One
reason I love reading historical mysteries is sometimes you learn something, if
you’re not careful. Understandably,
authors of this genre might take creative liberties with facts for the sake of
entertainment, but more often, they are not afraid to include gut-churning
details that history textbooks might omit.
The reader, now having his curiosity piqued, seeks out more information
on some gruesome event ‘intended for mature audiences only.’
Such
is the basis for Michael Jecks’ The Sticklepath Strangler, the twelfth in his
excellent series featuring Sir Baldwin de Furnshill, Knight’s Templar and Keeper
of the King’s Peace in Crediton. (Yes, I’m
super-duper behind.)
The
novel is set several years ago after the great famine in the British Isles from
1315-1317, where the disaster was so widespread and so devastating, rumors of
cannibalism flourished. Such allegations
being so horrendous, it isn’t shocking that some of the populace cold only
explain the happenings on a supernatural being. In this case, vampires.
The
novel opens with the villagers of Sticklepath killing one of their own, fearing
he was a vampire, after a ten year-old girl vanishes.
Seven
years later her body is discovered and indications she might have provided someone
with a meal. The villagers who have
survived the famine are sure to defend their belief a sanguisuga or vampire is
responsible. Baldwin is not so sure,
even though an incident during his investigation almost makes him reconsider
his beliefs. With his wife, Lady Jeanne
and his friend Simon Puttock, official of the tin miners of Dartmoor, he sets
out to find the real reason the young girl was murdered.
But
no matter how devious, twisted and evil the murderer is, Baldwin is able to
bring the whole queasy affair to an end.
Jecks’
novel is richly detail and does not skimp on descriptions of life in a 14th
century village devastated by floods. It
also brought out the morbid curiosity in me to learn more about the events,
such as the floods and famine in this time frame, and King Edward II.
It’s
easy for us to read and be appalled by some of the actions in the novel but the
question posed by one of the main characters could be asked of all of us:
If
there was absolutely no food anywhere to ear, how far would you go to be sure
your baby didn’t starve.
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