The Wolves of Savernake

First Sentence: Savernake Forest trembled in the fading light. Set 20 years after William the Conqueror becomes king, royal tribunals are sent throughout England to compile a comprehensive assessment of his land and resources and the extent of taxes he could raise. Although one tribunal has already visited Bedwyn, a letter received from the town's miller has prompted the sending of a second tribunal consisting of knight, Ralph Delchard, lawyer Gervase Bret, Canon Hubert and Brother Simon. Before they arrive, the miller has been brutally killed, apparently by a wolf. Ralph suspect the cause of death was more human than animal. This is another of those authors I can't believe I've not previously read. His writing is so visual and his descriptions so lush, I was drawn in from the very beginning. I love that he almost anthropomorphized nature: "...a weeping willow dived angrily downwards..." The scene when the members of the tribunal ride to the top of a hill and look down on Stonehenge is wonderfully done. I am not one for "casting" a book, but I found myself so doing with Delchard and Gervase. The sense of time and place are so strong but not glamorized. Marston realistically portrays how little power most women had over their own lives and how superstition was rife. The dialogue is effective in conveying a sense of the period without making it difficult to read. There was wonderful humor to offset the brutality of the deaths. The story is very well plotted. I certainly did not identify the killer until they were exposed. I'm now off to find all the rest of Marston's books.

This book is the first in Marston's Domesday series. It is set in England 20 years after William the Conqueror became king (1086). Two of William's men (Gervaise Bret and Ralph Delchard) have been sent to Bedwyn to do a land assessment. While they are there there are gruesome murders occuring and they appear to have been committed by a renegade wolf. Bret and Delchard are trying to figure out what is going on while they are also pursuing some shady land deals. This series looks very promising. It is very well written with a tight plot, and has colourful settings with great period detail. It is deliciously medieval, and Bret and Delchard make a great crime-fighting duo. Can't wait for more.

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. This is the first book I ever read by Edward Marston. It is about a period of history that I love and once I had read it, I eagerly sought out all other books by the author and I have never been disappointed. 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 first book in the series. When a wealthy miller is murdered it prompts the attention of William I, better known as William the Conqueror. He immediately despatches two of his most able men to the town of Bedwyn to uncover the murderer and bring them to justice. It takes all of their knowledge and determination to uncover a two-legged killer, much more cunning and far more savage than any animal.

If historical mystery is part of your reading diet, then you cannot go wrong with Mr. Marston. If you read one, you will want to read all. The books show much referance done and well told stories...