The Tracker pursues mystical documents said to conjure demons while hunting for a monstrous killer in this medieval mystery with 'an appealing noirish air' (Booklist).
Since losing his knighthood, Crispin Guest has reinvented himself as an investigator for hire known as the Tracker. But his reputation will once again be put to the test with his latest case. Jacob of Provençal, a Jewish physician at the king's court, is missing a set of documents that he claims contain the power to bring forth a dangerous demon.
Meanwhile, it seems a monster has already been unleashed on the city. Vulnerable street children are being abducted and murdered, their mutilated bodies the only clues left behind. With the help of his orphaned servant, Jack, it is up to Crispin to unravel the grim tangle of mystery and murder.
This third installment of the Crispin Guest Medieval mysteries was nominated for a Romantic Times Award and was a finalist for the Macavity Award.
The disgraced knight turned inquiry agent searches for a missing relic in this Macavity Award-finalist mystery set in fourteenth century London.
Former knight Crispin Guest is now known in the streets of medieval London as the Tracker-an investigator who can find anything and anyone. What begins as a straightforward case of murder turns complicated when Crispin realizes that the victim was an important courier in possession of a holy artifact-an object so valuable that its absence could start a war between France and England.
Surrounded by possible suspects, Guest will have to use his wiles to navigate both the exclusive halls of King Richard's court, and the hardscrabble streets of fourteenth-century London. In a world full of old friends, mysterious strangers, and dangerous enemies-including the treasonous mastermind who caused Crispin's fall from grace-Crispin will have to uncover a deadly conspiracy to protect his country, save himself, and perhaps even restore his good name.
'A disgraced knight earns a meager living as a private inquiry agent in 1383 London' in a series debut that 'will appeal to mystery and history fans alike' (Kirkus Reviews).
Accused of treason and stripped of his knighthood, Crispin Guest has survived on the gritty streets of London by reinventing himself as The Tracker, an investigator for hire who can locate lost objects and uncover secrets. When the merchant Nicholas Walcote hires Guest to investigate his young wife Philippa for adultery, he discovers an underground world of danger and dirty dealings. Philippa is indeed hiding something-but she's not the only one. Walcote himself is rumored to possess a holy relic so powerful that some would even kill for it.
To get to the truth about the mysterious Walcotes, Guest must contend with his nemesis, Sheriff Simon Wynchecombe, as he becomes entangled in a strange world of superstition, seduction, and murder. With vivid period detail and a complex, thrilling story, Veil of Lies was a finalist for the Macavity and Shamus awards.
With Halloween just a week away, tea-shop proprietor Kylie Strange doesn't have much in the way of holiday spirit. She's just learned that the last day of October also heightens the power of magic-which means the potential for a tidal wave of evil creatures to emerge from that supernatural Booke of the Hidden.
Destroying the ancient Booke once and for all is the ultimate solution. But the only way to accomplish this task involves a journey to the Netherworld and the help of the only being powerful enough to destroy the Booke: Satan himself. And, though the brooding and elusive Erasmus Dark has captured Kylie's heart against her better judgment, she ignores his repeated warnings that the mission guarantees her doom.
With Kylie in the Netherworld, her coven must stave off the onslaught of deadly creatures that emerge from the Booke-as well as hold back the encroaching destruction of the maniacal god Baphomet. Luckily, they're joined by some unlikely friends in their fight against total annihilation. But now Kylie's journey becomes a rescue mission, and if she can't complete her task and return from the Netherworld, all will be lost for the inhabitants of Moody Bog . . . and the rest of humanity.
Contains mature themes.
Small-town tea shop proprietor Kylie Strange already has a lot on her plate. The last thing she needs is more trouble to spring up from the mystical Booke of the Hidden.
Keeping one step ahead of a scheming demon, supernatural assassins, and Baphomet-an angry god hellbent on stealing the Booke-it's all more than enough for one person to handle. And that's without mentioning her competing affections for the demon Erasmus Dark and the handsome, human Sheriff Ed.
But soon enough, Kylie and her coven hear whispers of new disturbances in Moody Bog. Strange creatures have been stalking the townsfolk and rumors of violent encounters confirm their deadly intent. Worst of all, the Booke of the Hidden is not to blame, and no one is sure what is.
Kylie and her coven of Wiccans need to prioritize. Which is worse? The mysterious and lethal creatures or Baphomet, who-if he gets his way-will unleash Hell upon Moody Bog . . . and beyond.
Contains mature themes.
Something deadly is lurking in the swampy marshes of Moody Bog. For Kylie Strange, it just means more deaths she's responsible for since she's the one who accidentally unleashed a Pandora's box of horrors on the small town in the first place. She opened the Booke of the Hidden and now she must do everything she can to close it for good, taking on every monster it releases with the help of the local coven.
This time the Booke has unleashed not one, but two demons on the village. With her attention divided, Kylie and her coven of Wiccans are open to attack. But those aren't the only demons on Kylie's mind. There's also Erasmus Dark, the Booke's alluring and dangerous demon guardian she can't seem to stay away from. Even though she really should . . . since she's also got her eye on the handsome and human Sheriff Ed Bradbury.
When digging for answers in the town's past leads to the ghost of Kylie's grandfather, everything she thought she knew and remembered gets turned upside down. Can Kylie save the town and her grandfather, or will the horrors of the Booke be too much to handle?
Contains mature themes.
To get a fresh start away from a bad relationship, Kylie Strange moves across the country to open a shop in a seemingly quiet town in rural Maine. During renovations on Strange Herbs & Teas, she discovers a peculiar and ancient codex, The Booke of the Hidden, bricked into the wall. Every small town has its legends and unusual histories, and this artifact sends Kylie right into the center of Moody Bog's biggest secret.
While puzzling over the tome's oddly blank pages, Kylie gets an unexpected visitor-Erasmus Dark, an inscrutable stranger who claims to be a demon, knows she has the book, and warns her that she has opened a portal to the netherworld. Kylie brushes off this nonsense, until a series of bizarre murders put her, the newcomer, at the center. With the help of the demon and a coven of witches she befriends while dodging the handsome but sharp-eyed sheriff, Kylie hunts for a killer-that might not be human.
Contains mature themes.
Once a Knight of the Realm, Crispin Guest was stripped of his title and his lands and now must earn his living with his wits. In various corners of late fourteenth-century London, Guest has become known as the Tracker, a man who can solve any puzzle or find any missing object - for a price. Because of that reputation, Guest is sought out by Nicholas Flamel, a famed alchemist. Both Flamel’s wife and his apprentice are missing, and he wants Guest to find them and bring them home. Before he can even begin looking, Guest discovers that Flamel’s house has been ransacked. Ancient symbols start appearing on walls and carved into stones around London, and Flamel’s assistant turns up dead, hanging from the rafters with a note pinned to his chest with a dagger. It is a ransom note that promises the safe return of his wife in exchange for the Philosopher’s Stone, which is reputed to turn lead into gold and create the Elixir of Life. And the kidnappers aren’t the only ones after it. From the highest nobility to Flamel’s fellow alchemists, everyone is seeking the Stone for themselves. With the help of his young apprentice, former cutpurse Jack Tucker, Guest must use all his skills and wits to unravel the mystery, rescue Flamel’s kidnapped wife, and find the Stone before it falls into unworthy hands.
Disgraced knight Crispin Guest gets himself into some serious trouble in London and as a result is forced to accept an assignment far out of town. The Archbishop of Canterbury has specifically requested Guest to investigate a threat against the bones of saint and martyr Thomas à Beckett, which are on display in the cathedral in Canterbury. The archbishop has received letters threatening the safety of the artifacts, and he wants Guest to protect them and uncover whoever is after them. When he arrives at Canterbury, Guest is accosted by an old acquaintance from court - one Geoffrey Chaucer - and is surrounded by a group in town on a pilgrimage. Trapped amongst the pilgrims (who were, quite possibly, the model for Chaucer's famous story cycle), looking for a murderer, a hidden heretic and a solution to the riddle that will allow him to go back home, Crispin Guest finds his considerable wit and intellect taxed to its very limit.
In late fourteenth-century London, disgraced former knight Crispin Guest spies a body hurtling from the uppermost reaches of London Bridge. Crispin's attempted rescue fails, however, and the man - an armorer with a shop on the bridge - dies. While whispers in the street claim that it was a suicide, Crispin is unconvinced. He discovers that the armorer had promised Sir Thomas Saunfayl something that would make him unbeatable in battle. Sir Thomas, a friend from Crispin's former life, believes that the item was in fact the Spear of Longinus - the spear that pierced the side of Christ on the cross - which is believed to make those who possess it invincible. Complicating matters is another old friend, Geoffrey Chaucer, who is suddenly eager to help Crispin find the missing spear...and locate Sir Thomas, who must face a trial by combat to determine whether he lives or dies. Desperate to help, Crispin, along with his faithful apprentice, Jack Tucker, hunt for the spear while dodging the various powerful factions determined to have it for themselves. Through danger and trials, Crispin finds that the safety of England may have landed solely in his hands.
