Bloodstone

De: Paul Doherty

Narrado por: Terry Wale

December, 1380. When the corpse of Sir Robert Kilverby is discovered in a locked room, Brother Athelstan accompanies the King’s coronor to investigate. For the late Sir Robert had in his possession a sacred bloodstone which he was planning to donate to the Abbey of St Fulcher-on-Thames.

The bloodstone has disappeared and the Regent is taking an uncomfortably close interest in the case. Athelstan is sceptical of rumours of a curse hanging over Kilverby and his comrades of the Wyvern Company. But then it is discovered that a second old soldier has been slain on the same night. As Athelstan begins to uncover the dark secrets surrounding the Abbey of St Fulcher, the bloodstone curse seems all too real.

©2012 Paul Doherty (P)2012 Soundings

Pointless

If you’re just here for the medieval atmosphere (rugged, muddy and bloody style at least), then go ahead.

If you want a mystery, look elsewhere.

It’s one of those where the solution is that some barely relevant character “dunnit” for a motive in the form of a stagnant character trait. It starts with one group of characters, sets up a list of cliche motives with them, then spends about 70% of the novel with a completely different group of characters (and more grisly deaths than it really needs) before going back and saying “actually it was someone in the first group”.

I’m just not a fan of mysteries where the uninvolved person “dunnit”. It’s the easy way out.