Dispensation of Death: (Knights Templar 23)
Read Dispensation of Death: (Knights Templar 23) Online
Authors: Michael Jecks
Tags: #blt, #General, #_MARKED, #Fiction
Michael Jecks
Copyright © 2007 Michael Jecks
The right of Michael Jecks to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.
First published as an Ebook by
Headline Publishing Group in 2014
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library
eISBN: 978 1 4722 1984 8
HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP
An Hachette UK Company
338 Euston Road
London NW1 3BH
About the Author
Michael Jecks gave up a career in the computer industry to concentrate on his writing. He is the founder of Medieval Murderers, has been Chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association, and helped create the Historical Writers’ Association. Keen to help new writers, for some years he organised the Debut Dagger competition, and is now organising the Aspara Writing festival for new writers at Evesham. He has judged many prizes, including the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. Michael is an international speaker on writing and for business. He lives with his wife, children and dogs in northern Dartmoor.
Michael can be contacted through his website:
www.michaeljecks.co.uk
.
He can be followed on twitter (@MichaelJecks) or on
Facebook.com/Michael.Jecks.author
.
His photos of Devon and locations for his books can be found at:
Flickr.com/photos/Michael_Jecks
.
The Last Templar
The Merchant’s Partner
A Moorland Hanging
The Crediton Killings
The Abbot’s Gibbet
The Leper’s Return
Squire Throwleigh’s Heir
Belladonna at Belstone
The Traitor of St Giles
The Boy-Bishop’s Glovemaker
The Tournament of Blood
The Sticklepath Strangler
The Devil’s Acolyte
The Mad Monk of Gidleigh
The Templar’s Penance
The Outlaws of Ennor
The Tolls of Death
The Chapel of Bones
The Butcher of St Peter’s
A Friar’s Bloodfeud
The Death Ship of Dartmouth
Malice of Unnatural Death
Dispensation of Death
The Templar, the Queen and Her Lover
The Prophecy of Death
The King of Thieves
No Law in the Land
The Bishop Must Die
The Oath
King’s Gold
City of Fiends
Templar’s Acre
‘Michael Jecks is the master of the medieval whodunnit’ Robert Low
‘Captivating … If you care for a well-researched visit to medieval England, don’t pass this series’
Historical Novels Review
‘Michael Jecks has a way of dipping into the past and giving it that immediacy of a present-day newspaper article … He writes … with such convincing charm that you expect to walk round a corner in Tavistock and meet some of the characters’
Oxford Times
‘Great characterisation, a detailed sense of place, and a finely honed plot make this a superb medieval historical’
Library Journal
‘Stirring intrigue and a compelling cast of characters will continue to draw accolades’
Publishers Weekly
‘A tortuous and exciting plot … The construction of the story and the sense of period are excellent’
Shots
‘This fascinating portrayal of medieval life and the corruption of the Church will not disappoint. With convincing characters whose treacherous acts perfectly combine with a devilishly masterful plot, Jecks transports readers back to this wicked world with ease’
Good Book Guide
The twenty-third novel in Michael Jecks’s medieval Knights Templar series.
1325: England is a hotbed of paranoia under the reign of the increasingly unpredictable Edward II and his lover, Sir Hugh le Despenser. When the Queen’s lady-in-waiting is slaughtered and a man’s body, hideously mutilated, is discovered behind the throne, King Edward demands to be avenged.
Sir Baldwin de Furnshill is appointed to track down the killer, aided by his friend, Simon Puttock. But in an age of corruption, the knight and bailiff must fight to stay alive. And Baldwin and Simon soon learn that while their failure to find the murderer will carry its own peril, uncovering the truth may also be fatal.
This book is for Quintin Jardine and Eileen.
The best company.
| Sir Baldwin de Furnshill | – the keeper of the King’s Peace in Devon, and occasional investigator of crimes, Baldwin has become a Member of Parliament |
| Jeanne | – Sir Baldwin’s wife and only recently mother of his son |
| Simon Puttock | – the first friend Sir Baldwin made when he returned to his old manor at Furnshill, Simon was Bailiff to the old Abbot of Tavistock |
| Margaret | – Simon’s wife |
| Rob | – for the last few months Simon has been the Keeper of the Port of Dartmouth under the Abbot, and Rob is his servant from that town |
| In London | |
| King Edward II | – the feeble and feckless King of England from 8 July 1307 to 20 January 1327 |
| Queen Isabella | – wife to King Edward II |
| Peter of Oxford | – Chaplain to the Queen |
| Earl Edmund of Kent | – also known as Edmund of Woodstock, the Earl was the King’s youngest half-brother |
| Piers de Wrotham | – Earl Edmund’s adviser and spy |
| Sir Hugh le Despenser | – the King’s best friend and reputed lover, Sir Hugh became a tyrant in all but name |
| Ellis Brooke | – Sir Hugh’s most trusted henchman, Ellis has been with him for many years |
| William Pilk | – a loyal servant to Sir Hugh, William detests Ellis and looks forward to taking his post |
| Jack atte Hedge | – Jack has known Sir Hugh for many years and is now used as a specialist – an assassin |
| Lady Eleanor de Clare | – niece to King Edward II, Eleanor is wife to the Despenser |
| Alicia | – one of Lady Eleanor’s companions, Alicia has become a lady-in-waiting to the Queen |
| Mabilla | – sister to Ellis, Mabilla is one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting |
| Richard Blaket | – a known and trusted guard from inside the palace complex |
| Arch | – the guard from the southeast corner of the palace walls |
| Bishop Walter de Stapledon | – hated by much of the country, the Lord High Treasurer has long been a friend of Simon and Baldwin |
| Bishop John Drokensford | – Bishop of Bath and Wells, John is one of many who is sure that the tyranny of Despenser must soon be ended – by any means |
| Bishop Roger Martival | – the Bishop of Salisbury, and another important and powerful cleric in the politics of the day |