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For The Love of Old Bones Kindle Edition

4.0 out of 5 stars 267 ratings

‘highly recommended’ – Lee Child

Death and deceit stalk the bleak moorlands of medieval Devonshire in this captivating collection of short stories from the acclaimed author Michael Jecks.

THE CORONER’S TALE

In the remote Devonshire town of Crediton, a young girl is found dead in an alleyway, raped and murdered. As the local Bailiff and a visiting knight investigate the crime, it comes to light that the bailiff holds an incriminating secret – one that has the potential to place this agent of the government on the wrong side of the law.

FOR THE LOVE OF OLD BONES

A group of monks journeying from Launceston Abbey across the wild wastelands of Dartmoor are waylaid by brigands. During the brawl, their abbot is put to death at the blade of a knife, but the murderer neglected to steal his money filled purse. When the local bailiff discovers that the group are conducting a holy relic overseas to France, he begins to suspect that there are murkier motivations at play.

THE AMOROUS ARMOURER

A blacksmith is found dead in his lodgings, the door locked from the inside. As the town’s meticulously minded bailiff goes about his investigation, a veritable rogue’s gallery of culprits drift in and out of focus - but the guilty party is the least suspect of all.

A CLERICAL ERROR

One of the king’s forresters lies dead in a gully on the moor, his head smashed in with a rock, and the only witness to the murder being the forrester’s loyal mastiff, who stands vigil over his master’s body. As the list of suspects increases with every local rivalry which comes to light, the outcome of the case will surprise all involved.

DANCE OF DEATH

1348, the year of the Great Death. Refugees flood into the city of Exeter from the plague-ravaged countryside surrounding the city. A man and a young boy from the village of Rookford arrive separately, yet both share knowledge of a horrifying secret and come to the realisation that even in these times of turmoil, the past is inescapable.

Praise for Michael Jecks:

"An instant classic British spy novel - mature, thoughtful, and intelligent ... but also raw enough for our modern times. Highly recommended." Lee Child, author of the Reacher series

"More magic by the master of the medieval” - Quintin Jardine

"Michael Jecks is a national treasure" - Scotland on Sunday

“A textbook example of how to blend action and detection in a historical” - Publishers Weekly

Michael Jecks is the author of the bestselling Knights Templar series, comprising thirty-two novels starring Baldwin de Furnshill. A regular speaker at library and literary events, he is a past Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association and a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund at Exeter University. He was shortlisted for the Harrogate/Theakston’s Old Peculier prize for the best crime novel of the year 2007, the year Allan Guthrie won. He lives with his wife, children and dogs in northern Dartmoor.

To find out more visit his website http://www.michaeljecks.com, follow him on twitter @michaeljecks, or find him on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Michael.Jecks.author

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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07D3QPCZ9
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sharpe Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 15, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.2 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 121 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 267 ratings

About the author

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Michael Jecks
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I was a keen writer from an early age - but I was also a realist, and since I wanted a good job, with regular income arriving monthly, I quickly decided that writing novels was not a good idea. The life of a creative, I was sure, was less than certain.

Instead I studied to be an actuary (someone who finds accountancy too exciting). There I successfully failed every exam I took After thirteen years I started writing my own books.

Since 1995 and the launch of The Last Templar, I have been a full-time author. In the last thirty years I have written some fifty two novels, six novellas, a series of collaborative novels, including The Sinking Admiral with the Detection Club, and the Medieval Murderers stories, one "How To" book, Howdunit, also with the Detection Club, and multiple short stories.

What else? Well, in 2007 I was proud to be asked to collaborate with Conway Stewart to produce the Michael Jecks fountain pen. Other honours include being invited as the International Guest of Honour at the Bloody Words gala 2014 - and being the Grand Master of the first parade of the 2014 Mardi Gras in New Orleans!

You can follow me on Twitter/X at @michaeljecks, on facebook, Bluesky and Instagram and Youtube where I'm writerlywitterings, or you can go to my website for information on my books and events coming up or sign up for my newsletter.

I hope to see you there.

Happy reading!

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
267 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the anthology's stories about medieval life, with one review describing it as a strong collection of historical mysteries. The writing quality receives positive feedback, with one customer noting it's an easy read. Customers find the book entertaining, with one mentioning it's a good way to pass the afternoon.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

9 customers mention "Story quality"9 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the stories in the book, with one review highlighting the twists and turns of the plots, while another notes it's a strong anthology of historical mysteries.

"...The main thing I enjoyed were the twists and turns of the plots with a surprise ending, just like I was taught at 60 years ago that the pleasure of..." Read more

"These are fairly good stories about medieval life but lacking in depth when compared to one such as Cadfael...." Read more

"Terrific author, great stories, some further adventures of Knight Templar, plus many more great stories." Read more

"...previously unknown to me -- and I'm glad I did -- this medieval mystery series was quite good!" Read more

3 customers mention "Author's writing"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's writing, with one noting it's a nice sampling of their works and another describing it as a great historical anthology.

"...It was a nice sampling of the author's works and enough that I might consider reading more in the future." Read more

"A welcome set of stories from a Great Author..." Read more

"Good historical anthology..." Read more

3 customers mention "Enjoyment"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining, with one mentioning it's a good way to pass the afternoon.

"The word pictures of the times were sobering and entertaining, the characters were believable and very human...." Read more

"...Fun to read but not necessary to the series." Read more

"...The best part was the unexpected endings. These were a good way to pass the afternoon." Read more

3 customers mention "Writing quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one noting it's an easy read.

"Terrific author, great stories, some further adventures of Knight Templar, plus many more great stories." Read more

"Writing is always good." Read more

"Easy read...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2016
    The word pictures of the times were sobering and entertaining, the characters were believable and very human. The main thing I enjoyed were the twists and turns of the plots with a surprise ending, just like I was taught at 60 years ago that the pleasure of a good short story is the twist in the tail.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2020
    These are fairly good stories about medieval life but lacking in depth when compared to one such as Cadfael. They are told simply, without much action. The cast changes with each and some of the outcomes are cleverly contrived, all with an underlying moral theme. It was a nice sampling of the author's works and enough that I might consider reading more in the future.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2017
    I was a little disappointed. It was a thin book with thin plots. I just thought it wasn't up to the usual standard from this author.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2016
    Terrific author, great stories, some further adventures of Knight Templar, plus many more great stories.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2016
    Very enjoyable collection of short stories. I would have enjoyed a character profile being provided in the book or an opening story that provided more details about the setting and characters, as I got the feeling I should have known more about the characters and settings while reading the stories (I'm learning there is a series of books and stories set in this world.) -- but I absolutely enjoyed the book. I bought for a reduced sale price and took a chance on an author previously unknown to me -- and I'm glad I did -- this medieval mystery series was quite good!
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2019
    Jecks wrote several Last Templar Mysteries. Many Last Templar Mysteries. These short stories carry on in that vein but not are all about Baldwin. Fun to read but not necessary to the series.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2016
    Not his best work
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2020
    This is a collection of medieval mysteries, some told in first person. They are meticulous in the details of the investigation. The best part was the unexpected endings. These were a good way to pass the afternoon.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Silva Gillespie
    4.0 out of 5 stars I loved "For the Love of Old Bnes"
    Reviewed in Australia on July 15, 2016
    I liked it very much. Short stories are good to read when you don't have much time.
  • Dudley Johnson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on January 12, 2018
    Great Story
  • Judith P
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2016
    A very good selection of short stories, I would recommend it to anyone interested in historical fiction, J
  • Valerie
    4.0 out of 5 stars historical drama
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2016
    like most of his book a good read but it does have its gory moments, I enjoyed it
  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on December 30, 2016
    Good one!

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