Westerson, Jeri
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The Crispin Guest Medieval Mystery Series | Biblio. & Rights Info REVIEWS Westerson's mystery debut is a brilliant tale of survival in a hostile environment, where anything can lead to death. Fans of medieval mysteries will put this on their reserve list. Highly recommended. --Library Journal (Starred Review)
An entertaining read that makes the prospect of sequels welcome. --Publishers Weekly
A promising debut featuring reluctant sleuth Crispin Guest... This authentically detailed medieval mystery has an intriguingly dark edge that will appeal to fans of both historical fiction and noir. --Booklist
To say VEIL OF LIES is a remarkable novel doesn't do the book justice. just when the plot seems set on a fixed course, the author deftly arranges another neat surprise and keeps the pages turning. The story is fresh, and engaging characters abound. --Historical Novels Review
Westerson combines an encyclopedic knowledge of the Middle Ages with an obvious love for the hard boiled genre and adds a classic mystery-telling ability to create what is one of my favorite reads of the year. I look forward to more from this wonderful new talent. --Crimespree
Will appeal to mystery and history fans alike. --Kirkus Reviews
VEIL OF LIES marks a spectacular debut! Westerson's "medieval noir" page-turner sports vigorous plotting, robust characters, and superb scholarship. An utterly beguiling alchemy of Canterbury and Connelly. The Crispin Guest series scores a bulls-eye on the first shot. The stuff of legend! --Julia Spencer-Fleming, Edgar finalist and author of I SHALL NOT WANT
Every fan of P.C. Doherty should be delighted with this new series. --Margaret Frazer, author of the DAME FREVISSE Jeri Westerson's VEIL OF LIES is a great read, through and through. Her finely wrought portrait of gritty Medieval London is imbued with great wit and poignancy, establishing Crispin Guest as a knight to remember. --Cornelia Read, author of A FIELD OF DARKNESS
Now that the Da Vinci Code has come and gone, VEIL OF LIES ought to prove the abiding interest in fiction that touches on Catholic and medieval themes... I've never read such a well-constructed and well-written mystery, and I've read many hundreds of them... I can't think of a single living author of mystery fiction that I'd buy in hardcover any more. I know I'll reread these books many times, so they have to be sturdy. Has someone already claimed the slot as #1 fan? Oh, okay, I'll settle for being #750. --Laura James, Crime Historian of Clews
"Brimming with medieval atmosphere, blessed with an elaborate plot and interesting characters, VEIL OF LIES shows great promise. And Westerson displays the skill of a writer who has mastered her subject and has used that knowledge to create erudite entertainment." --Richmond Times Dispatch
"This book, which has a bit of romance tucked up its raveled sleevem is pure fun." --Boston Globe "Westerson effectively translates the "noirish" tone of the classic 1930s private-eye novels to medieval England, creating a realistically gritty and intriguingly dark variation of other medieval mysteries by Ellis Peters and Margaret Frazier." -- Voya
--Mystery Scene "A resolution amid revelations, with a depth worth plumbing." --McClatchy Newspapers (Kansas City Star, Modesto Bee, et. al.)
"Guest is a likeable albeit flawed detective who is well worth his own niche in the history mystery genre." --I Love a Mystery
Veil of Lies (St. Martin's Press, October 2008)
Serpent in the Thorns (St. Martin's Press, October 2009)
The Demon's Parchment (St. Martin's Minotaur, Coming soon!)
and JOLIFFE medieval mystery series
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"An appealing premise... Crispin's derring-do as he weaves between the Court and the kitchens is distinctively entertaining."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Westerson adds flavor to the tale by enhancing the relationship between Guest and his young helper. Readers who can't get enough of medieval historicals will snap this one up."
--Library Journal
"Westerson's noir-influenced historical mystery boasts a strong cast of characters and makes good use of period details. This makes an excellent choice for mystery and historical fiction lovers."
--Booklist
"Her second book entertains as much as as did her 2008 novel "Veil of Lies." ...an interesting protagonist and beguiling read."
--North Country Times (San Diego, CA)
"Combine the historical lore with an intricate plot and a winning protagonist, and this is a series with broad appeal."
--Richmond Times-Dispatch
"Crispin is a complex character who is struggling to regain his status in life, but not at the cost of what he holds dear to himself: his honor. He is engaging and interesting to discover more about."
--Green Man Review
"Fast, clever and wonderful this is a great way to spend an evening."
--CrimeSpree
"Gripping scenes of escape, vivid descriptions of everyday life, and a mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. A rollicking good read for fans of the genre."
--School Library Journal
"Westerson has caught the spirit of the age with plots and counterplots as well as the sights, sounds, and smells of that age's seamier London neighborhoods."
--I Love a Mystery
Return to Top"The Demon's Parchment is so good it's sinful. With an unerring eye to historical detail and an uncanny knack for making the distant past feel comfortably contemporary, Jeri Westerson has written a novel sure to please even the most demanding reader. Protagonist Crispin Guest (a.k.a. The Tracker) is seductive as hell, and the writing is some of the best you'll find anywhere. Buy this book or be damned!
--William Kent Krueger, Anthony Award-winning author of Heaven's Keep
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