Jeri Westerson
Author Website | Reviews | Bibliography & Rights Information
The Crispin Guest Medieval Mystery Series | Biblio. & Rights Info
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, October 2010)
Troubled Bones (St. Martin’s Minotaur, October 2011)
Blood Lance (Under contract to St. Martin’s Minotaur)
Shadow of the Alchemist (Under contract to St. Martin’s Minotaur)
“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
and JOLIFFE medieval mystery series
“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 sleeve 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
“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
“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
“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
“The best yet in the series.”
–Publishers Weekly
“Absolutely first class; highly recommended for fans of medieval mysteries.”
–Library Journal (Starred Review)
“A solid plot and cast of characters, a feel for the story’s place and time (fourteenth-century England), and an appealing noirish air. A welcome addition to the medieval-mystery landscape.”
–Booklist
“The writing is wonderful and the history vividly presented. Not to be missed by fans of real historical mysteries.”
–Romantic Times
4 1/2 Star, Top Pick!
“Westerson writes with such knowledge and skill that you feel as if you are walking those shadowy streets and alleys of London … not only enjoyable but enlightening.”
–Reviewing the Evidence
“Another superb mystery; those who discover Guest for the first time will be compelled to explore back through the original books, while longtime fans will already be looking forward to Westerson’s next novel.”
–North Country Times
“Westerson tells a chilling yarn and Crispin and his apprentice are among the most courageous and compelling protagonists at work in fictional detection.”
–Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Keep(s) the reader absorbed with intriguing characters, a believable setting and a horrific series of murders.”
–Deadly Pleasures Magazine
“A fantastic book you won’t want to put down.”
–Romantic Times Book Review (4.5 star Top Pick!)
“Westerson’s fine fourth historical featuring Crispin Guest … The Agatha-Christie like solution will please puzzle buffs, while series fans will welcome the author’s efforts to further flesh out the lead and his apprentice, Jack Tucker.”
–Publishers Weekly
“Aficianados of medieval murder mysteries will delight in Westerson’s accurate period details and an intriguing plot guaranteed to keep the reader guessing into the night.”
–Shelf Awareness
“A must-read for fans of medieval mysteries, but also of interest to readers of Alex Bledsoe’s Eddie Lacrosse fantasy series.”
–Booklist
“A murderous spin on The Canterbury Tales … Westerson’s latest medieval noir is a very readable combination of historical fact and mystery.”
–Kirkus
“Combines the best of two worlds in this dark but touching series, and “Troubled Bones,” like its predecessors, provides an evening of superior entertainment.””
–Richmond Times Dispatch
“[Westerson] draws you into the world of her characters. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys medieval mysteries, and I look forward to meeting Crispin and Jack again.”
–Historical Novel Society Review
BIBLIOGRAPHY & RIGHTS INFORMATION
- THE CRISPIN GUEST MEDIEVAL MYSTERY SERIES
- VEIL OF LIES (St. Martin’s Press, 2008)
- SERPENT IN THE THORNS (St. Martin’s Press, 2009)
- THE DEMON’S PARCHMENT (St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2010)
- TROUBLED BONES (St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2011)
- BLOOD LANCE (St. Martin’s Minotaur, under contract)
- SHADOW OF THE ALCHEMIST (St. Martin’s Minotaur, under contract)
- Bk #1 – Finalist for the Macavity Award for Best Historical Mystery!
- Bk #1 – Finalist for the Shamus Award!
- Bk #2 – Finalist for the Macavity Award for Best Historical Mystery and finalist for the LCC/Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery Award!
- Bk #3 – Nominated for Romantic Times Award for Best Historical Mystery and Finalist for the Macavity for Best Historical Mystery!
- Bk #4 – Nominated for Romantic Times Award for Best Historical Mystery and Finalist for the LCC/Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery Award!
- French rights Bks #1-3 to Pygmalion
- Russian rights Bks #1-2 to AST
- Polish rights Bks #1-4 to Fabryka Slow
- Large print rights Bk #3 to Thorndike Press
Date: 06/02/2010