Bernard Knight

Christmas Eve, 1194. Sir John de Wolfe gratefully escapes his wife Matilda's party to examine the body of a canon who has been found hanged. Suicide is suspected, but it's soon apparent there is more to this case that meets the eye. As always, John's investigations are hampered by his brother-in-law, Sheriff Richard de Revelle. But when a local lord is killed, John begins to suspect the cases may be linked and Sir Richard's reasons for delaying the investigation might be more serious than the usual petty vengeance. Desperately trying to deflect Sir Richard's plots against him, John is soon at loggerheads with Matilda, and even his mistress Nesta. But as he digs deeper, he discovers a deadly conspiracy that could cost him far more than the women of his life...

A Crowner John Mystery

Crowner'S Quest

November, 1194 AD. Apointed by Richard the Lionheart as the first coroner for the county of Devon, Sir John de Wolfe, recently returned from the Crusades, rides out to the lonely moorland village of Widecombe to hold an inquest on an unidentified body. But on his return to Exeter, the new coroner is incensed to find that his own brother-in-law, Sheriff Richard de Revelle, is intent on thwarting the murder investigation, particularly when it emerges that the dead man is a Crusader, and a member of one of Devon's finest and most honourable families...

The Sanctuary Seeker

December, 1194. The well-born ladies of Exeter are not having a good week. First, Christina Rifford, the daughter of a rich merchant, is raped. Then, just months before her marriage, Lady Adele de Courcy is found dead in one of the poorest areas of the city.The common factor is Godfrey Fitzosbern, the local silversmith. But despite Crowner John's suspicions and the vengeful accusations of the families, it is John's duty to protect Godfrey until he can find definite proof of his guilt.Aided by his mistress Nesta, hindered by his social-climbing wife Matilda and her power-hungry brother, Sheriff Richard de Revelle, John slowly begins to put the pieces together. But a final, brutal act of violence will bring a new twist to the investigation ...

The Poisoned Chalice

Milton Helpern

The Memoirs of Milton Helpern, the World's Greatest Medical Detective

Autopsy

Ian Morson

Simon Beaufort

The anthology centres around a piece of the True Cross, allegedly stained with the blood of Christ, which falls into the hands of Geoffrey Mappestone in 1100, at the end of the First Crusade. The relic is said to be cursed and, after three inexplicable deaths, it finds its way to England in the hands of a thief. After several decades, the relic appears in Devon, where it becomes part of a story by Bernard Knight, set in the 12th century and involving his protagonist, Crowner John. Next, it appears in a story by Ian Morson, solved by his character, the Oxford academic Falconer, and then it migrates back to Devon to encounter Sir Baldwin (Michael Jecks). Eventually, it arrives in Cambridge, in the middle of a contentious debate about Holy Blood relics that really did rage in the 1350s, where it meets Matthew Bartholomew and Brother Michael (Susanna Gregory). Finally, it's despatched to London, where it falls into the hands of Elizabethan players and where Philip Gooden's Nick Revill will determine its ultimate fate.

An Historical Mystery

The Tainted Relic

Much of the county lies under the iron rule of the Royal Forest laws, with all hunting reserved to the King. The penalty for killing a deer is mutilation or death, and these harsh laws are rigorously upheld by the King's foresters, notorious for their greed and corruption. In June 1195, a horse gallops into the sleepy village of Sigford, the broken shaft of an arrow protruding from its rider's back. The embroidered badge sewn on the dead man's tunic identifies him as a senior officer of the Royal Forest. With the victim's purse still full of money, the motive for murder is a mystery. But when a second forest officer is violently attacked, county coroner Sir John de Wolfe begins to uncover evidence of a sinister conspiracy.

Fear In The Forest

Exeter, 1195. Renovations at the new school in Smythen Street are disrupted by the shocking discovery of a partially mummified corpse hidden in the rafters - and Sir John de Wolfe, the county coroner is called to investigate. Richard de Revelle, Sir John's brother-in-law and founder of the school, immediately tries to blame Nicholas de Arundell, a young outlawed knight living rough on Dartmoor. As Sir John discovers, Nicholas has good reason to bear a grudge against the unscrupulous de Revelle. But is he really a killer? With the victim's identity unknown and the motive a mystery, the murder remains unsolved. But then comes news of a second violent death - and Sir John is forced to track down the 'noble outlaw' in order to find the answers.

The Noble Outlaw

It is 1195, and when a wealthy mill-owner falls dead across his horse, Sir John de Wolfe, the county coroner, declines to hold an inquest. The man was considerably overweight, had been complaining of chest pains, and showed no signs of injury. A clear-cut case of death from natural causes. But events take a sinister turn when a straw doll is discovered hidden beneath the man’s saddlebag, a thin metal spike piercing its heart. Convinced that her husband’s death was caused by an evil spell, the victim’s strident widow begins a campaign against witchcraft and the so-called “cunning women” who practice it. Soon Exeter is in turmoil, a hysterical mob is on the loose, and several local women are in danger. Still, the coroner declines to get involved—until his own mistress falls under suspicion. Can Crowner John discover the real cause of the merchant’s death, unearth the culprit, and save his beloved Nesta from the hangman’s noose?

The Witch Hunter

In 1195, high-spirited young knights, drunken squires, pickpockets, and horse thieves are pouring into Exeter for a one-day jousting tournament. Not even the discovery of a naked corpse in the River Exe can spoil the excitement. During the tournament, there is a serious altercation between Hugo Peverel, a manor lord from Tiverton, and a Frenchman by the name of Reginald de Charterai. When, two days later, Sir Hugo’s blood-soaked body is found in a barn on his estate, de Charterai would seem the obvious culprit. But there’s no shortage of people who wished the despised Hugo dead. All three of his brothers have a motive, as do his stepmother and his attractive young widow. And just what is the connection between Sir Hugo’s murder and the battered body in the River Exe? With so many suspects from which to choose, Sir John is confronted with one of the most difficult cases of his distinguished career.

Figure of Hate

1195. Prince Johnplots to seize the throne from his brother, Richard the Lionheart - and in his wicked schemes he is supported by King Philip of France, who offers to help John financially by sending him a mysterious alchemist, a Mohammedan named Nizam, who claims to be able to transmute base metals into gold. But the ship which was transporting Nizam and his retainers to the Devon tin mines is found wrecked off the south Devon coast, its crew savagely slaughtered. Shortly afterwards, Sir Peter le Calve, a Norman knight living near Exeter, is foully murdered, being part-crucified and beheaded, his head stuck on the rood screen of the cathedral. It's up to Sir John de Wolfe, the county coroner, to find a motive and connection between the killings. And just what is his unscrupulous brother-in-law, the disgraced ex-sheriff and known Prince John-sympathiser, Richard de Revelle, trying to hide?

The Elixir of Death

In May 1195, Sir John de Wolfe is summoned to inspect a corpse in Exeter's cathedral precinct. Aaron of Salisbury, a Jewish money-lender, has been found dead, his head enveloped in a brown leather money bag, a scrap of folded parchment clutched in his hand. On it is written ?And Jesus went into the temple and overthrew the tables of the money-changers.” This is just the beginning of a strange series of murders in which an apt biblical text is left at the scene of the crime. Setting out to track down a literate and Bible-learned killer in an age when only one percent of the population can read or write, Sir John deduces that he is looking for a homicidal priest.

The Grim Reaper

When Crowner John is summoned to the bleak Devonshire moors to investigate the murder of a tin miner, he has little idea how difficult this new investigation will prove to be. The victim is a trusted and well-loved overman of Devon's most powerful and successful mine owner, Walter Knapman. There seems to be only one possible motive - to sabotage Walter's business. But the tinners have their own laws, and they are none too pleased at Crowner John's interference. Especially as their main experience of officials has been with Sheriff Richard de Revelle, whose notoriously high taxes keep them in a permanent state of fury and near rebellion. And then Walter disappears. Stephen Acland, Walter's business rival wastes no time in comforting Walter's beautiful wife Joan, who appears remarkably unmoved by her husband's disappearance. Meanwhile, Walter's brother is going frantic with worry ... or could it be guilt? A decapitated body, a missing tinner, a disgruntled band of miners and a mad Saxon, intent on the destruction of all things Norman. How on earth can Crowner John sort all this out when his wife hates him, his mistress has spurned him for a younger man, and his clerk is in the grip of a suicidal depression? Only Gwyn, Crowner John's indispensable right-hand man seems to be of any help at all, until he is arrested for murder and put on trial for his life.

The Tinner's Corpse

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.

He fought for his nation in the Crusades. Now he must prepare for a wholly different kind of battle... 1194. Appointed by Richard the Lionheart as the first coroner for the county of Devon, Sir John de Wolfe, former crusader knight, rides out to the lonely moorland village of Widecombe to hold an inquest on an unidentified body found in a stream. But on his return to Exeter, the new coroner is incensed to find that his own brother-in-law, Sheriff Richard de Revelle, is intent on thwarting the murder investigation – particularly when it emerges that the dead man is both a Crusader and a member of one of Devon’s finest and most honourable families. Assisted by his loyal bodyguard Gwyn and his new clerk, defrocked priest Thomas, Sir John sets out to solve the mystery – whatever the cost. A thrilling medieval mystery full of suspense and intrigue, perfect for fans of Ellis Peters, E M Powell and Edward Marston.

A completely gripping medieval mystery

A classic murder mystery by acclaimed crime writer Bernard Knight, set in London and Moscow at the height of the Cold War. Simon Smith, an ex-Army man with a gift for languages, is drafted in by a shady businessman to do some 'work' in the USSR. Simon thinks it'll be an easy job with an ample reward...but what with multiple murders, beautiful femmes fatale, and devious master criminals, it's not as simple as he'd hoped! Meanwhile, the Russian detectives set to trail a suspected thief have all their expectations confounded... A thrilling tale of international politics and police work on the other side of the 'Iron Curtain'.

Russian Roulette

Coroner Sir John gets mixed up in alchemy in this twisty instalment in the Crowner John medieval mystery series, set in twelfth-century England. 1195. Prince John plots to seize the throne from his brother, Richard the Lionheart – and he is supported in his wicked schemes by King Philip of France, who offers to help John financially by sending him a mysterious alchemist, a Mohammedan named Nizam, who claims to be able to transmute base metals into gold. But Nizam never makes it England alive. The ship transporting him and his retainers to the Devon tin mines is found wrecked off the south Devon coast, its crew savagely slaughtered. And shortly afterwards, Sir Peter le Calve, a Norman knight living near Exeter, is also found foully murdered, his head stuck on the rood screen of the cathedral. It's up to Sir John de Wolfe, the county coroner, to find a motive and connection between the killings – and it’s clear that his unscrupulous brother-in-law, the disgraced ex-sheriff and known Prince John-sympathiser, Richard de Revelle, has something to hide . . .

Coroner Sir John investigates a returning crusader forced to live as an outlaw in this engaging instalment in the Crowner John medieval mystery series, set in twelfth-century England. Exeter, 1195. Renovations at a school in Smythen Street are disrupted by the shocking discovery of a partially mummified corpse hidden in the rafters, and county coroner Sir John de Wolfe is called in to investigate. Richard de Revelle, the school’s owner – and Sir John’s much-disliked brother-in-law – immediately points the finger at Nicholas de Arundell, an outlawed Cornish knight who now lives rough in the wilds of Dartmoor. As Sir John discovers, Nicholas has a good reason to bear a grudge against his unscrupulous brother-in-law, but is he really a killer? And if so, who exactly is it that he’s killed? The coroner begins to investigate, but then comes news of a second violent death. All signs point to the ‘noble outlaw’ as the culprit – but if Sir John’s to solve the case, he’ll need to find him first . . .

A classic murder mystery by acclaimed crime writer Bernard Knight, set in London and Moscow at the height of the Cold War. Simon Smith, an ex-Army man with a gift for languages, is drafted in by a shady businessman to do some ‘work’ in the USSR. Simon thinks it’ll be an easy job with an ample reward...but what with multiple murders, beautiful femmes fatale, and devious master criminals, it’s not as simple as he’d hoped! Meanwhile, the Russian detectives set to trail a suspected thief have all their expectations confounded... A thrilling tale of international politics and police work on the other side of the ‘Iron Curtain’.

The Sixties Crime Series

Set in an alternate version of the early twenty-first century, Brennan is Bernard Knight’s masterful retelling of the Arthurian myth in a dystopian modern world setting. Former soldier Brennan was one of only a few thousand British survivors of a horrific series of international disasters. Five years on, he has become leader of the Welsh survivors as their supplies of food and fuel grow ever more precariously low. However, they face violent competition for these scarce resources from other groups of survivors – and to make things worse, those from other countries are raiding the UK for supplies and killing those who resist. To stand any hope of survival, Brennan must unite the remaining Britons and lead them in resistance against those who would see them dead – but does he stand any hope of succeeding in a world already changed beyond all recognition?

Brennan

An updated and revised edition of the major reference work in forensic pathology, this will be an important purchase for all in the field. 'Forensic Pathology' offers a thorough, detailed guide to the performance and interpretation of post-mortem examinations conducted for the police and other legal authorities.

Bernard Knight

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