Bernard Knight has long been one of the most reliable and sheerly entertaining practitioners of the historical crime novel, and it's not hard to see why. His particular skill is the marrying of astute historical detail with ingenious plotting, and The Noble Outlaw is a perfect example of that synthesis. In 12th century Exeter, a school is in the process of being renovated when a mummified body is discovered in the rafters. Inevitably, it is the county coroner Sir John de Wolfe who is commissioned to investigate. In fact, it is Sir John's brother-in-law, Richard de Revelle, the founder of the school, who supplies an instant (and rather too glib) an explanation, blaming a youthful rebel knight who has been reduced to sleeping rough on Dartmoor. Sir John discovers other corollary evidence against the young man, but he is never one to accept the obvious explanation, and digs deeper. And then a second violent murder takes the whole investigation into a critical phase.

All of the things that have made Bernard Knight's previous outings in the historical crime field so pleasurable are evident here (without, perhaps, quite the verve of earlier books); the best writing involves that crucial sleight-of-hand of the genre: refracting ancient sensibilities through modern modes of speech (who could accept a whole novel written in the authentic idiom?), but convincing us -- at every opportunity -- of the verisimilitude of what we're reading. The Noble Outlaw adds more lustre to Bernard Knight's already solid reputation. --Barry Forshaw

From a girls point of view, 27 Feb 2008
Like the others who have written reviews, l also have now read all the Crowner John books...l too wish l could read at a slower pace...Dr Knight, has the ability to incorporate actual facts from the 12th centuary, with fun, laughter and a real sense of taking you into the castles, taverns and villages, bringing the characters to life, and no, l defy anyone to guess who done it before being well into their lives.
Although John De Wolfe is a real man's man, Bernard Knight also shows that he has a soft spot for the ladies, one in particular. So girls, turn the phone off, put the kettle on and get into the life, loves and mysteries that are Crowner John.

Bernard Knight, a True Knight of a Gentleman and Author, 25 Oct 2007
As a U.S. reader, I trust you will not object to some observations from "across the pond" (as we former military used to call it). Although technically retired, my reading was often of an academic nature in several fields of learning. A year or so ago, I found myself in the need to take up some leisure reading or in other words something not hard and fast academic in nature. I love history in the broad sense (across borders which are fluid over time) and a good mystery where one does not know "who done it" by page 5 so that one may be proud of oneself for beating the author to the answers (said tongue in cheek). Well, I found first Michael Jecks and then the good (Dr.) Bernard Knight. Some, if not all of you, know that they have both written about medieval coroners that were brought back into British history at the time of Richard. Their tales are almost hand in glove as they are about a generation apart. Both gentleman are most true to history and interject fictional characters into the scene so that one gets a good dose of history and mystery at the same time. Now this was a little over a year ago, but I have read all of the books in the coroner series of both authors published to date. And since Dr. Knight has been around a little longer than Michael, I have read other titles to include some of the academic by Knight. I wish I could read slower or that this author, as well as Jecks, could write faster which is most unfair of me and most self serving. I may be forced to go back to book one in the series. But, I must say that even when Knight and Jecks write together with other authors, and they are select in whom they write with, you know when you get to those bits by either of them. They always "ring true!"

If my poor memory serves me correctly, the Latin "aflare" means puffed up or full of one's self. Despite his many achievements, to include his military service, Knight is never "aflare." There are some authors who speak highly of themselves and don't deserve the credit ("aflare" is also the root word for flatulence).

Bernard Knight is a good author and a good man. Search the titles by him and you will find a worthwhile read whether it be for pleasure reading or medical forensics, etc. In your search you might find some interesting and available out of print items.

Medieval Coroner will thrill, 18 Sep 2007
The continuing tales of Crowther John and to a new reader of the series is a tale that can be picked up and read without having read the previous installments. As to who this book is perhaps best for I would suggest that fans of Ellis' Brother Cadfael as well as fans of crime novels. Whilst this may confuse the odd reader, being exposed to the medieval world is not only refreshing but allows the reader to become fully engrossed within its pages and if that isn't enough, theres also a list of terms and an explanation of them within the book. What more could you want. For those who are currently wondering as to whom Bernard Knight is, he is perhaps Britain's most predominant retired Coroner and as such brings what many would term as his macabre expertise to the tale. It is this that adds another depth to the tale and for many a reader will increase their enjoyment no end.

Just as Good, if not Better than the Others in the Series, 06 May 2007

Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, became a Home Office Pathologist in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology, University of Wales College of Medicine, in 1980. He has now written eleven books in the much read Crowner John series and Bernard Knight is certainly one of my favourite authors among those who write medieval mysteries.

Crowner John or to give him his correct title, Sir John de Wolfe, is one of my all time favourite characters in medieval mysteries and if you read or are going to read this or any other of Bernard Knight's Crowner John Mysteries, you will probably understand why.. Dour and more than a little fierce looking but totally honest and incorruptible and a staunch follower of King Richard the Lionheart. He is the total opposite of his brother-in-law the ex-Sheriff of Exeter, apart from the fact that the both have an eye for the ladies.

The place is Exeter, the year 1195. Renovations are taking place at the new school in Smythen Street, a school funded by Crowner John's brother-in-law and ex-sheriff Richard de Revelle. A partially decomposed body is found in the loft of one of the out-buildings. John as Coroner is called to investigate. When it becomes apparent that the dead man is the missing treasurer of the guild of Cordwainers, de Revelle immediately seeks to put the blame on a young outlaw, a Cornish knight by the name of Nicholas de Arundell whose Devon manor the wily ex-sheriff has appropriated while Arundell was away at the Crusades.

Richard claims that the body has been dumped there in order to discredit his new school. The investigation becomes even more complex when another guild-master is found dead on the road from Tavistock to Exeter. Is Nicholas de Arundell, really responsible for the deaths, or is the ex-sheriff just putting up a smoke screen to confuse Crowner John?

From a girls point of view, 27 Feb 2008
Like the others who have written reviews, l also have now read all the Crowner John books...l too wish l could read at a slower pace...Dr Knight, has the ability to incorporate actual facts from the 12th centuary, with fun, laughter and a real sense of taking you into the castles, taverns and villages, bringing the characters to life, and no, l defy anyone to guess who done it before being well into their lives.
Although John De Wolfe is a real man's man, Bernard Knight also shows that he has a soft spot for the ladies, one in particular. So girls, turn the phone off, put the kettle on and get into the life, loves and mysteries that are Crowner John.

Bernard Knight, a True Knight of a Gentleman and Author, 25 Oct 2007
As a U.S. reader, I trust you will not object to some observations from "across the pond" (as we former military used to call it). Although technically retired, my reading was often of an academic nature in several fields of learning. A year or so ago, I found myself in the need to take up some leisure reading or in other words something not hard and fast academic in nature. I love history in the broad sense (across borders which are fluid over time) and a good mystery where one does not know "who done it" by page 5 so that one may be proud of oneself for beating the author to the answers (said tongue in cheek). Well, I found first Michael Jecks and then the good (Dr.) Bernard Knight. Some, if not all of you, know that they have both written about medieval coroners that were brought back into British history at the time of Richard. Their tales are almost hand in glove as they are about a generation apart. Both gentleman are most true to history and interject fictional characters into the scene so that one gets a good dose of history and mystery at the same time. Now this was a little over a year ago, but I have read all of the books in the coroner series of both authors published to date. And since Dr. Knight has been around a little longer than Michael, I have read other titles to include some of the academic by Knight. I wish I could read slower or that this author, as well as Jecks, could write faster which is most unfair of me and most self serving. I may be forced to go back to book one in the series. But, I must say that even when Knight and Jecks write together with other authors, and they are select in whom they write with, you know when you get to those bits by either of them. They always "ring true!"

If my poor memory serves me correctly, the Latin "aflare" means puffed up or full of one's self. Despite his many achievements, to include his military service, Knight is never "aflare." There are some authors who speak highly of themselves and don't deserve the credit ("aflare" is also the root word for flatulence).

Bernard Knight is a good author and a good man. Search the titles by him and you will find a worthwhile read whether it be for pleasure reading or medical forensics, etc. In your search you might find some interesting and available out of print items.

Medieval Coroner will thrill, 18 Sep 2007
The continuing tales of Crowther John and to a new reader of the series is a tale that can be picked up and read without having read the previous installments. As to who this book is perhaps best for I would suggest that fans of Ellis' Brother Cadfael as well as fans of crime novels. Whilst this may confuse the odd reader, being exposed to the medieval world is not only refreshing but allows the reader to become fully engrossed within its pages and if that isn't enough, theres also a list of terms and an explanation of them within the book. What more could you want. For those who are currently wondering as to whom Bernard Knight is, he is perhaps Britain's most predominant retired Coroner and as such brings what many would term as his macabre expertise to the tale. It is this that adds another depth to the tale and for many a reader will increase their enjoyment no end.

Just as Good, if not Better than the Others in the Series, 06 May 2007

Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, became a Home Office Pathologist in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology, University of Wales College of Medicine, in 1980. He has now written eleven books in the much read Crowner John series and Bernard Knight is certainly one of my favourite authors among those who write medieval mysteries.

Crowner John or to give him his correct title, Sir John de Wolfe, is one of my all time favourite characters in medieval mysteries and if you read or are going to read this or any other of Bernard Knight's Crowner John Mysteries, you will probably understand why.. Dour and more than a little fierce looking but totally honest and incorruptible and a staunch follower of King Richard the Lionheart. He is the total opposite of his brother-in-law the ex-Sheriff of Exeter, apart from the fact that the both have an eye for the ladies.

The place is Exeter, the year 1195. Renovations are taking place at the new school in Smythen Street, a school funded by Crowner John's brother-in-law and ex-sheriff Richard de Revelle. A partially decomposed body is found in the loft of one of the out-buildings. John as Coroner is called to investigate. When it becomes apparent that the dead man is the missing treasurer of the guild of Cordwainers, de Revelle immediately seeks to put the blame on a young outlaw, a Cornish knight by the name of Nicholas de Arundell whose Devon manor the wily ex-sheriff has appropriated while Arundell was away at the Crusades.

Richard claims that the body has been dumped there in order to discredit his new school. The investigation becomes even more complex when another guild-master is found dead on the road from Tavistock to Exeter. Is Nicholas de Arundell, really responsible for the deaths, or is the ex-sheriff just putting up a smoke screen to confuse Crowner John?






Knit One, Kill Two, 20 May 2008
I've read and enjoyed other knitting stories, but this one really grabbed my interest. It's a clever little plot and I honestly didn't figure out the killer until it was revealed at the end. The ending is very swift and leaves it open for the author to continue the series so you'll have to read the other books to see where Kelly ends up. I thought the style of writing and emotions displayed by the characters was more developed than some of the other knitting mystery books I've read, and I like the bold personalities that the author has created for her characters. In my opinion it's a good book, and I hope the rest of the series is as fun to read.

The book also includes knitting patterns for a chunky scarf and a shell top, and there is a recipe for the cinamon buns - all are refered to through the book so if you're inspired to get creating the information is all there for you!

Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton, 18 Sep 2007
The first in the series, and what a great book - I'm glad I bought the other two in the series!

Kate has returned to the town when she spent some time growing up. She has inherited from her Aunt a lovely cottage, following her aunt's murder, add to that the appearance of a distant cousin, and a missing family quilt, then another death........

Cozy crime, 02 Aug 2006
This is a typical "cozy crime", as opposed to Patricia Cornwell et al. I am a fan of her as well, but sometimes I prefer to bundle up with a cup of tea and a book like this.
The characters are likeable, the setting is rural and comforting, the plot has interesting twists. Also, the cinnamon buns (recipe included) are lovely!
You don't have to be a knitter to enjoy this book, but you may, like me, get the motivation to begin.

Ok Reading For A Wet Afternoon, 25 Feb 2006
I have to admit that I bought this book purely based on its knitting connection. A mystery involving knitting intrigued me and although I wondered whether the author might possibly be jumping on a trend and milking it, I decided that as I usually enjoy the odd cosy crime, I'd give it a try.

I think Ms. Sefton probably had good intentions with the story but unfortunately it didn't work for me. There were far too many characters involved and as their personalities weren't well developed, it was difficult to differentiate between them and keep track of who was doing what and why.

As far as the mystery itself goes, it didn't exactly keep me on the edge of my chair although it was ok. Big clues as to the answer started to turn up about two thirds into the book and it was all nicely unravelled at the end.

All in all the book's not too bad but nothing to get excited about. If you've nothing else to read on a wet afternoon and enjoy cosy crimes without demanding too much of them, this is probably worth reading. I certainly wouldn't recommend putting it at the top of your 'must read' list, though.

(If I could have given this 2.5 stars then I would have. It isn't quite deserving of 3 but deserves more than 2).

From a girls point of view, 27 Feb 2008
Like the others who have written reviews, l also have now read all the Crowner John books...l too wish l could read at a slower pace...Dr Knight, has the ability to incorporate actual facts from the 12th centuary, with fun, laughter and a real sense of taking you into the castles, taverns and villages, bringing the characters to life, and no, l defy anyone to guess who done it before being well into their lives.
Although John De Wolfe is a real man's man, Bernard Knight also shows that he has a soft spot for the ladies, one in particular. So girls, turn the phone off, put the kettle on and get into the life, loves and mysteries that are Crowner John.

Bernard Knight, a True Knight of a Gentleman and Author, 25 Oct 2007
As a U.S. reader, I trust you will not object to some observations from "across the pond" (as we former military used to call it). Although technically retired, my reading was often of an academic nature in several fields of learning. A year or so ago, I found myself in the need to take up some leisure reading or in other words something not hard and fast academic in nature. I love history in the broad sense (across borders which are fluid over time) and a good mystery where one does not know "who done it" by page 5 so that one may be proud of oneself for beating the author to the answers (said tongue in cheek). Well, I found first Michael Jecks and then the good (Dr.) Bernard Knight. Some, if not all of you, know that they have both written about medieval coroners that were brought back into British history at the time of Richard. Their tales are almost hand in glove as they are about a generation apart. Both gentleman are most true to history and interject fictional characters into the scene so that one gets a good dose of history and mystery at the same time. Now this was a little over a year ago, but I have read all of the books in the coroner series of both authors published to date. And since Dr. Knight has been around a little longer than Michael, I have read other titles to include some of the academic by Knight. I wish I could read slower or that this author, as well as Jecks, could write faster which is most unfair of me and most self serving. I may be forced to go back to book one in the series. But, I must say that even when Knight and Jecks write together with other authors, and they are select in whom they write with, you know when you get to those bits by either of them. They always "ring true!"

If my poor memory serves me correctly, the Latin "aflare" means puffed up or full of one's self. Despite his many achievements, to include his military service, Knight is never "aflare." There are some authors who speak highly of themselves and don't deserve the credit ("aflare" is also the root word for flatulence).

Bernard Knight is a good author and a good man. Search the titles by him and you will find a worthwhile read whether it be for pleasure reading or medical forensics, etc. In your search you might find some interesting and available out of print items.

Medieval Coroner will thrill, 18 Sep 2007
The continuing tales of Crowther John and to a new reader of the series is a tale that can be picked up and read without having read the previous installments. As to who this book is perhaps best for I would suggest that fans of Ellis' Brother Cadfael as well as fans of crime novels. Whilst this may confuse the odd reader, being exposed to the medieval world is not only refreshing but allows the reader to become fully engrossed within its pages and if that isn't enough, theres also a list of terms and an explanation of them within the book. What more could you want. For those who are currently wondering as to whom Bernard Knight is, he is perhaps Britain's most predominant retired Coroner and as such brings what many would term as his macabre expertise to the tale. It is this that adds another depth to the tale and for many a reader will increase their enjoyment no end.

Just as Good, if not Better than the Others in the Series, 06 May 2007

Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, became a Home Office Pathologist in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology, University of Wales College of Medicine, in 1980. He has now written eleven books in the much read Crowner John series and Bernard Knight is certainly one of my favourite authors among those who write medieval mysteries.

Crowner John or to give him his correct title, Sir John de Wolfe, is one of my all time favourite characters in medieval mysteries and if you read or are going to read this or any other of Bernard Knight's Crowner John Mysteries, you will probably understand why.. Dour and more than a little fierce looking but totally honest and incorruptible and a staunch follower of King Richard the Lionheart. He is the total opposite of his brother-in-law the ex-Sheriff of Exeter, apart from the fact that the both have an eye for the ladies.

The place is Exeter, the year 1195. Renovations are taking place at the new school in Smythen Street, a school funded by Crowner John's brother-in-law and ex-sheriff Richard de Revelle. A partially decomposed body is found in the loft of one of the out-buildings. John as Coroner is called to investigate. When it becomes apparent that the dead man is the missing treasurer of the guild of Cordwainers, de Revelle immediately seeks to put the blame on a young outlaw, a Cornish knight by the name of Nicholas de Arundell whose Devon manor the wily ex-sheriff has appropriated while Arundell was away at the Crusades.

Richard claims that the body has been dumped there in order to discredit his new school. The investigation becomes even more complex when another guild-master is found dead on the road from Tavistock to Exeter. Is Nicholas de Arundell, really responsible for the deaths, or is the ex-sheriff just putting up a smoke screen to confuse Crowner John?






Knit One, Kill Two, 20 May 2008
I've read and enjoyed other knitting stories, but this one really grabbed my interest. It's a clever little plot and I honestly didn't figure out the killer until it was revealed at the end. The ending is very swift and leaves it open for the author to continue the series so you'll have to read the other books to see where Kelly ends up. I thought the style of writing and emotions displayed by the characters was more developed than some of the other knitting mystery books I've read, and I like the bold personalities that the author has created for her characters. In my opinion it's a good book, and I hope the rest of the series is as fun to read.

The book also includes knitting patterns for a chunky scarf and a shell top, and there is a recipe for the cinamon buns - all are refered to through the book so if you're inspired to get creating the information is all there for you!

Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton, 18 Sep 2007
The first in the series, and what a great book - I'm glad I bought the other two in the series!

Kate has returned to the town when she spent some time growing up. She has inherited from her Aunt a lovely cottage, following her aunt's murder, add to that the appearance of a distant cousin, and a missing family quilt, then another death........

Cozy crime, 02 Aug 2006
This is a typical "cozy crime", as opposed to Patricia Cornwell et al. I am a fan of her as well, but sometimes I prefer to bundle up with a cup of tea and a book like this.
The characters are likeable, the setting is rural and comforting, the plot has interesting twists. Also, the cinnamon buns (recipe included) are lovely!
You don't have to be a knitter to enjoy this book, but you may, like me, get the motivation to begin.

Ok Reading For A Wet Afternoon, 25 Feb 2006
I have to admit that I bought this book purely based on its knitting connection. A mystery involving knitting intrigued me and although I wondered whether the author might possibly be jumping on a trend and milking it, I decided that as I usually enjoy the odd cosy crime, I'd give it a try.

I think Ms. Sefton probably had good intentions with the story but unfortunately it didn't work for me. There were far too many characters involved and as their personalities weren't well developed, it was difficult to differentiate between them and keep track of who was doing what and why.

As far as the mystery itself goes, it didn't exactly keep me on the edge of my chair although it was ok. Big clues as to the answer started to turn up about two thirds into the book and it was all nicely unravelled at the end.

All in all the book's not too bad but nothing to get excited about. If you've nothing else to read on a wet afternoon and enjoy cosy crimes without demanding too much of them, this is probably worth reading. I certainly wouldn't recommend putting it at the top of your 'must read' list, though.

(If I could have given this 2.5 stars then I would have. It isn't quite deserving of 3 but deserves more than 2).

Night at the Vulcan/opening night, 06 Aug 2008
This book confirms Ms. Marsh in the topflight of the genre. We follow the beautifully detailed and knowledgeably described course of a new play from dress rehearsal to the opening night. The cast is a richly and sympathetically imagined group and into this mixture enters a breathless ingenue who has the classical dream that "next day on your dressing room they hang a star"!. Sounds like a cliche? Well yes okay but what is a cliche but a much told truth? And here it is told with mouthwatering skill. Oh and by the way there is a very satisfactory murder,each member of the cast has a motive and Supt Alleyn has the job of disentangling them. This is a book to read and re reread. You will stick the pages with sellotape as they fall out with too many uses. You will perhaps not be suprised to hear that I love this book. Its up there with Caroline Graham's "Death of a hollow man", which it slightly resembles.

Opening Night , 08 Mar 2008
This is one of Ngaio Marsh's best, and that means it is very good, but beware that "Night at the Vulcan" is the American title. In the UK it has always been published as "Opening Night".

From a girls point of view, 27 Feb 2008
Like the others who have written reviews, l also have now read all the Crowner John books...l too wish l could read at a slower pace...Dr Knight, has the ability to incorporate actual facts from the 12th centuary, with fun, laughter and a real sense of taking you into the castles, taverns and villages, bringing the characters to life, and no, l defy anyone to guess who done it before being well into their lives.
Although John De Wolfe is a real man's man, Bernard Knight also shows that he has a soft spot for the ladies, one in particular. So girls, turn the phone off, put the kettle on and get into the life, loves and mysteries that are Crowner John.

Bernard Knight, a True Knight of a Gentleman and Author, 25 Oct 2007
As a U.S. reader, I trust you will not object to some observations from "across the pond" (as we former military used to call it). Although technically retired, my reading was often of an academic nature in several fields of learning. A year or so ago, I found myself in the need to take up some leisure reading or in other words something not hard and fast academic in nature. I love history in the broad sense (across borders which are fluid over time) and a good mystery where one does not know "who done it" by page 5 so that one may be proud of oneself for beating the author to the answers (said tongue in cheek). Well, I found first Michael Jecks and then the good (Dr.) Bernard Knight. Some, if not all of you, know that they have both written about medieval coroners that were brought back into British history at the time of Richard. Their tales are almost hand in glove as they are about a generation apart. Both gentleman are most true to history and interject fictional characters into the scene so that one gets a good dose of history and mystery at the same time. Now this was a little over a year ago, but I have read all of the books in the coroner series of both authors published to date. And since Dr. Knight has been around a little longer than Michael, I have read other titles to include some of the academic by Knight. I wish I could read slower or that this author, as well as Jecks, could write faster which is most unfair of me and most self serving. I may be forced to go back to book one in the series. But, I must say that even when Knight and Jecks write together with other authors, and they are select in whom they write with, you know when you get to those bits by either of them. They always "ring true!"

If my poor memory serves me correctly, the Latin "aflare" means puffed up or full of one's self. Despite his many achievements, to include his military service, Knight is never "aflare." There are some authors who speak highly of themselves and don't deserve the credit ("aflare" is also the root word for flatulence).

Bernard Knight is a good author and a good man. Search the titles by him and you will find a worthwhile read whether it be for pleasure reading or medical forensics, etc. In your search you might find some interesting and available out of print items.

Medieval Coroner will thrill, 18 Sep 2007
The continuing tales of Crowther John and to a new reader of the series is a tale that can be picked up and read without having read the previous installments. As to who this book is perhaps best for I would suggest that fans of Ellis' Brother Cadfael as well as fans of crime novels. Whilst this may confuse the odd reader, being exposed to the medieval world is not only refreshing but allows the reader to become fully engrossed within its pages and if that isn't enough, theres also a list of terms and an explanation of them within the book. What more could you want. For those who are currently wondering as to whom Bernard Knight is, he is perhaps Britain's most predominant retired Coroner and as such brings what many would term as his macabre expertise to the tale. It is this that adds another depth to the tale and for many a reader will increase their enjoyment no end.

Just as Good, if not Better than the Others in the Series, 06 May 2007

Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, became a Home Office Pathologist in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology, University of Wales College of Medicine, in 1980. He has now written eleven books in the much read Crowner John series and Bernard Knight is certainly one of my favourite authors among those who write medieval mysteries.

Crowner John or to give him his correct title, Sir John de Wolfe, is one of my all time favourite characters in medieval mysteries and if you read or are going to read this or any other of Bernard Knight's Crowner John Mysteries, you will probably understand why.. Dour and more than a little fierce looking but totally honest and incorruptible and a staunch follower of King Richard the Lionheart. He is the total opposite of his brother-in-law the ex-Sheriff of Exeter, apart from the fact that the both have an eye for the ladies.

The place is Exeter, the year 1195. Renovations are taking place at the new school in Smythen Street, a school funded by Crowner John's brother-in-law and ex-sheriff Richard de Revelle. A partially decomposed body is found in the loft of one of the out-buildings. John as Coroner is called to investigate. When it becomes apparent that the dead man is the missing treasurer of the guild of Cordwainers, de Revelle immediately seeks to put the blame on a young outlaw, a Cornish knight by the name of Nicholas de Arundell whose Devon manor the wily ex-sheriff has appropriated while Arundell was away at the Crusades.

Richard claims that the body has been dumped there in order to discredit his new school. The investigation becomes even more complex when another guild-master is found dead on the road from Tavistock to Exeter. Is Nicholas de Arundell, really responsible for the deaths, or is the ex-sheriff just putting up a smoke screen to confuse Crowner John?






Knit One, Kill Two, 20 May 2008
I've read and enjoyed other knitting stories, but this one really grabbed my interest. It's a clever little plot and I honestly didn't figure out the killer until it was revealed at the end. The ending is very swift and leaves it open for the author to continue the series so you'll have to read the other books to see where Kelly ends up. I thought the style of writing and emotions displayed by the characters was more developed than some of the other knitting mystery books I've read, and I like the bold personalities that the author has created for her characters. In my opinion it's a good book, and I hope the rest of the series is as fun to read.

The book also includes knitting patterns for a chunky scarf and a shell top, and there is a recipe for the cinamon buns - all are refered to through the book so if you're inspired to get creating the information is all there for you!

Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton, 18 Sep 2007
The first in the series, and what a great book - I'm glad I bought the other two in the series!

Kate has returned to the town when she spent some time growing up. She has inherited from her Aunt a lovely cottage, following her aunt's murder, add to that the appearance of a distant cousin, and a missing family quilt, then another death........

Cozy crime, 02 Aug 2006
This is a typical "cozy crime", as opposed to Patricia Cornwell et al. I am a fan of her as well, but sometimes I prefer to bundle up with a cup of tea and a book like this.
The characters are likeable, the setting is rural and comforting, the plot has interesting twists. Also, the cinnamon buns (recipe included) are lovely!
You don't have to be a knitter to enjoy this book, but you may, like me, get the motivation to begin.

Ok Reading For A Wet Afternoon, 25 Feb 2006
I have to admit that I bought this book purely based on its knitting connection. A mystery involving knitting intrigued me and although I wondered whether the author might possibly be jumping on a trend and milking it, I decided that as I usually enjoy the odd cosy crime, I'd give it a try.

I think Ms. Sefton probably had good intentions with the story but unfortunately it didn't work for me. There were far too many characters involved and as their personalities weren't well developed, it was difficult to differentiate between them and keep track of who was doing what and why.

As far as the mystery itself goes, it didn't exactly keep me on the edge of my chair although it was ok. Big clues as to the answer started to turn up about two thirds into the book and it was all nicely unravelled at the end.

All in all the book's not too bad but nothing to get excited about. If you've nothing else to read on a wet afternoon and enjoy cosy crimes without demanding too much of them, this is probably worth reading. I certainly wouldn't recommend putting it at the top of your 'must read' list, though.

(If I could have given this 2.5 stars then I would have. It isn't quite deserving of 3 but deserves more than 2).

Night at the Vulcan/opening night, 06 Aug 2008
This book confirms Ms. Marsh in the topflight of the genre. We follow the beautifully detailed and knowledgeably described course of a new play from dress rehearsal to the opening night. The cast is a richly and sympathetically imagined group and into this mixture enters a breathless ingenue who has the classical dream that "next day on your dressing room they hang a star"!. Sounds like a cliche? Well yes okay but what is a cliche but a much told truth? And here it is told with mouthwatering skill. Oh and by the way there is a very satisfactory murder,each member of the cast has a motive and Supt Alleyn has the job of disentangling them. This is a book to read and re reread. You will stick the pages with sellotape as they fall out with too many uses. You will perhaps not be suprised to hear that I love this book. Its up there with Caroline Graham's "Death of a hollow man", which it slightly resembles.

Opening Night , 08 Mar 2008
This is one of Ngaio Marsh's best, and that means it is very good, but beware that "Night at the Vulcan" is the American title. In the UK it has always been published as "Opening Night".

Dark and Intense- the Expresso of the Cozy Genre, 17 Apr 2006
This is the third installment of the Lily Bard series and I think the most compelling. Lily Bard lives in small town Shakespeare, Arkansas a small town populated by eccentric characters, a place where everyone knows everyone else's business and Lily as the town cleaner knows more of those secrets than most.

Lily Bard is an incredible and surprisingly complex character for the genre. After surviving a vicious gang rape and attempted murder Lily hones herself into an organic weapon with martial arts training. One thing that Lily hasn't faced up to in moving on from her troubled memories is her family. In this installment she reluctantly goes home to reunite with her family for her sister's wedding but trouble, not just of the personal kind, comes home to roost with her. Lily's new love Jack, a private detective ends up spending Christmas in her home town too, as he tracks down a missing child who was abducted years ago. The problem is that he has three likely suspects including Lily's soon to be new brother in law.

This is a wonderfully crafted novel, the mystery cracks on at a terrific pace seamlessly blending with the personal angst of the overall character arc. The reactions of Lily's parents regarding their daughter's attack are sensitively handled and Harris eschews taking the easy sloppily characterised route and delivers an uncompromising look at the darker heart of small town America.

This is a keeper and well worth shelling money out for. It would be all too easy to make Lily a whiner or self pitying but for the most part this is neatly avoided, and her tragedy is never overplayed there is a particularly lovely scene about her friendship with a boy she grew up with who is now a cop. The overall child abduction mystery keeps you guessing until the last page. I don't give 5 stars lightly but this earned it on every level.

A Darker Side Of Cozy, 04 Apr 1999
I really enjoyed this third chapter in the life of Lily Bard, a cleaning woman with a bent for cleaning up murder mysteries. I find the characters so life-like and believable that I can't wait for the fourth in this series. This time out we learn more about Lily's family and get some insight into what helped form Lily into the person that she is. I really enjoyed meeting her mom and dad and sister-about to be married-Varena. The mysterious Jack Leeds is back again and involved with Lily and the kidnapping investigation. This is a cozy on the darkish side but I think cozy readers will enjoy it as much as I did.

A beautifully written and charactered series., 11 Jan 1999
If you haven't met Lily Bard of Shakespeare, Ak, you are in for a rare treat in the mystery genre. A victim of gang rape, coupled with a vicious knifing, Lily has reinvented herself, left home and become a cleaning lady in a small town. Now, however, she must go home for her sister's wedding and the family from whom she's become almost estranged. On her first morning home, she and her sister discover the bludgeoned bodies of a doctor and his nurse. Also in town on the case of a child abducted years before is the new love of Lily's life, Jack. One of the suspects in the kidnapping is her sister's widowed fiance. A taut, well-told tale of suspense with three dimensional characters. I would suggest that before reading this, one should read "Shakepeare's Landlord" and "Shakespeare's Champion." This different and much darker series by the author of the Aurora Teagarden books should not be missed.

Great Entry in the Amateur Sleuth Genre!, 18 Dec 1998
Shakespeare's Christmas is the third and most recent entry in the Lily Bard mystery series, and the first of Charlaine Harris' books that I've had the pleasure of reading. 

Lily Bard is a maid with a past, and much, much more -- she's one of the amateur sleuth genre's most fascinating heroines. In Shakespeare, Arkansas Lily leads a relatively simple life cleaning houses, working out, and studying karate. Still struggling to deal with the physical and emotional aftermath of a terribly violent past, Lily is a complicated and mysterious woman who readers will get to know fairly well in Shakespeare's Christmas.

When Lily returns to her family's hometown of Bartley, Tennessee to participate in her sister's wedding, she (with the rather unexpected assistance of sexy boyfriend and P. I. Jack Leeds) tries to uncover the facts surrounding a mystery that is four years old. Four years ago, an infant was stolen from her parents and years later, an anonymous note arrives, indicating that the missing child is alive and living under a changed name in Bartley.  As Lily and Jack search for the missing child, they start narrowing down the list of suspects, and suddenly the quiet town of Bartley is shattered by a series of violent deaths that hit close to home for Lily.

Ultimately, Lily and Jack are left with only a few possible suspects, one of whom happens to be the man Lily's sister is about to marry. Harris' ability to combine a great who-done-it with some wonderful regional southern flavor and a compelling heroine put Shakespeare's Christmas into a class of its own in mystery series.

If you're looking for a great stocking stuffer for mystery fans, you've just found it.

From a girls point of view, 27 Feb 2008
Like the others who have written reviews, l also have now read all the Crowner John books...l too wish l could read at a slower pace...Dr Knight, has the ability to incorporate actual facts from the 12th centuary, with fun, laughter and a real sense of taking you into the castles, taverns and villages, bringing the characters to life, and no, l defy anyone to guess who done it before being well into their lives.
Although John De Wolfe is a real man's man, Bernard Knight also shows that he has a soft spot for the ladies, one in particular. So girls, turn the phone off, put the kettle on and get into the life, loves and mysteries that are Crowner John.

Bernard Knight, a True Knight of a Gentleman and Author, 25 Oct 2007
As a U.S. reader, I trust you will not object to some observations from "across the pond" (as we former military used to call it). Although technically retired, my reading was often of an academic nature in several fields of learning. A year or so ago, I found myself in the need to take up some leisure reading or in other words something not hard and fast academic in nature. I love history in the broad sense (across borders which are fluid over time) and a good mystery where one does not know "who done it" by page 5 so that one may be proud of oneself for beating the author to the answers (said tongue in cheek). Well, I found first Michael Jecks and then the good (Dr.) Bernard Knight. Some, if not all of you, know that they have both written about medieval coroners that were brought back into British history at the time of Richard. Their tales are almost hand in glove as they are about a generation apart. Both gentleman are most true to history and interject fictional characters into the scene so that one gets a good dose of history and mystery at the same time. Now this was a little over a year ago, but I have read all of the books in the coroner series of both authors published to date. And since Dr. Knight has been around a little longer than Michael, I have read other titles to include some of the academic by Knight. I wish I could read slower or that this author, as well as Jecks, could write faster which is most unfair of me and most self serving. I may be forced to go back to book one in the series. But, I must say that even when Knight and Jecks write together with other authors, and they are select in whom they write with, you know when you get to those bits by either of them. They always "ring true!"

If my poor memory serves me correctly, the Latin "aflare" means puffed up or full of one's self. Despite his many achievements, to include his military service, Knight is never "aflare." There are some authors who speak highly of themselves and don't deserve the credit ("aflare" is also the root word for flatulence).

Bernard Knight is a good author and a good man. Search the titles by him and you will find a worthwhile read whether it be for pleasure reading or medical forensics, etc. In your search you might find some interesting and available out of print items.

Medieval Coroner will thrill, 18 Sep 2007
The continuing tales of Crowther John and to a new reader of the series is a tale that can be picked up and read without having read the previous installments. As to who this book is perhaps best for I would suggest that fans of Ellis' Brother Cadfael as well as fans of crime novels. Whilst this may confuse the odd reader, being exposed to the medieval world is not only refreshing but allows the reader to become fully engrossed within its pages and if that isn't enough, theres also a list of terms and an explanation of them within the book. What more could you want. For those who are currently wondering as to whom Bernard Knight is, he is perhaps Britain's most predominant retired Coroner and as such brings what many would term as his macabre expertise to the tale. It is this that adds another depth to the tale and for many a reader will increase their enjoyment no end.

Just as Good, if not Better than the Others in the Series, 06 May 2007

Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, became a Home Office Pathologist in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology, University of Wales College of Medicine, in 1980. He has now written eleven books in the much read Crowner John series and Bernard Knight is certainly one of my favourite authors among those who write medieval mysteries.

Crowner John or to give him his correct title, Sir John de Wolfe, is one of my all time favourite characters in medieval mysteries and if you read or are going to read this or any other of Bernard Knight's Crowner John Mysteries, you will probably understand why.. Dour and more than a little fierce looking but totally honest and incorruptible and a staunch follower of King Richard the Lionheart. He is the total opposite of his brother-in-law the ex-Sheriff of Exeter, apart from the fact that the both have an eye for the ladies.

The place is Exeter, the year 1195. Renovations are taking place at the new school in Smythen Street, a school funded by Crowner John's brother-in-law and ex-sheriff Richard de Revelle. A partially decomposed body is found in the loft of one of the out-buildings. John as Coroner is called to investigate. When it becomes apparent that the dead man is the missing treasurer of the guild of Cordwainers, de Revelle immediately seeks to put the blame on a young outlaw, a Cornish knight by the name of Nicholas de Arundell whose Devon manor the wily ex-sheriff has appropriated while Arundell was away at the Crusades.

Richard claims that the body has been dumped there in order to discredit his new school. The investigation becomes even more complex when another guild-master is found dead on the road from Tavistock to Exeter. Is Nicholas de Arundell, really responsible for the deaths, or is the ex-sheriff just putting up a smoke screen to confuse Crowner John?






Knit One, Kill Two, 20 May 2008
I've read and enjoyed other knitting stories, but this one really grabbed my interest. It's a clever little plot and I honestly didn't figure out the killer until it was revealed at the end. The ending is very swift and leaves it open for the author to continue the series so you'll have to read the other books to see where Kelly ends up. I thought the style of writing and emotions displayed by the characters was more developed than some of the other knitting mystery books I've read, and I like the bold personalities that the author has created for her characters. In my opinion it's a good book, and I hope the rest of the series is as fun to read.

The book also includes knitting patterns for a chunky scarf and a shell top, and there is a recipe for the cinamon buns - all are refered to through the book so if you're inspired to get creating the information is all there for you!

Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton, 18 Sep 2007
The first in the series, and what a great book - I'm glad I bought the other two in the series!

Kate has returned to the town when she spent some time growing up. She has inherited from her Aunt a lovely cottage, following her aunt's murder, add to that the appearance of a distant cousin, and a missing family quilt, then another death........

Cozy crime, 02 Aug 2006
This is a typical "cozy crime", as opposed to Patricia Cornwell et al. I am a fan of her as well, but sometimes I prefer to bundle up with a cup of tea and a book like this.
The characters are likeable, the setting is rural and comforting, the plot has interesting twists. Also, the cinnamon buns (recipe included) are lovely!
You don't have to be a knitter to enjoy this book, but you may, like me, get the motivation to begin.

Ok Reading For A Wet Afternoon, 25 Feb 2006
I have to admit that I bought this book purely based on its knitting connection. A mystery involving knitting intrigued me and although I wondered whether the author might possibly be jumping on a trend and milking it, I decided that as I usually enjoy the odd cosy crime, I'd give it a try.

I think Ms. Sefton probably had good intentions with the story but unfortunately it didn't work for me. There were far too many characters involved and as their personalities weren't well developed, it was difficult to differentiate between them and keep track of who was doing what and why.

As far as the mystery itself goes, it didn't exactly keep me on the edge of my chair although it was ok. Big clues as to the answer started to turn up about two thirds into the book and it was all nicely unravelled at the end.

All in all the book's not too bad but nothing to get excited about. If you've nothing else to read on a wet afternoon and enjoy cosy crimes without demanding too much of them, this is probably worth reading. I certainly wouldn't recommend putting it at the top of your 'must read' list, though.

(If I could have given this 2.5 stars then I would have. It isn't quite deserving of 3 but deserves more than 2).

Night at the Vulcan/opening night, 06 Aug 2008
This book confirms Ms. Marsh in the topflight of the genre. We follow the beautifully detailed and knowledgeably described course of a new play from dress rehearsal to the opening night. The cast is a richly and sympathetically imagined group and into this mixture enters a breathless ingenue who has the classical dream that "next day on your dressing room they hang a star"!. Sounds like a cliche? Well yes okay but what is a cliche but a much told truth? And here it is told with mouthwatering skill. Oh and by the way there is a very satisfactory murder,each member of the cast has a motive and Supt Alleyn has the job of disentangling them. This is a book to read and re reread. You will stick the pages with sellotape as they fall out with too many uses. You will perhaps not be suprised to hear that I love this book. Its up there with Caroline Graham's "Death of a hollow man", which it slightly resembles.

Opening Night , 08 Mar 2008
This is one of Ngaio Marsh's best, and that means it is very good, but beware that "Night at the Vulcan" is the American title. In the UK it has always been published as "Opening Night".

Dark and Intense- the Expresso of the Cozy Genre, 17 Apr 2006
This is the third installment of the Lily Bard series and I think the most compelling. Lily Bard lives in small town Shakespeare, Arkansas a small town populated by eccentric characters, a place where everyone knows everyone else's business and Lily as the town cleaner knows more of those secrets than most.

Lily Bard is an incredible and surprisingly complex character for the genre. After surviving a vicious gang rape and attempted murder Lily hones herself into an organic weapon with martial arts training. One thing that Lily hasn't faced up to in moving on from her troubled memories is her family. In this installment she reluctantly goes home to reunite with her family for her sister's wedding but trouble, not just of the personal kind, comes home to roost with her. Lily's new love Jack, a private detective ends up spending Christmas in her home town too, as he tracks down a missing child who was abducted years ago. The problem is that he has three likely suspects including Lily's soon to be new brother in law.

This is a wonderfully crafted novel, the mystery cracks on at a terrific pace seamlessly blending with the personal angst of the overall character arc. The reactions of Lily's parents regarding their daughter's attack are sensitively handled and Harris eschews taking the easy sloppily characterised route and delivers an uncompromising look at the darker heart of small town America.

This is a keeper and well worth shelling money out for. It would be all too easy to make Lily a whiner or self pitying but for the most part this is neatly avoided, and her tragedy is never overplayed there is a particularly lovely scene about her friendship with a boy she grew up with who is now a cop. The overall child abduction mystery keeps you guessing until the last page. I don't give 5 stars lightly but this earned it on every level.

A Darker Side Of Cozy, 04 Apr 1999
I really enjoyed this third chapter in the life of Lily Bard, a cleaning woman with a bent for cleaning up murder mysteries. I find the characters so life-like and believable that I can't wait for the fourth in this series. This time out we learn more about Lily's family and get some insight into what helped form Lily into the person that she is. I really enjoyed meeting her mom and dad and sister-about to be married-Varena. The mysterious Jack Leeds is back again and involved with Lily and the kidnapping investigation. This is a cozy on the darkish side but I think cozy readers will enjoy it as much as I did.

A beautifully written and charactered series., 11 Jan 1999
If you haven't met Lily Bard of Shakespeare, Ak, you are in for a rare treat in the mystery genre. A victim of gang rape, coupled with a vicious knifing, Lily has reinvented herself, left home and become a cleaning lady in a small town. Now, however, she must go home for her sister's wedding and the family from whom she's become almost estranged. On her first morning home, she and her sister discover the bludgeoned bodies of a doctor and his nurse. Also in town on the case of a child abducted years before is the new love of Lily's life, Jack. One of the suspects in the kidnapping is her sister's widowed fiance. A taut, well-told tale of suspense with three dimensional characters. I would suggest that before reading this, one should read "Shakepeare's Landlord" and "Shakespeare's Champion." This different and much darker series by the author of the Aurora Teagarden books should not be missed.

Great Entry in the Amateur Sleuth Genre!, 18 Dec 1998
Shakespeare's Christmas is the third and most recent entry in the Lily Bard mystery series, and the first of Charlaine Harris' books that I've had the pleasure of reading. 

Lily Bard is a maid with a past, and much, much more -- she's one of the amateur sleuth genre's most fascinating heroines. In Shakespeare, Arkansas Lily leads a relatively simple life cleaning houses, working out, and studying karate. Still struggling to deal with the physical and emotional aftermath of a terribly violent past, Lily is a complicated and mysterious woman who readers will get to know fairly well in Shakespeare's Christmas.

When Lily returns to her family's hometown of Bartley, Tennessee to participate in her sister's wedding, she (with the rather unexpected assistance of sexy boyfriend and P. I. Jack Leeds) tries to uncover the facts surrounding a mystery that is four years old. Four years ago, an infant was stolen from her parents and years later, an anonymous note arrives, indicating that the missing child is alive and living under a changed name in Bartley.  As Lily and Jack search for the missing child, they start narrowing down the list of suspects, and suddenly the quiet town of Bartley is shattered by a series of violent deaths that hit close to home for Lily.

Ultimately, Lily and Jack are left with only a few possible suspects, one of whom happens to be the man Lily's sister is about to marry. Harris' ability to combine a great who-done-it with some wonderful regional southern flavor and a compelling heroine put Shakespeare's Christmas into a class of its own in mystery series.

If you're looking for a great stocking stuffer for mystery fans, you've just found it.

Great light entertainment!, 16 Aug 2006
I'm always in search of a good story that makes me chuckle but has enough of a plot to keep me interested. This hit the nail on the head. You're taken in to Abby's life, where you learn about the trials and tribulations of being an intuitive, caught up in criminal capers that take her over her head. As you follow her through the ups and downs of trying to solve the crime, sort out her man trouble and keep her puppy in fresh eggs, you get just enough of everything to keep you satisfied. Deep reading it ain't, but a perfect accompaniment to a quiet evening and a glass of wine it is!

a very enjoyable read, 02 Jul 2006
I loved this book and can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Abby is delightful, her talent amazing.(the author has the same talent, WOW!)The secondary characters were interesting - very important in a story I think. Victoria Laurie is definitly on my keeper shelf along side Earlene Fowler, Jaqueline Girdner, Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich.
I guess you can see the pattern there - all mystery stories with strong, interesting, talented heroines.

Cracking read, 16 Apr 2006
If you like Stephanie Plum novels you'll like this too. It has good pace, good story line, predictable on the romance but still has you turning each page to ensure it reaches the right conclusion

"I can see clearly now...", 01 Oct 2005
It's 1am and I've just finished the book. What a cracker! I've just logged on to order the 2nd one in the series. Its not Pride and Prejudice but it does offer more than the average Chick Lit. Apparently the author is a genuine Clairvoyant who wanted to portray a more truthful explanation of what clairvoyancy is and how she uses her own gift. The story is about a girl who is clairvoyant and who runs her own business. she gradually offers clues to the local police dept, one hunky man in particular, which in turn help towards the resolution of a murder mystery. Basically, it's a modern Miss Marple with a twist. Very funny in parts but with equal measure of suspense and drama, I'd definately recommend this page turner. Bring on the next one!!

From a girls point of view, 27 Feb 2008
Like the others who have written reviews, l also have now read all the Crowner John books...l too wish l could read at a slower pace...Dr Knight, has the ability to incorporate actual facts from the 12th centuary, with fun, laughter and a real sense of taking you into the castles, taverns and villages, bringing the characters to life, and no, l defy anyone to guess who done it before being well into their lives.
Although John De Wolfe is a real man's man, Bernard Knight also shows that he has a soft spot for the ladies, one in particular. So girls, turn the phone off, put the kettle on and get into the life, loves and mysteries that are Crowner John.

Bernard Knight, a True Knight of a Gentleman and Author, 25 Oct 2007
As a U.S. reader, I trust you will not object to some observations from "across the pond" (as we former military used to call it). Although technically retired, my reading was often of an academic nature in several fields of learning. A year or so ago, I found myself in the need to take up some leisure reading or in other words something not hard and fast academic in nature. I love history in the broad sense (across borders which are fluid over time) and a good mystery where one does not know "who done it" by page 5 so that one may be proud of oneself for beating the author to the answers (said tongue in cheek). Well, I found first Michael Jecks and then the good (Dr.) Bernard Knight. Some, if not all of you, know that they have both written about medieval coroners that were brought back into British history at the time of Richard. Their tales are almost hand in glove as they are about a generation apart. Both gentleman are most true to history and interject fictional characters into the scene so that one gets a good dose of history and mystery at the same time. Now this was a little over a year ago, but I have read all of the books in the coroner series of both authors published to date. And since Dr. Knight has been around a little longer than Michael, I have read other titles to include some of the academic by Knight. I wish I could read slower or that this author, as well as Jecks, could write faster which is most unfair of me and most self serving. I may be forced to go back to book one in the series. But, I must say that even when Knight and Jecks write together with other authors, and they are select in whom they write with, you know when you get to those bits by either of them. They always "ring true!"

If my poor memory serves me correctly, the Latin "aflare" means puffed up or full of one's self. Despite his many achievements, to include his military service, Knight is never "aflare." There are some authors who speak highly of themselves and don't deserve the credit ("aflare" is also the root word for flatulence).

Bernard Knight is a good author and a good man. Search the titles by him and you will find a worthwhile read whether it be for pleasure reading or medical forensics, etc. In your search you might find some interesting and available out of print items.

Medieval Coroner will thrill, 18 Sep 2007
The continuing tales of Crowther John and to a new reader of the series is a tale that can be picked up and read without having read the previous installments. As to who this book is perhaps best for I would suggest that fans of Ellis' Brother Cadfael as well as fans of crime novels. Whilst this may confuse the odd reader, being exposed to the medieval world is not only refreshing but allows the reader to become fully engrossed within its pages and if that isn't enough, theres also a list of terms and an explanation of them within the book. What more could you want. For those who are currently wondering as to whom Bernard Knight is, he is perhaps Britain's most predominant retired Coroner and as such brings what many would term as his macabre expertise to the tale. It is this that adds another depth to the tale and for many a reader will increase their enjoyment no end.

Just as Good, if not Better than the Others in the Series, 06 May 2007

Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, became a Home Office Pathologist in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology, University of Wales College of Medicine, in 1980. He has now written eleven books in the much read Crowner John series and Bernard Knight is certainly one of my favourite authors among those who write medieval mysteries.

Crowner John or to give him his correct title, Sir John de Wolfe, is one of my all time favourite characters in medieval mysteries and if you read or are going to read this or any other of Bernard Knight's Crowner John Mysteries, you will probably understand why.. Dour and more than a little fierce looking but totally honest and incorruptible and a staunch follower of King Richard the Lionheart. He is the total opposite of his brother-in-law the ex-Sheriff of Exeter, apart from the fact that the both have an eye for the ladies.

The place is Exeter, the year 1195. Renovations are taking place at the new school in Smythen Street, a school funded by Crowner John's brother-in-law and ex-sheriff Richard de Revelle. A partially decomposed body is found in the loft of one of the out-buildings. John as Coroner is called to investigate. When it becomes apparent that the dead man is the missing treasurer of the guild of Cordwainers, de Revelle immediately seeks to put the blame on a young outlaw, a Cornish knight by the name of Nicholas de Arundell whose Devon manor the wily ex-sheriff has appropriated while Arundell was away at the Crusades.

Richard claims that the body has been dumped there in order to discredit his new school. The investigation becomes even more complex when another guild-master is found dead on the road from Tavistock to Exeter. Is Nicholas de Arundell, really responsible for the deaths, or is the ex-sheriff just putting up a smoke screen to confuse Crowner John?






Knit One, Kill Two, 20 May 2008
I've read and enjoyed other knitting stories, but this one really grabbed my interest. It's a clever little plot and I honestly didn't figure out the killer until it was revealed at the end. The ending is very swift and leaves it open for the author to continue the series so you'll have to read the other books to see where Kelly ends up. I thought the style of writing and emotions displayed by the characters was more developed than some of the other knitting mystery books I've read, and I like the bold personalities that the author has created for her characters. In my opinion it's a good book, and I hope the rest of the series is as fun to read.

The book also includes knitting patterns for a chunky scarf and a shell top, and there is a recipe for the cinamon buns - all are refered to through the book so if you're inspired to get creating the information is all there for you!

Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton, 18 Sep 2007
The first in the series, and what a great book - I'm glad I bought the other two in the series!

Kate has returned to the town when she spent some time growing up. She has inherited from her Aunt a lovely cottage, following her aunt's murder, add to that the appearance of a distant cousin, and a missing family quilt, then another death........

Cozy crime, 02 Aug 2006
This is a typical "cozy crime", as opposed to Patricia Cornwell et al. I am a fan of her as well, but sometimes I prefer to bundle up with a cup of tea and a book like this.
The characters are likeable, the setting is rural and comforting, the plot has interesting twists. Also, the cinnamon buns (recipe included) are lovely!
You don't have to be a knitter to enjoy this book, but you may, like me, get the motivation to begin.

Ok Reading For A Wet Afternoon, 25 Feb 2006
I have to admit that I bought this book purely based on its knitting connection. A mystery involving knitting intrigued me and although I wondered whether the author might possibly be jumping on a trend and milking it, I decided that as I usually enjoy the odd cosy crime, I'd give it a try.

I think Ms. Sefton probably had good intentions with the story but unfortunately it didn't work for me. There were far too many characters involved and as their personalities weren't well developed, it was difficult to differentiate between them and keep track of who was doing what and why.

As far as the mystery itself goes, it didn't exactly keep me on the edge of my chair although it was ok. Big clues as to the answer started to turn up about two thirds into the book and it was all nicely unravelled at the end.

All in all the book's not too bad but nothing to get excited about. If you've nothing else to read on a wet afternoon and enjoy cosy crimes without demanding too much of them, this is probably worth reading. I certainly wouldn't recommend putting it at the top of your 'must read' list, though.

(If I could have given this 2.5 stars then I would have. It isn't quite deserving of 3 but deserves more than 2).

Night at the Vulcan/opening night, 06 Aug 2008
This book confirms Ms. Marsh in the topflight of the genre. We follow the beautifully detailed and knowledgeably described course of a new play from dress rehearsal to the opening night. The cast is a richly and sympathetically imagined group and into this mixture enters a breathless ingenue who has the classical dream that "next day on your dressing room they hang a star"!. Sounds like a cliche? Well yes okay but what is a cliche but a much told truth? And here it is told with mouthwatering skill. Oh and by the way there is a very satisfactory murder,each member of the cast has a motive and Supt Alleyn has the job of disentangling them. This is a book to read and re reread. You will stick the pages with sellotape as they fall out with too many uses. You will perhaps not be suprised to hear that I love this book. Its up there with Caroline Graham's "Death of a hollow man", which it slightly resembles.

Opening Night , 08 Mar 2008
This is one of Ngaio Marsh's best, and that means it is very good, but beware that "Night at the Vulcan" is the American title. In the UK it has always been published as "Opening Night".

Dark and Intense- the Expresso of the Cozy Genre, 17 Apr 2006
This is the third installment of the Lily Bard series and I think the most compelling. Lily Bard lives in small town Shakespeare, Arkansas a small town populated by eccentric characters, a place where everyone knows everyone else's business and Lily as the town cleaner knows more of those secrets than most.

Lily Bard is an incredible and surprisingly complex character for the genre. After surviving a vicious gang rape and attempted murder Lily hones herself into an organic weapon with martial arts training. One thing that Lily hasn't faced up to in moving on from her troubled memories is her family. In this installment she reluctantly goes home to reunite with her family for her sister's wedding but trouble, not just of the personal kind, comes home to roost with her. Lily's new love Jack, a private detective ends up spending Christmas in her home town too, as he tracks down a missing child who was abducted years ago. The problem is that he has three likely suspects including Lily's soon to be new brother in law.

This is a wonderfully crafted novel, the mystery cracks on at a terrific pace seamlessly blending with the personal angst of the overall character arc. The reactions of Lily's parents regarding their daughter's attack are sensitively handled and Harris eschews taking the easy sloppily characterised route and delivers an uncompromising look at the darker heart of small town America.

This is a keeper and well worth shelling money out for. It would be all too easy to make Lily a whiner or self pitying but for the most part this is neatly avoided, and her tragedy is never overplayed there is a particularly lovely scene about her friendship with a boy she grew up with who is now a cop. The overall child abduction mystery keeps you guessing until the last page. I don't give 5 stars lightly but this earned it on every level.

A Darker Side Of Cozy, 04 Apr 1999
I really enjoyed this third chapter in the life of Lily Bard, a cleaning woman with a bent for cleaning up murder mysteries. I find the characters so life-like and believable that I can't wait for the fourth in this series. This time out we learn more about Lily's family and get some insight into what helped form Lily into the person that she is. I really enjoyed meeting her mom and dad and sister-about to be married-Varena. The mysterious Jack Leeds is back again and involved with Lily and the kidnapping investigation. This is a cozy on the darkish side but I think cozy readers will enjoy it as much as I did.

A beautifully written and charactered series., 11 Jan 1999
If you haven't met Lily Bard of Shakespeare, Ak, you are in for a rare treat in the mystery genre. A victim of gang rape, coupled with a vicious knifing, Lily has reinvented herself, left home and become a cleaning lady in a small town. Now, however, she must go home for her sister's wedding and the family from whom she's become almost estranged. On her first morning home, she and her sister discover the bludgeoned bodies of a doctor and his nurse. Also in town on the case of a child abducted years before is the new love of Lily's life, Jack. One of the suspects in the kidnapping is her sister's widowed fiance. A taut, well-told tale of suspense with three dimensional characters. I would suggest that before reading this, one should read "Shakepeare's Landlord" and "Shakespeare's Champion." This different and much darker series by the author of the Aurora Teagarden books should not be missed.

Great Entry in the Amateur Sleuth Genre!, 18 Dec 1998
Shakespeare's Christmas is the third and most recent entry in the Lily Bard mystery series, and the first of Charlaine Harris' books that I've had the pleasure of reading. 

Lily Bard is a maid with a past, and much, much more -- she's one of the amateur sleuth genre's most fascinating heroines. In Shakespeare, Arkansas Lily leads a relatively simple life cleaning houses, working out, and studying karate. Still struggling to deal with the physical and emotional aftermath of a terribly violent past, Lily is a complicated and mysterious woman who readers will get to know fairly well in Shakespeare's Christmas.

When Lily returns to her family's hometown of Bartley, Tennessee to participate in her sister's wedding, she (with the rather unexpected assistance of sexy boyfriend and P. I. Jack Leeds) tries to uncover the facts surrounding a mystery that is four years old. Four years ago, an infant was stolen from her parents and years later, an anonymous note arrives, indicating that the missing child is alive and living under a changed name in Bartley.  As Lily and Jack search for the missing child, they start narrowing down the list of suspects, and suddenly the quiet town of Bartley is shattered by a series of violent deaths that hit close to home for Lily.

Ultimately, Lily and Jack are left with only a few possible suspects, one of whom happens to be the man Lily's sister is about to marry. Harris' ability to combine a great who-done-it with some wonderful regional southern flavor and a compelling heroine put Shakespeare's Christmas into a class of its own in mystery series.

If you're looking for a great stocking stuffer for mystery fans, you've just found it.

Great light entertainment!, 16 Aug 2006
I'm always in search of a good story that makes me chuckle but has enough of a plot to keep me interested. This hit the nail on the head. You're taken in to Abby's life, where you learn about the trials and tribulations of being an intuitive, caught up in criminal capers that take her over her head. As you follow her through the ups and downs of trying to solve the crime, sort out her man trouble and keep her puppy in fresh eggs, you get just enough of everything to keep you satisfied. Deep reading it ain't, but a perfect accompaniment to a quiet evening and a glass of wine it is!

a very enjoyable read, 02 Jul 2006
I loved this book and can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Abby is delightful, her talent amazing.(the author has the same talent, WOW!)The secondary characters were interesting - very important in a story I think. Victoria Laurie is definitly on my keeper shelf along side Earlene Fowler, Jaqueline Girdner, Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich.
I guess you can see the pattern there - all mystery stories with strong, interesting, talented heroines.

Cracking read, 16 Apr 2006
If you like Stephanie Plum novels you'll like this too. It has good pace, good story line, predictable on the romance but still has you turning each page to ensure it reaches the right conclusion

"I can see clearly now...", 01 Oct 2005
It's 1am and I've just finished the book. What a cracker! I've just logged on to order the 2nd one in the series. Its not Pride and Prejudice but it does offer more than the average Chick Lit. Apparently the author is a genuine Clairvoyant who wanted to portray a more truthful explanation of what clairvoyancy is and how she uses her own gift. The story is about a girl who is clairvoyant and who runs her own business. she gradually offers clues to the local police dept, one hunky man in particular, which in turn help towards the resolution of a murder mystery. Basically, it's a modern Miss Marple with a twist. Very funny in parts but with equal measure of suspense and drama, I'd definately recommend this page turner. Bring on the next one!!

Dachshunds rule!, 15 Aug 2006
The second installment for Abby Cooper, and it's as good as the first. Building on all the elements that made the initial novel an enjoyable romp in to Abby's life, Laurie hasn't changed a good formula and gives us another dose of Abby delving where her nose doesn't belong. Having got a taste of detective work before, it isn't long before Abby finds herself at it again, although this time she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Doing a favour for a friend lands her in deep water and she finds herself a consultant not only to the police on a new case, but also to the mob, whose tactics are little heavier than Royal Oak's finest! Great fun, and it's fab to see dachshunds in books - having been blessed by owning one once, I know we need to share the experience!

From a girls point of view, 27 Feb 2008
Like the others who have written reviews, l also have now read all the Crowner John books...l too wish l could read at a slower pace...Dr Knight, has the ability to incorporate actual facts from the 12th centuary, with fun, laughter and a real sense of taking you into the castles, taverns and villages, bringing the characters to life, and no, l defy anyone to guess who done it before being well into their lives.
Although John De Wolfe is a real man's man, Bernard Knight also shows that he has a soft spot for the ladies, one in particular. So girls, turn the phone off, put the kettle on and get into the life, loves and mysteries that are Crowner John.

Bernard Knight, a True Knight of a Gentleman and Author, 25 Oct 2007
As a U.S. reader, I trust you will not object to some observations from "across the pond" (as we former military used to call it). Although technically retired, my reading was often of an academic nature in several fields of learning. A year or so ago, I found myself in the need to take up some leisure reading or in other words something not hard and fast academic in nature. I love history in the broad sense (across borders which are fluid over time) and a good mystery where one does not know "who done it" by page 5 so that one may be proud of oneself for beating the author to the answers (said tongue in cheek). Well, I found first Michael Jecks and then the good (Dr.) Bernard Knight. Some, if not all of you, know that they have both written about medieval coroners that were brought back into British history at the time of Richard. Their tales are almost hand in glove as they are about a generation apart. Both gentleman are most true to history and interject fictional characters into the scene so that one gets a good dose of history and mystery at the same time. Now this was a little over a year ago, but I have read all of the books in the coroner series of both authors published to date. And since Dr. Knight has been around a little longer than Michael, I have read other titles to include some of the academic by Knight. I wish I could read slower or that this author, as well as Jecks, could write faster which is most unfair of me and most self serving. I may be forced to go back to book one in the series. But, I must say that even when Knight and Jecks write together with other authors, and they are select in whom they write with, you know when you get to those bits by either of them. They always "ring true!"

If my poor memory serves me correctly, the Latin "aflare" means puffed up or full of one's self. Despite his many achievements, to include his military service, Knight is never "aflare." There are some authors who speak highly of themselves and don't deserve the credit ("aflare" is also the root word for flatulence).

Bernard Knight is a good author and a good man. Search the titles by him and you will find a worthwhile read whether it be for pleasure reading or medical forensics, etc. In your search you might find some interesting and available out of print items.

Medieval Coroner will thrill, 18 Sep 2007
The continuing tales of Crowther John and to a new reader of the series is a tale that can be picked up and read without having read the previous installments. As to who this book is perhaps best for I would suggest that fans of Ellis' Brother Cadfael as well as fans of crime novels. Whilst this may confuse the odd reader, being exposed to the medieval world is not only refreshing but allows the reader to become fully engrossed within its pages and if that isn't enough, theres also a list of terms and an explanation of them within the book. What more could you want. For those who are currently wondering as to whom Bernard Knight is, he is perhaps Britain's most predominant retired Coroner and as such brings what many would term as his macabre expertise to the tale. It is this that adds another depth to the tale and for many a reader will increase their enjoyment no end.

Just as Good, if not Better than the Others in the Series, 06 May 2007

Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, became a Home Office Pathologist in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology, University of Wales College of Medicine, in 1980. He has now written eleven books in the much read Crowner John series and Bernard Knight is certainly one of my favourite authors among those who write medieval mysteries.

Crowner John or to give him his correct title, Sir John de Wolfe, is one of my all time favourite characters in medieval mysteries and if you read or are going to read this or any other of Bernard Knight's Crowner John Mysteries, you will probably understand why.. Dour and more than a little fierce looking but totally honest and incorruptible and a staunch follower of King Richard the Lionheart. He is the total opposite of his brother-in-law the ex-Sheriff of Exeter, apart from the fact that the both have an eye for the ladies.

The place is Exeter, the year 1195. Renovations are taking place at the new school in Smythen Street, a school funded by Crowner John's brother-in-law and ex-sheriff Richard de Revelle. A partially decomposed body is found in the loft of one of the out-buildings. John as Coroner is called to investigate. When it becomes apparent that the dead man is the missing treasurer of the guild of Cordwainers, de Revelle immediately seeks to put the blame on a young outlaw, a Cornish knight by the name of Nicholas de Arundell whose Devon manor the wily ex-sheriff has appropriated while Arundell was away at the Crusades.

Richard claims that the body has been dumped there in order to discredit his new school. The investigation becomes even more complex when another guild-master is found dead on the road from Tavistock to Exeter. Is Nicholas de Arundell, really responsible for the deaths, or is the ex-sheriff just putting up a smoke screen to confuse Crowner John?






Knit One, Kill Two, 20 May 2008
I've read and enjoyed other knitting stories, but this one really grabbed my interest. It's a clever little plot and I honestly didn't figure out the killer until it was revealed at the end. The ending is very swift and leaves it open for the author to continue the series so you'll have to read the other books to see where Kelly ends up. I thought the style of writing and emotions displayed by the characters was more developed than some of the other knitting mystery books I've read, and I like the bold personalities that the author has created for her characters. In my opinion it's a good book, and I hope the rest of the series is as fun to read.

The book also includes knitting patterns for a chunky scarf and a shell top, and there is a recipe for the cinamon buns - all are refered to through the book so if you're inspired to get creating the information is all there for you!

Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton, 18 Sep 2007
The first in the series, and what a great book - I'm glad I bought the other two in the series!

Kate has returned to the town when she spent some time growing up. She has inherited from her Aunt a lovely cottage, following her aunt's murder, add to that the appearance of a distant cousin, and a missing family quilt, then another death........

Cozy crime, 02 Aug 2006
This is a typical "cozy crime", as opposed to Patricia Cornwell et al. I am a fan of her as well, but sometimes I prefer to bundle up with a cup of tea and a book like this.
The characters are likeable, the setting is rural and comforting, the plot has interesting twists. Also, the cinnamon buns (recipe included) are lovely!
You don't have to be a knitter to enjoy this book, but you may, like me, get the motivation to begin.

Ok Reading For A Wet Afternoon, 25 Feb 2006
I have to admit that I bought this book purely based on its knitting connection. A mystery involving knitting intrigued me and although I wondered whether the author might possibly be jumping on a trend and milking it, I decided that as I usually enjoy the odd cosy crime, I'd give it a try.

I think Ms. Sefton probably had good intentions with the story but unfortunately it didn't work for me. There were far too many characters involved and as their personalities weren't well developed, it was difficult to differentiate between them and keep track of who was doing what and why.

As far as the mystery itself goes, it didn't exactly keep me on the edge of my chair although it was ok. Big clues as to the answer started to turn up about two thirds into the book and it was all nicely unravelled at the end.

All in all the book's not too bad but nothing to get excited about. If you've nothing else to read on a wet afternoon and enjoy cosy crimes without demanding too much of them, this is probably worth reading. I certainly wouldn't recommend putting it at the top of your 'must read' list, though.

(If I could have given this 2.5 stars then I would have. It isn't quite deserving of 3 but deserves more than 2).

Night at the Vulcan/opening night, 06 Aug 2008
This book confirms Ms. Marsh in the topflight of the genre. We follow the beautifully detailed and knowledgeably described course of a new play from dress rehearsal to the opening night. The cast is a richly and sympathetically imagined group and into this mixture enters a breathless ingenue who has the classical dream that "next day on your dressing room they hang a star"!. Sounds like a cliche? Well yes okay but what is a cliche but a much told truth? And here it is told with mouthwatering skill. Oh and by the way there is a very satisfactory murder,each member of the cast has a motive and Supt Alleyn has the job of disentangling them. This is a book to read and re reread. You will stick the pages with sellotape as they fall out with too many uses. You will perhaps not be suprised to hear that I love this book. Its up there with Caroline Graham's "Death of a hollow man", which it slightly resembles.

Opening Night , 08 Mar 2008
This is one of Ngaio Marsh's best, and that means it is very good, but beware that "Night at the Vulcan" is the American title. In the UK it has always been published as "Opening Night".

Dark and Intense- the Expresso of the Cozy Genre, 17 Apr 2006
This is the third installment of the Lily Bard series and I think the most compelling. Lily Bard lives in small town Shakespeare, Arkansas a small town populated by eccentric characters, a place where everyone knows everyone else's business and Lily as the town cleaner knows more of those secrets than most.

Lily Bard is an incredible and surprisingly complex character for the genre. After surviving a vicious gang rape and attempted murder Lily hones herself into an organic weapon with martial arts training. One thing that Lily hasn't faced up to in moving on from her troubled memories is her family. In this installment she reluctantly goes home to reunite with her family for her sister's wedding but trouble, not just of the personal kind, comes home to roost with her. Lily's new love Jack, a private detective ends up spending Christmas in her home town too, as he tracks down a missing child who was abducted years ago. The problem is that he has three likely suspects including Lily's soon to be new brother in law.

This is a wonderfully crafted novel, the mystery cracks on at a terrific pace seamlessly blending with the personal angst of the overall character arc. The reactions of Lily's parents regarding their daughter's attack are sensitively handled and Harris eschews taking the easy sloppily characterised route and delivers an uncompromising look at the darker heart of small town America.

This is a keeper and well worth shelling money out for. It would be all too easy to make Lily a whiner or self pitying but for the most part this is neatly avoided, and her tragedy is never overplayed there is a particularly lovely scene about her friendship with a boy she grew up with who is now a cop. The overall child abduction mystery keeps you guessing until the last page. I don't give 5 stars lightly but this earned it on every level.

A Darker Side Of Cozy, 04 Apr 1999
I really enjoyed this third chapter in the life of Lily Bard, a cleaning woman with a bent for cleaning up murder mysteries. I find the characters so life-like and believable that I can't wait for the fourth in this series. This time out we learn more about Lily's family and get some insight into what helped form Lily into the person that she is. I really enjoyed meeting her mom and dad and sister-about to be married-Varena. The mysterious Jack Leeds is back again and involved with Lily and the kidnapping investigation. This is a cozy on the darkish side but I think cozy readers will enjoy it as much as I did.

A beautifully written and charactered series., 11 Jan 1999
If you haven't met Lily Bard of Shakespeare, Ak, you are in for a rare treat in the mystery genre. A victim of gang rape, coupled with a vicious knifing, Lily has reinvented herself, left home and become a cleaning lady in a small town. Now, however, she must go home for her sister's wedding and the family from whom she's become almost estranged. On her first morning home, she and her sister discover the bludgeoned bodies of a doctor and his nurse. Also in town on the case of a child abducted years before is the new love of Lily's life, Jack. One of the suspects in the kidnapping is her sister's widowed fiance. A taut, well-told tale of suspense with three dimensional characters. I would suggest that before reading this, one should read "Shakepeare's Landlord" and "Shakespeare's Champion." This different and much darker series by the author of the Aurora Teagarden books should not be missed.

Great Entry in the Amateur Sleuth Genre!, 18 Dec 1998
Shakespeare's Christmas is the third and most recent entry in the Lily Bard mystery series, and the first of Charlaine Harris' books that I've had the pleasure of reading. 

Lily Bard is a maid with a past, and much, much more -- she's one of the amateur sleuth genre's most fascinating heroines. In Shakespeare, Arkansas Lily leads a relatively simple life cleaning houses, working out, and studying karate. Still struggling to deal with the physical and emotional aftermath of a terribly violent past, Lily is a complicated and mysterious woman who readers will get to know fairly well in Shakespeare's Christmas.

When Lily returns to her family's hometown of Bartley, Tennessee to participate in her sister's wedding, she (with the rather unexpected assistance of sexy boyfriend and P. I. Jack Leeds) tries to uncover the facts surrounding a mystery that is four years old. Four years ago, an infant was stolen from her parents and years later, an anonymous note arrives, indicating that the missing child is alive and living under a changed name in Bartley.  As Lily and Jack search for the missing child, they start narrowing down the list of suspects, and suddenly the quiet town of Bartley is shattered by a series of violent deaths that hit close to home for Lily.

Ultimately, Lily and Jack are left with only a few possible suspects, one of whom happens to be the man Lily's sister is about to marry. Harris' ability to combine a great who-done-it with some wonderful re