SEASON OF THE RAVEN, A MILLER FOUND UNDER HIS WHEEL It’s 1194 and Sir Faucon de Ramis, the shire’s newly appointed Keeper of the Pleas, must do his duty and make an official declaration of the cause of a miller’s death. Saddled with a clerk who names Faucon his ‘penance’, the shire’s first Crowner must thread the tangled relationships between the sheriff, the village of Priors Holston and the … and the priory that once ruled it. As a simple task takes a turn to the political, what seems obvious isn’t and what appears safe turns out to be more dangerous than he could imagine.
SEASON OF THE FOX, RAISE THE HUE AND CRY!
A wealthy merchant has been murdered in his own home, and the suspect has fled to sanctuary in a local church. Enter Sir Faucon de Ramis, the king’s new Servant of the Crown in the shire, to solve the murder, assisted by his prickly secretary, Brother Edmund. As Faucon begins his hunt, the shire’s the new Crowner finds himself in the upside down world of a woman’s trade. Not only does the merchant’s wife own the business-Unheard of!-the suspect is the daughter’s betrothed, or so the town believes. But what about the bloody shoe prints and missing tally sticks at the scene, and what does the sheriff have to gain?
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Do you like history?, Do you like mysteries? Then these are books for you! Characters that are interesting and well “fleshed out”, mysteries that are not easily solved in the first few pages, a story line that is both intriguing and historically appropriate. Sir Faucon de Ramis, a returning knight from the crusade becomes the first Crowner for the kingdom and is placed in service by his wealthy Uncle. There are political intrigues, the need to maneuver through common practices and need to deal with at times difficult personalities. If you like the Cadfael books then you should enjoy these.
Servant of the Crown (2-Book Set) Earns 5+/5 Crowners…Engaging to the Max!
I am eager fan of historical mysteries, especially those set centuries ago in Great Britain’s past. I was fascinated by the level of research and ability to weave into the fiction some historical events and figures along with use of description, language, and cadence to illustrate a medieval society with its class differences along with religious practices and hierarchy and a variety of personalities. It was fortuitous to find Denise Domning’s A Servant of the Crown mystery series, and after reading book one “Season of the Raven” and book two “Season of the Fox” in this set, I have added the series to my Top 5 Surprises for 2021.
Denise Domning had me enthralled at the first “hue and cry” creating a fascinating tale in her Servant of the Crown series that, in the 2-book set, covers first weeks in the life of a newly elected Keeper of the Pleas, more easily referred to as Sir Crowner, a position created to answer the corruption by many sheriffs. Sir Faucon de Ramis, having returned from the Crusades, has limited prospects as the second son of an important family, but fortune smiled as his uncle, the Bishop of Hereford, and family friend thought him best suited for this position. He’ll receive an annual income from Blacklea Village and the Priory of St. Radegund, however, to avoid any more corruption, his position as “servant to the crown” has no compensation. He will hold inquests, gather jurists to confirm findings, discover and note details of all foul acts like murder, and record judgements due for collection, but whether finding the culprit of the crime is part of his purview is up for interpretation. Sir Faucon, despite being hardened by battle, has an intuitive and compassionate manner, yet he commands others to respect him and know their place, like Brother Edmund, his clerk, whose smug, impertinent manner is made more taxing by his staunch adherence to rules. Yet, despite the lack of a verbal filter, Brother Edmund knows the protocols to follow making him invaluable, and oddly, I enjoy the dynamic between Faucon and Edmund. A crossing of paths has Sir Crowner using Brother Colin’s skill since his work at an abbey infirmary provided him the expertise in recognizing patterns in the body’s reaction to all manner of death; acting much like a forensic scientist, he reminds me, along with his quiet manner, of Peter Ellis’ Brother Cadfael.
Domning’s writing style is engaging, rich in the cadence of the twelfth century, illustrating the medieval society with its class struggles along with the process under which justice is served, includes vivid images of the area along with the various personalities, and enriching three very compelling mysteries: (1) an attempt to hide the murder of a miller by staging it as an accident, (2) the brutal murder of a local purveyor of fine linen fabrics, and (3) a serial killer, whose narrative is available only to the reader. The secrets, suspects, subterfuge, and scandal are well exposed at the end, but some of the final justice is left unresolved. There is also an ongoing conflict between the new Sir Crowner and the local sheriff Sir Alain whose duties have been usurped, and the serial killer who stalks the shire. Depicting societies mores and classes are effective including the role of women, often limited to wife and care giver. She does portray some strong women in the image of the wives, sisters, and the alewife. There are two helpful references available: an “Horarium” defining the names given to hours in the day and a “Glossary” defining several content terms. Mystery fans must try the series!
I like this time period so I found it interesting.
I am a great fan of period books and particularly the medieval period. I love Domning’s beautiful prose and this mystery series did not disappoint! Domning has done a nice job of developing several possible villains to keep one guessing.
I just had such fun reading these books.
Great mystery. Wonderful characters. Keeps your attention throughout the story. I love the way the “crowner” seems baffled (as we are) until the end. Waiting for the next three books hope he and his strict religious sidekick will be back .
for those who love the middle ages these books are a treat and an education. I learned a lot about Norman/Saxon languages, customs and culture. Even the crimes are rather peculiar to their time.
i.ve read the first of the two books. it was a while ago, so ui don’t remember the details-read on three devices and dead tree, four going at once, but i intend to read the 2nd book, so it entertained me. but it was not something leading me to want to buy sequels, but very few do because i have access to so many books at little to nio oist that i only buy sequels to those i realky, really like
Medieval Era mysteries set in the shire with a knight crusader and an irascible monk as his assistant were just the thing to tickle my fancy.
I’ve read both stories included in the set. One introduces the world of the series, the characters, and a cunning mystery while the second presents another mystery and forwards the backdrop details that are part of the series arc.
Sir Faucon is a fabulous central character and I enjoy having him as the narrator as he uses his powers of observation and interrogation skills to get at the truth in a time before forensic studies. He sees a murder investigation as he would a hunt where he must track the killer’s spore to the truth. The surrounding characters who are regular to the series are colorful and a little quirky.
I love the attention to historical detail so I felt I was right there engaging all my senses to enjoy the story. It’s a dirty, gritty, and harsh time period where even the laws are quirky. The author doesn’t info dump and yet the reader gleans a lot of details to help paint the picture.
The mysteries get somewhat brutal in accordance with the time period and the situation. There is a standalone mystery in each book, but also an ongoing serial killer mystery in the background as well as a suspense element with the sheriff of the shire wanting to kill Faucon. Yes, there are indeed the opportunity for swordplay and knightly skirmishes.
All in all, this is a fab series and a great set to have for historical mystery fans.
Wonderful writing. I bought her back list!
Enjoy the setting, the keeping the crime solving in tune with the period. Very well written historical mysteries. I highly recommend.
Well written. Realistic.
Nice details of Medieval life but strained results.
good historical aspect with good characters.
Loved this book. Excellent author. The characters were well thought out and detailed.
I really enjoyed this medieval mystery.
This is historical fiction written in a little known about era. The mystery offered in this series is entertaining and informative.
I’ve written enough reviews i fear I’m double dipping. Enjoyed these two books immensely. Don’t often read fiction set in this period. It was a very pleasant change. Well written, with well developed characters and an underlying mystery that still has me guessong.
Love these two books! Great mysteries to read!
A great book for readers who like well-written mysteries set in unfamiliar places in unfamiliar time periods. Unlike some other period mysteries when the setting plays the center role, the mysteries hold that position in these two books. For those who prefer this orientation, these books as excellent examples of that genre.