The Elephants of Norwich, by Edward Marston

Another in the Domesday books, this finds both of the 'main' commissioners traveling with their wives for the first time, and involved in trying to figure out the theft of small golden elephants and the murder of a servant. They never actually sit down and discuss the land-ownership issues at all in this book, which is a bit of a first. Usually there is at least a nod toward that. No, instead, Ralph and Gervase both hare around the countryside trying to figure out what the hell is going on, because clearly there are no sheriffs in 11th-century England who can solve crimes on their own.

Sigh.

Perhaps I should just stop with these for awhile, eh?

(aside: this book is only 8 years old, but I can't find any trace of it in Amazon--what gives? All his others are there.)

The Owls of Gloucester, by Edward Marston

This one is about the death of a monk, and seemed to be stretching a LONG way to make the plot work. Still, good.

The Foxes of Warwick, by Edward Marston

I need to take a break from Marston, I think. While I still like all the historical bits in this series about the Domesday commissioners, the stories are starting to blend together.

This story surrounds the imprisonment of a local blacksmith who stands accused of murdering a former employee of the sheriff of Warwick. The sheriff refuses to countenance the possibility that the smith is not guilty, preferring to torture a confession out of it. Gervase and Ralph do some investigating and with Golde's help, they find several pieces of the puzzle that don't fit. Then the blacksmith escapes and one of the other commissioners takes off with the sheriff in the hunt for him.

A bit of a twist at the end, and a couple of new fun characters that might continue appearing in other books. But I think I'll take a break for awhile in any case.

The Wildcats of Exeter, by Edward Marston

This is the book I skipped somehow, and it's a little disconcerting to find that it hardly mattered.

Obviously, the commissioners have headed to Devon for this book, along with yet another additional head to help them sort things out. Of course, like Ensign Red-Shirt in the original Star Trek shows, this just means he's either going to end up dead or on the wrong team.

The 'case' they end up trying to solve surrounds a man killed as they arrive in Exeter. The dead man has land that is under their review too, and after his death two new people come forward saying they should have the title, making a total of five claimants. Solving his murder becomes important to figure out if he was killed so that the new claims are the result of his death. In the meantime, the new commissioner is killed, and Golde becomes involved in an attempt at blackmailing the wife of their host.

The plot was convuluted, with the dangling carrot of Gervase and Alys' imminent wedding being held out as reason to continue reading the series.

The Serpents of Harbledown, by Edward Marston

I got this one out of order and read the next book in the series before this one. Oh well.

This one finds the commissioner's in Kent, headed for Canterbury. Upon their arrival they are faced with a deep disagreement between the archbishop and the local priory, and also with a poisoned young girl found near a leper's colony. The wife of the house in which they are staying was good friends with the dead girl, so they are drawn into finding out how she was killed.

Then the leader of the monks who run the leper colony dies, and both deaths are soon reclassified as murders, and laid at the doorstep of a French heretic who has snuck into the country.

Interesting sub-plot about what constitutes heresy as opposed to sincerely-held alternative thoughts on the rights of the church and individuals. The main plot was pretty much a pot-boiler, but I still like the history I'm spoon-fed as I read this.