This is the 4th in the series that I have now read and so far my favorite. This time there is a serial killer loose in London and Crispin has a real challenge. The late 1300s really comes alive to me. I love lerning more about the reign of Richard II and John of Gaunt. I very much recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries and history. ( )

An engaging mystery with several surprises along the way. I've enjoyd all three Crispin Guest novels that I've read so far. ( )

After reading the last installment of Jeri Westerson's series, The Serpent in the Thorns, which had a pretty healthy dose of comedy throughout, I didn't expect this. It was a lot darker than the first two Guest mysteries. Much, much darker. Here, Westerson takes a stab at mixing her unusual medieval noir/historical fiction with gothic horror. There are some very gruesome and disturbing things going on here.

In this installment, a reluctant Crispin is hired by a French Jewish physician who has been brought to the Court to service the Queen. The doctor claims parchments containing the secret on how to conjure up a golem have been stolen from his apartment. Simultaneously, young boys are being found murdered and mutilated along the Thames River. The doctor worries that the parchment has fallen in the wrong hands. Some nefarious soul has conjured up an evil golem set out to do unspeakable things. Crispin vows to catch the monster - whether supernatural or not - and bring him to justice. Throughout the story Crispin has to deal with his own demons: namely his English anti-semitism (the Jews had been exiled from England at the time the novel takes place); his loss of status and ensuing poverty; bitter rivalries from his past; and his own homophobia. I rather enjoyed seeing Crispin overcome some of his prejudices that were so thick they were hindering his ability to see the truth.

I found this book incredibly entertaining; never a dull moment here. It was creepy (I love creepy!), dark and disturbing with more of a nod to the supernatural than the previous books. Westerson's writing is simple yet she does a brilliant job of just putting you there in medieval England. It kept me up way past my bedtime - I found myself just as confused as Crispin was while he tried to connect the dots and swim through a mass of rather well-placed and entertaining red herrings. I just had to know who-done-it & couldn't rest until I did. I've had marathon reading sessions before with mysteries before and found myself rather disappointed with an anti-climatic ending. (So disappointed that I almost gave up on the genre altogether.) I definitely was not disappointed this time. The ending here set my pulse racing and shivers up my spine.

Some reviewers had a hard time dealing with the gruesomeness of the murders, and just the idea of child murders in general. It is rather disturbing, of course, but Westerson doesn't dwell too much on the gruesome details (at least it didn't bother me - and I am very easily grossed out and disturbed!). I thought the nature of the crimes made for a very compassionate and incredibly passionate Crispin whose dedication to solving the case got him in some precarious fixes that nearly got him killed and had him, at times, at the verge of what seemed to be a nervous breakdown. Throughout the story, Crispin and Jack's (Jack being his "apprentice," a young "cutpurse" he saved from the street) relationship seems to deepen and we see Crispin tapping into some paternalistic protective feelings for his sidekick. We also get a little more of a background on the ginger-haired young Jack and get to see him play the hero (kind of).

At the end of the day, moving forward, I think we're left with a bit of a different Crispin and Jack than the ones in the first two books.

I'd almost consider these books simple guilty pleasure reads - because they're so much fun and simply written - but Westerson's mysteries don't insult your intelligence. As a matter of fact, she uses her Guest series to teach a bit of medieval English history. In the Afterword here, we read about the actual events and characters in history she based the story on.

*shiver*

Good stuff.

3.5 solid stars overall; 4 stars for entertainment factor. ( )

I enjoyed this mystery immensely... I love the author 's attention to detail, love the hero, Crispin, as well as his young helper, Jack. I couldn't put I down, and I read it about a year ago. Didn't realize till today that I hadn't reviewed it!! I eagerly await all future installments. I've read the whole series, including the new prequel, Cup Of Blood. ( )

Ugh. This book uses the following as set decoration: antisemitism, cross-dressing, trans* people, rape, child abduction, forced conversion, women's repression, internalized homophobia, kabbalah, urban poverty, and probably more I am forgetting. Run, do not walk. AWAY. ( )