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Bernard Knight
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Figure of Hate (A Crowner John Mystery Book 9) Kindle Edition

by Bernard Knight (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 568 ratings
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Coroner Sir John investigates the murder of a man with too many enemies to count in this pacey, twisty instalment in the Crowner John medieval mystery series, set in twelfth-century England.





Exeter, 1195. High-spirited young knights, drunken squires, pickpockets and horse thieves are pouring into the city for an exciting one-day jousting tournament. Not even a serious altercation between Sir Hugo Peverel, a manor lord from nearby Tiverton, and a mysterious Frenchman, Reginald de Charterai, can spoil the fun.





Two days later, however, Sir Hugo’s body is found in a barn, stabbed in the back. De Charterai seems the obvious culprit, but the county coroner, Sir John de Wolfe, soon discovers there’s no shortage of people who wished the almost universally hated Hugo dead. All three of his brothers have a motive: two for his title, and one for Hugo’s attractive young wife, Beatrice. Mistreated Beatrice had good reason herself to despatch her cheating husband – as did several prominent villagers whose lives Hugo ruined. With so many suspects to choose from, Sir John is confronted with one of the most difficult cases of his distinguished career.
Previous page
  1. Book 9 of 14
    Crowner John Mysteries
  2. Print length
    404 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Severn House
  6. Publication date
    April 1, 2015
  7. File size
    2067 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Medieval England is powerfully evoked in these gritty forensic investigations, with Sir John de Wolfe, Devon’s first county coroner, at the heart of each riveting tale. Bernard Knight, CBE, is Professor of Pathology at the University of Wales College of Medicine. During his distinguished forty-year career as a coroner, he was involved in many of Britain’s major criminal cases.

About the Author

Bernard Knight, CBE, is Professor of Pathology at the University of Wales College of Medicine. During his distinguished forty-year career as a coroner, he was involved in many of Britain’s major criminal cases.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00UUCXBWW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Severn House (April 1, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2067 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 404 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 568 ratings

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Bernard Knight

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
568 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kathleen Ingram
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this series
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
The Peverels of Sampford Peverell kept their manor as it had been in the time of the Conqueror, a very closed and violent place. Hugh Peverell was instrumental in his father's death and he and his brother planned to shorten his widow's life as well.

A series of crimes, each one worse than the one before kept kept Crowner John coming into their sphere with sometimes disastrous results. Bernard Knight gives excellent period detail to a stark
time to be alive, with laws just beginning to approach any type of justice.

This was one of the best ones I have read, the series just kept getting better. Crowner John and his retinue are vibrant characters. Three more to finish all 15 books, these sandwiched between others. I wholeheartedly recommend the series.
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Cheryl A. Reynolds
4.0 out of 5 stars Another great trip to the past
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2009
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#9 Crowner John historical mystery set in 1190's Devon. Lots of upheavals in the Crowner's life as the new Sheriff, who displaced his treacherous brother-in-law, begins dispensing the law. While honest, he's rather plodding and lazy and tends to let John handle most things. John's wife Matilda, an extremely socially conscious woman concerned with the neighbors' opinions and her diminishing status, seems to have developed a drinking problem after the fall of her brother from the highly lucrative Sheriff's position.

And it's tournament season--jousting and melee are just beginning to gain popularity, and John is asked to referee at a joust to be held during the Exeter fair, given his battle experience as a knight of the realm. One of the knights, a local manor lord, behaves very badly after losing his joust (which meant losing his horse, armor and often a good chunk of money to the winning knight) and John publicly chastises him for his unchivalrous behavior. The coroner later meets up with Hugo Peverel a second time when he's found stabbed several times in the back in one of his barns on the manor. Soon his death is tied to two other previous deaths and the Crowner must figure out which of the man's friends or family killed the odious man--not an easy task with a wealth of suspects at hand, and it's further complicated when his brother-in-law Richard, a friend and neighbor of the family, throws in his support for them.

I like this series a lot; the books seem to be well-researched and the author always has some interesting notes to read, too. Despite John's crabbiness, I like him and his secondary characters. The one thing that bothers me (and I know I've mentioned this before) is the constant use of the same verbs, often "animal sounds" attributed to the characters as they're speaking. For example, the Crowner, who is a rather gruff, curmudgeonly fellow, often snaps, growls or barks. His dandified brother-in-law frequently brays. If it wasn't for this, I would tend to rate the books higher, but at times it happens very frequently and is distracting enough to pull me right out of the story. I still look forward to the next one, though.
2 people found this helpful
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Dozer
5.0 out of 5 stars Crowner John
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2010
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Bernard Knight does it again! A cracking good read, keeps you interested til the very last page. Love the way he brings the middle ages to life,glad I didn't live then! Crowner John is kept very busy trekking around Devon trying to bring law and order butting his head against an old manor family who think they have the right to make their own rules and deliver their own judgements. And of course Crowner John's brother-in-law is also interferring!
One person found this helpful
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Billie Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars Get involved with the Charachters
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2016
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All the other 5 star reviews are on target .The whole series is a good view of the 12th century England. Written for men but not so much violence that women would be put off. The history is accurate and the mystery is intriguing. I found the references to amorous feeling or activity to be appropriate to the story and the century. If you like the kind that Ken Follett novels contain you will be disappointed.
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love libros
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2017
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All of Bernard Knight's books are fantastic. After the first one I read I went on Amazon and ordered as many of the others as I could find.
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars A Mystery For the Ages
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2015
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This wonderful medieval mystery centers around Sir John de Wolfe, coroner of the County of Devon. The setting is County Fair and tournament during the reign of Richard the Lion Hearst. A dead man has washed out from the river. He is quickly identified as a silversmith who was evidently robbed, along with his assistant, who is discovered injured but healing at a nearby priory. One of the alleged murderers is soon found to be a blacksmith under the protection of Sir Hugo Peverale, a local knight and bully who has just disgraced himself at a tournament. Soon, Sir Hugo is found, himself murdered at his manor of Sampford Peverale. Sir John is on the case. Complicating matters, however, is the appearance of Richard D'Revelle, the former Sheriff who was discharged due to embezzlement and sympathy for and support of Prince John In his fight to overthrow Richard. Sir John, a staunch Richard the Lion Heart supporter, must solve the mystery in spite of D'Revelle and Sir Hugo's brothers. the killer is ultimately unmasked and justice meted out as it could only be during this era.
One person found this helpful
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David. Schoen
3.0 out of 5 stars Good start and end, slow middle
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2016
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The story was alright but the author is more intent on giving long passages of discription then he is in advancing the story. It begins and ends well, but for most of the book, nothing happens.
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Michael Toledano
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2016
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One of the best historical fiction novels I've read.
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Top reviews from other countries

pamela denise anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Always a good bet for reading on a rainy day
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 23, 2024
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I’ve read 9 of the Crowner John Mystery Books and enjoyed every single one of them Historically Accurate, the pace is excellent I find them very interesting and a window on this lesser known historical age
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MK
3.0 out of 5 stars Adveertised 'as new', but the book looks heavily used
Reviewed in Germany on January 31, 2014
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Delivery service OK. But I am disappointed about the heavily used condition of the book, which has been advertised 'as new'.
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Mrs. G. A. Chesney-Green
4.0 out of 5 stars An engaging tale...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 21, 2018
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...in which Crowner John must investigate a number of deaths beginning with the murder of a silversmith. Some interesting information on tourneys, jousting and the general law of the land.
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Illande
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2023
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Superb evocation of the period, great yarns with wonderful character creation...recommended...
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sharen wild
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2023
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I like these books, they are an easy read and quite informative, But, I'm worrying about what will happen to Crowner John when King John comes to the throne.
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