The Malice of Unnatural Death:

The twenty-second novel in Michael Jecks?s medieval Knights Templar series. 1324 and the English kingdom is in uproar: Roger Mortimer, once the King?s most able commander and now his most implacable, hated enemy, is plotting the King?s assassination. And Mortimer is not the only person with murder in mind... When the bodies of a local craftsman and the King?s messenger are found in the streets of Exeter, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and his friend, Simon Puttock, are implored to find the person responsible. The deceased messenger was carrying a dangerous secret that could prove fatal in the wrong hands. Baldwin and Simon must find the murderer before he can strike again?From Publishers WeeklyWithout the character list, glossary, maps and author's note, a reader could get lost in Jecks's 23rd Knights Templar mystery (after The Dispensation of Death), but the tale, set in 1324 Exeter during Edward II's corrupt regime, is no less gripping for its complexity. Esteemed Knight Templar turned investigator Sir Baldwin de Furnshill reluctantly joins London's fledgling parliament after the Bishop of Exeter suggests that the king's French wife might be part of a conspiracy against the throne. Soon an inquest into several mysterious deaths uncovers further evidence of a plot centered on the nefarious work of John of Nottingham and Richard de Langatre, necromancers who have found a way to assassinate prominent personages using mommet dolls and bone needles. Fear and speculation spread with the discovery of several corpses, including a royal messenger buried in a rubbish heap. Stirring intrigue and a compelling cast of characters will continue to draw accolades from fans of the author's hefty historicals. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"Enough 14th-century English malice and murder to keep several intrepid investigators hard at work."  —Kirkus Reviews