Wow. I may need to add Knight to my List Authors. At first I was afraid this was following the Ellis Peters or Edward Marston track a little too closely, but as it turns out the main character is one of the first coroners in England at the end of the 12th century. Obviously, over the centuries, the job of the coroner has changed a lot. The job of the "crowner" in the Middle Ages was purely overseeing inquests into untimely deaths, and appearing at hangings and other punishments of wrongdoers.John De Wolfe is hardly a likeable character--he is a serial adulterer, a man baffled by humor, and quick to anger--but somehow Knight makes you want him solve the murders of a silversmith, a manor lord, and a young teenager from the same manor. In the event, he also manages to ride out on a "melee" and participate in a duel, while also sending his unbeloved and drunken wife off to France so he can devote himself to his current mistress.
Great characters, complicated situations and a good puzzle...PLUS history! Can't beat that.
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