by Lorie Lewis Ham
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of The Deepest Grave and a really cool sword letter opener from Jeri. You will also find a link to purchase the book from Amazon, and an indie bookstore where a portion of the sale goes to help support KRL, and a link to Jeri’s episode of our podcast.
The Deepest Grave is the latest Crispin Guest medieval noir mystery written by Jeri Westerson. Crispin is a former knight who was accused of treason and stripped of everything. To survive, he has turned to his considerable deductive skills and basically become the first private detective, though what they call him is the “Tracker.” Crispin has managed to survive using these skills, providing a meager life for himself and his apprentice Jack Tucker, a former thief.
In this new book, Crispin is approached by a priest–not an unusual occurrence in Crispin’s life–named Father Bulthius. However, the priest’s reason for wanting to hire Crispin is quite unusual–he believes that the dead are rising from their graves and wants Crispin to find out why and hopefully stop them. Crispin ends up with more than one case, as he is also summoned by his former love, Philippa Walcote, to save her young son who has been accused of murder and of stealing a relic. Much to his annoyance, relics seem to haunt Crispin’s life, and this one seems to have some unusual abilities. The boy is on the verge of being arrested, so Crispin must act quickly. Crispin does however get a bit of a reprieve time wise, as one of the current Sheriffs is actually a fan of his-much to his surprise. Usually the local Sheriffs can’t stand him. There is also something about the boy that drives Crispin even harder to save him. As the story progresses, he and Jack end up with help from an unexpected source, Abbott William, who while elderly is very enthusiastic about this adventure that could possibly include the “walking dead.”
This latest book takes a bit of a time jump from the last one, and some significant changes have happened during that time. You find Crispin in the best situation that he has been in since the series started. He has a better home, and is building a sort of family. His apprentice, Jack Tucker, is now married and he and his wife Isabella are expecting their first child. Jack has grown into a fine young man, and is now of even more help to Crispin, and his wife cooks for them and keeps the home. There is a sort of peace in his life that Crispin hasn’t experienced for some time. And he too has grown and changed considerably because of it.
I always enjoy a Crispin Guest mystery, but this one may be my favorite one so far! Not only is it filled with medieval adventure and two well plotted mysteries filled with many twists and turns, but it’s also really nice seeing how much the characters have grown and changed. I also really enjoyed the “walking dead” aspect of the story, and was completely surprised when the villain was revealed! The history of the time period is always interesting as well. My one regret is that one of my favorite side characters, the cross dressing John Rykener, wasn’t in this story, but I hope we do see him again in the future.
If you enjoy a wonderfully constructed mystery, interesting and well developed characters, and a unique and fascinating setting, don’t miss The Deepest Grave! You can also hear a snippet of the book come to life in a recent Mysteryrat’s Maze podcast episode, which features the first chapter.
You can also listen here:
To enter to win an ebook copy of The Deepest Grave (be aware that for this one you must join NetGalley to get your copy-but NetGalley doesn’t cost anything) and the fun sword letter opener, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “deepest grave,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen September 15, 2018. U.S. residents only. If entering via comment please include your email address. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.
Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast! They are also available on iTunes and Google Play.
Use this link to purchase the book & a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:
You can also use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases using those links. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.
deepest grave
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