February 1, 2020
In 1396, a famous tracker of men and objects leaves London for the wilds of Cornwall in search of a fabulous treasure. Crispin Guest and his apprentice, Jack Tucker (Traitor's Codex, 2019, etc.), meet by chance with Carantok Teague, a Cornishman who offers them a large sum to help him track down the mythical Excalibur. Although neither is convinced the sword exists, they leave immediately on the long trip to Treknow, the closest village to Tintagel. Since Crispin, a disgraced but honorable former knight, refuses to participate in illegal treasure hunting, it's fortunate that Teague has an old letter from King Edward III allowing him to search for treasure. A group of traveling players they encounter includes Kat Pyke, a former lover, burglar, and swindler who's bested Crispin in the past. Crispin also meets the scholarly Marzhin Gwyls, a caretaker at Tintagel Castle, a crumpled ruin guarded by a few men at arms and a constable. On their first visit, Teague moves the heavy stone over the hole where he stores some of his treasures only to find the body of a man at arms. The castle constable asks Crispin to find Roger Bennet's killer. The castle is barely guarded, and Bennet had a reputation as a womanizer who had earned the enmity of many a maiden. While Crispin investigates the murder, Jack helps Teague search for the sword, and Kat, always interested in items of value, seduces Crispin, who should know better. Among the suspects are the villagers, Bennet's fellows at Tintagel, and hostile pagans living nearby. Teague, it turns out, does indeed have a nose for treasure, and the search looks to be successful if they're not all killed off by the mysterious person who's killed another man at arms and left Kat to take the blame. History, mythology, and mystery mix in a rollicking adventure that offers a fresh perspective on the famous Arthurian legend.
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February 3, 2020
An improbable narrative hook—a search for Excalibur—hampers Westerson’s 13th medieval noir (after 2019’s Traitor’s Codex). Disgraced English knight Crispin Guest (aka the Tracker) is shopping at a London swordsmith for a new dagger for his apprentice, Jack Tucker, when shady treasure hunter Carantok Teague offers the sleuth a lucrative job. In 1377, Teague got permission from the current king’s grandfather, Edward III, to dig for treasure across the kingdom on condition that any gold recovered be handed over to the crown. Now, in 1396, Teague is on the trail of the ultimate prize—King Arthur’s legendary sword itself, which his research causes him to believe is in Tintagel, Cornwall, Arthur’s birthplace. Guest and Tucker accept the gig, an assignment that leads them to probe multiple murders and an encounter with a femme fatale who may be responsible for them. Anachronistic language (“do some damage”) doesn’t help with suspending disbelief. With this series nearing its end, fans can only hope it goes out on a high note. Agent: Joshua Bilmes/JABberwocky Agency.