing into confusion, and has just the right level of twists and suspense as well as emotion. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am a definite fan of this series. I shall keep going book-by-book. THE LIONS OF THE NORTH (Hist Mys-Ralph Delchard/Gervase Bret-England-1086/Middle Ages) - VG Marston, Edward - 4th in Domesday series St. Martin's Press, 1996, US Hardcover - ISBN: 031214671X

I am really enjoying Edward Marston's Domesday series. This is the fourth book in the series. As its predecessors, this one is true to the period, and Marston seems to capture the sights and sounds of England right after William the Conqueror. I did not find the mystery as intricate this time though. I found it easy to figure out the who and the why fairly early, but I still enjoyed the book. I like Marston's recurring characters very much. The book is set in the north country (York), and Gervase and Ralph along with Canon Hubert and their scribe Brother Simon have a new judge in their midst, who appears to have been appointed by King William. But there is more to Tanceld than there seems to be, and of course murder occurs. Gervase and Ralph find themselves at risk as they pursue this particularly rutheless murderer.

Edward Marston is the pseudonym of Keith Miles, a fairly prolific and extremely good writer of mainly Elizabethan and medieval mysteries. He has also written mysteries under his own name with both sporting and golf backgrounds. However it is primarily the books that take place earlier in history that I am interested in. He read modern history at Oxford and has had many jobs, including university lecturer, but fortunately for all his readers, he turned to the writing profession. After reading the first book in the series, I avidly sought out all the other books by Edward Marston and not a single one has ever disappointed me. They are about a period of history that I love. His Elizabethan theatre series of books were wonderful and he has continued them through from 1988 to 2006. The Domesday series is also a great series and this is the second book in the series. The Domesday series is about a period in England's history shortly after the Norman conquest , during the reign of William the Conqueror. It was King William himself who called for an `inventory' to assess taxes and survey landholdings. This inventory was called the Domesday book and was a tremendous undertaking, but one that brought stability to England. Edward Marston's Domesday novels are based upon actual entries in the Domesday Book. Ralph Delchard and is friend and associate layer Gervase Bret lead some of William the Conqueror's finest commissioners into Yorkshire to settle and claims and continue to compile the Domesday Book. Ralph feels more than a little guilty when he remembers the part that he played in this battle scarred land. Pillaging the shire some years before when he helped to put down a revolt against the Conqueror. However there is still one isolated part of the shire that remains wealthy and that is the castle of the merchant Aubrey Maminot. There the King's Commissioners learn of two great terror. Firstly Olaf Evil Child, a hero of the poor Saxon folk and the ravenous lions that are kept as pets by Aubrey Maminot. The lions feast on the body of an anonymous person who tries to sneak into the castle. Gervase wonders why anyone would commit such an act of suicide . . .