The Sanctuary Seeker

March 1, 2003
Crowner John, coroner for the county of Devon, must deal with his obstructive brother-in-law, Sheriff Richard de Revelle, during an inquest on an unidentified body in Bernard Knight's The Sanctuary Seeker: A Crowner John Mystery, the first title in this solid British medieval series. Powerful nobles and church officials aren't so helpful either.

March 1, 2003
Knight, a retired British forensic pathologist, presents the first in a new medieval mystery series featuring Sir John de Wolfe. It's 1194, and Sir John has just been appointed coroner for the county of Devon. His first case unfolds when an unidentified, rotting corpse is discovered on a nearby riverbank, and no one knows who it is. The sheriff arrests a suspect, but Sir John is sure he's got the wrong man. When the corpse is identified as the son and heir of a rich country squire, the sheriff is determined to hang his suspect to curry favor with the squire. Can Sir John find the real killer in time to prevent a dire miscarriage of justice? Knight realistically depicts life in the twelfth century--physically demanding, harsh, violent, and raucous. His descriptions of injuries, corpses, and physical maladies are convincing and stomach-churning, but it's his gift for creating engaging and believable characters that makes the book such an enjoyable read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)