The Sticklepath Strangler (2001)

As the summer of 1322 brings sun to the Devonshire countryside, it seems that the small village of Sticklepath is destined to remain in darkness. An afternoon of innocent adventure becomes one of gruesome terror when two playmates uncover the body of a young girl up on the moors. The body is that of ten-year-old Aline, who had gone missing six years earlier. When Sir Baldwin Furnshill and his friend Simon Puttock are called to the scene to investigate, they soon discover that Aline is not the only young girl to have been found dead in recent years. It seems that the villagers have been concealing not only a serial killer, but a possible case of cannibalism. Or, if the rumors are to be believed, a vampire.From Publishers WeeklyIn this richly detailed tale of serial killing in the Middle Ages the 12th in the medieval West Country mystery series British author Jecks convincingly re-creates the atmosphere of Dartmoor, Devonshire, in the summer of 1322. When the body of a young girl is discovered six years after her disappearance, Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, and his long-term friend, Bailiff Simon Puttock, investigate. They soon learn that other, slightly older girls have been found dead in the recent past, and that the much despised Purveyor to the King went missing during the great famine a few years earlier. A murder and a suspicious death occur in the midst of their inquiry, and the plot proverbially thickens. Most of the locals including a priest who's usually drunk, a miller who abuses his wife and daughter, a cautious reeve and a treacherous manciple are unsavory, superstitious and frequently hostile to Sir Baldwin, Simon and Sir Roger de Gidleigh, a Devonshire coroner. There are reports of cannibalism and even fears of a vampire. An introductory list of more than two dozen characters will help readers who find themselves momentarily lost amid the elaborate intrigues and concealments in a world where "superstition is a useful precaution." Jecks's fans will be amply rewarded. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalIn their 12th adventure (after The Leper of St. Giles), Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, and Simon Puttock, bailiff, friend, and cosleuth, arrive at the village of Sticklepath, where residents have discovered a girl's skeleton. Sir Baldwin and Simon meet with resistance to their inquiries at every turn: not only have other girls gone missing but the villagers have killed one of their own for alleged cannibalism. In addition to ignorance and superstition, the pair encounters a drunken cleric, a wife abuser, and more. Great characterization, a detailed sense of place, and a finely honed plot make this a superb medieval historical. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.