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Bernard Knight
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The Awful Secret: An historical crime thriller with a twist you won't see coming (The Crowner John Mysteries Book 4) Kindle Edition

by Bernard Knight (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 662 ratings
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A terrible truth that could shake Christendom to its core.

1195. Gilbert de Rideford – Knight of the Temple of Solomon and old acquaintance of county coroner Sir John de Wolfe – arrives in Exeter, begging for Sir John’s help.

He claims to have come into possession of an incredible secret, but to reveal it, first he needs to escape beyond the reach of the Knights Templar, or the secretive order of warrior monks – his former comrades – will surely kill him.

Suddenly swept into a world of religious intrigue and dangerous politics, Crowner John finds himself undertaking a life-threatening mission to Lundy, an island inhabited solely by notorious pirates, until finally the awful secret is finally revealed.

An astounding medieval mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat, perfect for fans of E. M. Powell, C. J. Sansom and Edward Marston.

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  1. Book 4 of 14
    Crowner John Mysteries
  2. Print length
    316 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Canelo Severn House
  6. Publication date
    March 28, 2022
  7. File size
    3868 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09SH8R28Y
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Canelo Severn House (March 28, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 28, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3868 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 316 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 662 ratings

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Bernard Knight

Bernard Knight

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
662 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Viking
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Historical Fiction Series
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2020
Verified Purchase
Almost like time travel. The author does an excellent job of capturing the time period.
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Not Great Lit, but entertaining.
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2014
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The writing is improving. Whether or not the "awful" secret is awful or not. I'm sufficiently hooked to be irritated that several in the series have not been made available on Kindle. This leaves me with the "awful" choice skipping over those books to the last books in the series, or stopping. I think I'll stop, don't know what Kindle is thinking of...
Even if this isn't great literature, it is reasonably well researched and gives a glimpse into the life of the "every day" people of the England, Wales and Cornwall/Devon.
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Billie Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars Charachters to care about
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2016
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Great series. I look forward to reading them all.
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pkrd
4.0 out of 5 stars Richly drawn characters.
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2018
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Another well written, intelligent story in the series. Finely drawn, rich characters, especially the ancillary characters. I highly recommend this series for anyone that enjoys this genre.
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rosette reed
5.0 out of 5 stars Love medieval mysteries
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2015
Verified Purchase
I liked the tongue in cheek humor in the crowned domestic situation. I enjoy the description of the every day life in a small English town! I look forward to the next adventure!
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Useful Idiot
3.0 out of 5 stars Da Vinci Knock Off
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2009
The story is pretty good from 12th century in remote island of England. The character as good and likable. There is a good medival feel. There are some intersting insights to the Templars as well a english period law and customs.
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normsky
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2018
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Just another great story i cannot wait for the next book.
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Kathleen Ingram
4.0 out of 5 stars Very satisfying_
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2015
Verified Purchase
"Gilbert de Rideford is a Knight of the Temple of Solomon, and an old acquaintance from Crowner John's crusading days".

I love the series and trying to read them in order, this one was not quite as good as #1-3 and #15 but still very satisfying! John and his compatriots are very well developed and all have excellent historical detail!
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Top reviews from other countries

mrs rosemary j giri
5.0 out of 5 stars A page-turner
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2023
Verified Purchase
A great series and every book is a page-turner. I couldn’t wait to find out what the awful secret was, but I’d enjoyed the book so much I was sorry to get to the end. I love reading about Crowner John’s awful wife and their constant squabbles are very entertaining. No wonder poor old Sir John has to seek solace with his mistress Nesta who is the exact opposite of his horrible wife. The other recurring characters are entertaining too: Thomas the defrocked priest who is always genuflecting and rides side saddle, the sheriff Richard de Revelle is as corrupt as Sir John is honest and then there’s Gwyn, the likeable giant, Sir John’s trusty sidekick. All wonderful characters who make these books such a great read, as well as the history and the descriptions of the legal system in the 12th century. Thoroughly recommended.
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Shirley T.
4.0 out of 5 stars Very well written books
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 3, 2022
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Loved the books which are a great read. The only reason I gave a four star rating is because whoever is proof reading is doing a poor job.
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takeiteasy
2.0 out of 5 stars I got sick of the main character.
Reviewed in Australia on April 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
This series is quite engaging but ultimately I got sick of the relationship between the main character and his wife (and girlfriends) - it never develops into anything much and got boring.
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Ron
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2023
Verified Purchase
A very good mystery thriller. Well worth keeping to read again.
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Barny79
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 4, 2015
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Good
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