The Devil's Acolyte - Couverture rigide

'Michael Jecks has a way of dipping into the past and giving it the immediacy of a present-day newspaper article...He writes...with such convincing charm that you expect to walk round a corner in Tavistock and meet some of the characters...Jecks writes with passion and historical accuracy. Devon and Cornwall do not seem the same after reading his dramatic tales' Oxford Times

'Michael Jecks has a way of dipping in to the past and giving it the immediacy of a present-day newspaper article... writes with passion and historical accuracy. Devon and Cornwall do not seem the same after reading his dramatic tales' Oxford Times

'[Jecks] crafts his tales cunningly to draw his readers into past times that are as real as our own century' North Devon Journal

TRAITOR OF ST GILES:
'Colourful the medieval world might have been, courtly and glamorous, but Michael Jecks exposes the seething hatreds, the primitive passions and the latent brutality lurking below the surface' Northern Echo
'Absorbing, light-hearted' Birmingham Post

BELLADONNA AT BELSTONE:
'A commendable achievement' Kirkus Reviews
'Jecks draws his characters with a craftsman's hand, evokes atmosphere with the touch of an old master and keeps you wriggling on the hook of suspense as skilfully as Christie at her best. Enjoyable to the very end' Northern Echo
'Wickedly exciting' Newcastle Evening Chronicle

SQUIRE THROWLEIGH'S HEIR:
'An inventive plot, memorable characters, steadily absorbing period background' Kirkus Reviews
'SQUIRE THROWLEIGH'S HEIR...[is] one of the most wickedly plotted medieval mystery novels' The Times
'Jecks has a real knack of bringing to life the medieval era of the West Country...SQUIRE THROWLEIGH'S HEIR has enough twists and turns to satisfy everybody... An excellent adddtion to the series' Shots
'A very well told story with a violent yet convincing plot. Jecks succeeds in writing both a book which smells of the Middle Ages and yet is a detective story. No mean feat' Crime Time

Praise for Michael Jecks:
'More superlative stuff from Jecks' NORTH LONDON NEWS
"A neatly constructed tale . . ."
". . . an absorbing page-turner . . ."
"The combination of Jecks's historical research, his caring descriptions of
the Devon countryside, his neat way of drawing characters, are shown to their
best advantage in this book." SHOTS
'A tortuous and exciting plot... The construction of the story and the sense of period are excellent' Shots
'A gem of historical storytelling...authentic recreation of the modes and manners, superstitions and primitive fears that made up the colourful but brutal tableau of the Middle Ages' Northern Echo
'Girt about with a goodly helping of period authenticity...ends up with a thrilling cop and robber chase on horseback' Oxford Times
'A goodly tale in the vein of Cadfael, and equally enjoyable' Coventry Evening Telegraph
'Like Ellis Peters' Cadfael, Puttock is a carefully drawn character who combines the whodunnit format with a loving attention to detail, with lively, intriguing descriptions. It...will help you turn back the pages of history and enjoy the depth and texture of a long-vanished England' Croydon Advertiser
'A medieval mystery to rank with the best' Northern Echo
'Brisk medieval whodunnit' Literary Review
'Tremendously successful medieval mystery series' Sunday Independent
'Jecks' knowledge of medieval history is impressive and is used here to good effect' Crime Time

Amidst the myth and folklore of Tavistock in 1322, one tale above all others strikes fear into the hearts of the town's inhabitants - that of the murders on the Abbot's Way.

One cold winter, many years ago, a young acolyte eager for distraction, led a group of fellow novices to steal from their Abbot's wine store. Crippled with guilt and fear of discovery, Milbrosa was driven to commit more crimes in an effort to disguise his sins. But his soul had already been lost. As legend has it, the devil himself appeared to lead the unwitting Milbrosa and his cohorts to their deaths on the treacherous Devon moors.

Now, in the autumn of 1322, it seems history is repeating itself. Abbot Robert finds the abbey's wine barrel empty, and a body has been discovered on the moors. Bailiff Simon Puttock, in Tavistock for the coining, is called upon to investigate. It soon becomes apparent that it is not just wine that has gone missing, and the body on the moor isn't the last to be found. With the arrival of Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, the townspeople hope the mystery will finally be solved - but will the terrors of the past provide the key to their present turmoil?
'The most wickedly plotted medieval mystery novels' The Times