Book review : Blood Lance by Jeri Westerson

Blood Lance
Crispin Guest Book #5
Medieval noir by Jeri Westerton
My rating: ★★★★★

Wow, amazing ! I really missed Crispin Guest in the last two months I dedicated to Christmas reads.

This is installment #5 in the series, but you can read it as a standalone as well ( even if I think each book it's more enjoyable if you read them all starting from the first one ) and Jeri Westerson, the author, did not disappoint me: her writing style is amazing, she manages to catapult me into the Middle Ages on the scenes described in the book.

Her wonderful descriptions are not only visual, but include all the senses: she manages to make me feel the smells, the humidity on the skin, the restorative heat of the fire, the sexual tension when there are scenes in which the nature of the man prevails Crispin, the tension in the air in moments of danger, the fear and euphoria of the characters, she manages to make me experience every action scene just as if I were on the set of a film and even, in this book, the the author managed to make me feel inside Crispin's body, as if every action, fact and sensation happened to me together with him.

The author manages to mix fictional characters together with real-life characters and against a historical background rich in details in the best way.

Before continuing, however, I must briefly talk about THE PLOT__ :
Crispin Guest is a former knight banished from the court of King Richard II as a traitor. Crispin is a courageous thirty-two-year-old and a man of honor, but he fell into a trap run by the man he admired most in the world.
That man, aware of this, asked the king for grace to save the knight from execution, but since then Crispin has lived in poverty, earning his living as "The Tracker", a kind of detective who finds missing objects, often precious relics and solves murder cases.
Over the years the Tracker, aided by his assistant Jack Tucker (former cutpurse), has earned the respect of people, both among the people and among old court friends. His exploits are often praised in London and England and in this new adventure not only will he have to solve a murder, find the spear of Longinus ( the one with which the Roman centurion struck Christ's side on the cross), help an old knight friend defending his honor, but he will also have the opportunity to feel like a knight once again and to fight valiantly.

This book, which begins immediately with energetic, well-detailed action scenes (and I often wonder if the author has taken fighting lessons, because every action is really well described), is linked through two characters (one fictional and one real historical and famous character ) that we have already met in book #1 and in book #4.

These are Philippa, the woman with whom Crispin fell in love and who he decided not to marry and Geoffrey Chaucer, knight of the Duke of Lancaster and great friend of Crispin, as well as diplomat and poet, now known as the father of English literature.

However, if you haven't read the previous books, don't worry, the whole backstory is explained in a concise but satisfying way, but if you started the series from the beginning, then like me you will be delighted with these links.

What really made me emotional in this story, however, was the part in which Crispin, after 10 years, finally, even if briefly, returns to being a knight. ( I don't mark it as spoiler because this statement will certainly fill you with curiosity... and it's not as you're already imagining).

The emotion is perceived by the reader through Crispin's heartbeat, which at first finds himself in a dream, a surreal scene, then gradually realizes what is happening.
WARNING SPOILER ___ He feels the fear of death within himself and in a few minutes he thinks back to the things he still has to accomplish and finish. But he also feels happiness in being able to die the way he feels he is truly himself.

Then little by little the prospect of death transforms into the belief of making it, the sound of the excited crowd, the announcement of the start of the joust, the clattering of the horses, reliving gestures and emotions of the past creates euphoria and adrenaline within him (or and the piece of sacred spear?)... ___ SPOILER END the last chapters were really exciting and kept me in suspense, it was wonderful!

If on the one hand I found it unfair that Crispin faced yet another dangerous situation to help someone WARNING SPOILER ___ who truly proved to be an undeserving coward, on the other hand I am happy that he was able to once again be part of the world that so much he loved and that Jack, his pupil, was able to see not only the fullness of his courage and honor (two things he always demonstrated) but also at the height of his fighting skills. I am happy that he was able to demonstrate his full value even to his old court friends (not that he needed it and he was actually incognito, but I was very happy about it as if Crispin was my best friend or even my love ). ___ SPOILER END

But the emotions of the book do not end here, the most emotional among you will also shed a few tears... after all, life includes not only victories, but also pains and although this is a historical fiction novel, everything is as it could be in the reality: pain and joy mix in a completely believable way and the characters are three-dimensional, so much so that now I will miss them until the next book.

__ REGARDING THE HISTORICAL PART ON THE RELIC __ perhaps in this book the presence of the power of the relic that everyone wants to take possession of is less felt, but in the epilogue the author explains many interesting things about the various spears considered the real one, which entered the side of Jesus on the cross and of each of them, J. Westerson briefly illustrates the history and the place where it is preserved.

Also very interesting is the theme of the health disorder from which soldiers and fighters of all eras suffer, but which in medieval times was ignorantly defined as cowardice.
Actually I hadn't considered this issue until I read the writer's epilogue, but then I realized that in fact the problem of Crispin's knight friend was precisely that.

Recommended book? YES, OF COURSE !! I love Crisping Guest and his stories and I thank Jeri Westerson for writing them!

Thank you for reading my review and please forgive any errors in my text because English is not my language :-)


------> Each book is readable as a standalone, but if you read them in order your enjoyment will be doubled !

If you want to know more about PREVIOUS BOOKS, you can read my reviews here :

BOOK #1 "Veil of Lies" :

BOOK #2 "Serpent in the Thorns" :

BOOK #3 "The Demon's Parchment" :

BOOK #4 "Troubled Bones" :



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Book review : The Christmas Tart by Mary Jo Putney

The Christmas Tart by Mary Jo Putney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Such a lovely Christmas novella !

___THE PLOT___ Nicole is wrongly accused of theft and fired a few days before Christmas.
Philip's friends try to cheer up their friend by giving him female company for the night. When they mistakenly mistake Nicole, who is wandering cold in Covent Garden, for a prostitute, they offer her money for a night with their friend. At first scandalized, shortly after Nicole accepts in order to have the money to feed herself and the little kitten she picked up on the street... but she is a good girl and when Philip realizes this he doesn't want to take advantage of her, he decides to help the young girl instead...


___MY OPINION___ Read it over two afternoons, it is a sweet and clean romance where are emerging feelings such as sharing ( with the people or even animals that are in need at moment ) and and of giving a chance without hastily judging by appearances.

In addition to this moral and the birth of a sweet love story, in the novel we slowly breathe in the Christmas air with the joy of preparing the decorations together, breathing in the scent of greenery in the air, savoring the mulled cider in front of the fireplace, while the cold rain pours down outside and...of course the kiss under the mistletoe.

I would like a series to be born from these two characters where their love is consolidated and both are involved in sparkling adventures and perhaps mysteries (since the novel was published recently, in October 2023, I hope that the author collects my suggestion...and I would also like the little cat Merkle included in the novels).

Thanks everybody for reading my opinion and please be lenient with my text since English is not my mother tongue :-)

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Book review : A Coin of Edward VII by Fergus Hume

A Coin of Edward VII by Fergus Hume
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazing! __ 5 full stars is my rating __

It's been a long time since I read a classic detective story so engaging and with such an intricate plot full of twists that made me turn the pages one after the other with such great curiosity and interest that I've been tempted several times to go and see the last pages who was the culprit.

___ THE PLOT__ The story begins on Christmas Day in the Morleys' living room, where while the children play happily and someone exchanges greetings and gifts, the village gossip gives us a first glimpse of the situation.
But what she paints is only the facade of fake truth, soon a threatening letter will bring to the surface real resentments which will be followed by a murder and the gears of a race against time, to find the truth, will set in motion without ever stopping until the end of the adrenaline-filled story.
---> With no doubt an unconventional "classic" mystery, and this to me is its charm!

This is a book that will be very enjoyable to those like me who love fast-paced plots, where every theory formulated by the reader is dismantled and then taken into consideration again and then refuted again by unexpected events and evidence and deceptive characters until the unthinkable.

On the contrary, those who read classic detective stories because they love their slowness and dislike action will rate this book only a few stars and will probably call it a mess... so before reading it, make sure you recognize which group of readers you belong to.

As I said, the pace is fast and despite being a classic mystery from 1903 there is a lot of action and a couple of the final chapters could easily be scenes from Mission Impossible or 007.

As for the culprit of the crime, I must admit that I guessed it from the beginning and I disliked him enormously throughout the book.
Despite this, I want to assure you that you will doubt your theory several times and all the events will involve you so much that they will make the novel enjoyable from start to finish.

___THE CHARACTERS __ Since I have already mentioned something about the culprit I will start from this character:

1) THE CULPRIT __ I immediately understood who WARNING : SPOILER ___ [ he was because his attitude was too weird: first extremely affectionate, then a sudden fury against a person who up until two minutes before he professed to admire...He was the one who found the murder weapon and formulated the accusatory hypotheses .

Same affectionate and then accusatory attitude and then again too kind towards the victim ]___SPOILER END I think the author planned to make us understand who the culprit could be and then surprise us with an unpredictable plot full of twists and turns, where the Investigations are not carried out only by the detective, but by several people, some of whom are truly unlikely and yet astute (Mrs. Parry!)

2) THE LOCAL GOSSIP __ ok... she's a forked tongue that can destroy the most immaculate reputations, but this character really managed to surprise me and if at the beginning she could have been considered hateful, actually she is really as smart as a fox, she will even end up being nice , because she is the one who knows how to frame each person better than a detective and knows how to find the truth by listening in the right places and reporting the information to the right people.
She may look like a useless character, but actually her role is fundamental to the investigation.

3) THE MAN IN LOVE, THE MAIN CHARACTER ___ I like him! Handsome, kind and friendly, he is also a young man who will not break his word even if it breaks his heart.
Against everyone's thoughts and against all the evidence that could confirm the guilt of his beloved, he will always behave in a correct and polite manner, he will put his reputation and his life at risk until he reaches his desired goal. The best character in the whole book. A hero.

4) THE DETECTIVE ___ character not at the peak of intelligence and perspicacity but not stupid either. He is a man who knows how to recognize his own errors in judgment and although he is helped in the investigations by several characters (each of them manages to solve parts of the puzzle until reaching the final truth) he is still a solid figure who can be counted on.
I liked the fact that he is not at all presumptuous and that he has never created problems for those who tried to find the truth on their own; on the contrary, he accepted the collaboration with the intelligence of those who are really interested in the truth and not to personal prestige WARNING : SPOILER ___ [ although in the end Mr. Ware grants him the glory of having solved the case, as it should be ]___SPOILER END )

5) OTHER SUPPORTING CHARACTERS __ around the main protagonists there are other supporting characters, each of whom plays a fundamental role both in the crimes related to the crime being investigated and in the investigations.
The characters are all well delineated in character even when they only make a few appearances or have a few lines... the author made them real by highlighting the characteristic that distinguished them from the others (eccentricity, goodness, wickedness, cunning , impulsiveness, greed, intelligence, cowardice... of each one we can clearly see the most distinctive traits of their character).
In some dramatic scenes perhaps some sound a little bit theatrical, but this reminded me of Wilkie Collins' novels and so I liked it.

Overall I liked everything: plot, characters, ending (except that I also wanted humiliation for the culprit), the type of writing and the exciting atmosphere given by the race against time.

This was the first novel I read by Fergus Hume and it certainly won't be the last!

Thanks for reading my review and please, forgive my bad English cause it's not my mother tongue.


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LIBRO disponibile anche in EDIZIONE ITALIANA
leggi la mia recensione !

Libro formato Kindle o copertina flessibile QUI:
La morte bussa a Natale by Fergus Hume

Fantastico! 5 stelle piene è il mio voto

Era da tanto che non leggevo un giallo classico così coinvolgente e dalla trama così intricata e piena di twist da farmi girare le pagine una dietro l'altra con una curiosità e un interesse così grossi che più volte sono stata tentata di andare a vedere nelle ultime pagine chi era il colpevole. 

____ LA TRAMA ___ La storia comincia il giorno di Natale nel salotto dei Morley, dove mentre i bambini giocano allegramente e qualcuno si scambia auguri e regali, la pettegola, del villaggio ci regala un primo quadro della situazione. Ciò che la signora dipinge però, è solo la facciata di una finta verità, ben presto una lettera minatoria porterà a galla veri rancori a cui seguirà un omicidio e gli ingranaggi di una corsa contro il tempo, per trovare la verità, si metteranno in moto senza mai fermarsi fino alla fine dell'adrenalinica storia.
---> Senza alcun dubbio un giallo "classico" non convenzionale e questo per me è il suo bello !
Questo è un libro che potrà piacere molto, a chi come me ama le trame dal passo veloce, dove ogni teoria formulata  dal lettore viene  smontata per poi essere di nuovo riprese in considerazione per poi essere nuovamente smentita da eventi e prove impreviste e personaggi ingannatori fino all' impensabile.

Al contrario, chi legge i gialli classici perché ama la loro lentezza e detestano l'azione, valuterà questo libro solo poche stelle e probabilmente lo definirà un guazzabuglio...quindi prima di leggerlo assicuratevi di riconoscere a quale gruppo di lettori appartenete.

Come ho detto il passo è veloce e nonostante sia un giallo classico del 1903 c'è tanta azione e un paio di capitoli finali potrebbero benissimo essere scene di mission impossible o 007. 

Per quanto riguarda il colpevole del delitto, devo ammettere che l'ho indovinato sin dall'inizio e mi è stato enormemente antipatico per tutta la durata del libro.
Nonostante ciò voglio assicurarvi, che dubiterete della vostra teoria più volte e tutti gli avvenimenti vi coinvolgeranno talmente tanto da rendere il romanzo gustoso dall'inizio alla fine.

__ I PERSONAGGI __ Dal momento che ho già accennato qualcosa riguardo al colpevole partirò da questo personaggio :

1) IL COLPEVOLE __ Capii subiti chi ATTENTI: SPOILER ___ [ fosse perchè il suo atteggiamento era troppo assurdo : prima estremamente affettuoso, poi un improvviso accanimento contro una persona che fino a due minuti prima professava di ammirare ...fu lui  a trovare l'arma del delitto  e a formulare le  ipotesi. Stesso atteggiamento affezionato e poi accusatorio e poi di nuovo troppo gentile verso la vittima ]___FINE SPOILER penso che l'autore abbia programmato di farci capire chi poteva essere il colpevole per poi stupirci con una trama imprevedibile e ricca di colpi di scena, dove le indagini non sono eseguite solo dal detective, ma da più persone, alcune delle quali veramente improbabili eppure astute ( Mrs. Parry ! ) 

2) LA PETTEGOLA DEL VILLAGGIO __ ok..una lingua biforcuta che può distruggere le reputazioni più immacolate, ma questo personaggio è riuscito davvero a sorprendermi e se all'inizio poteva essere considerata odiosa, in realtà è furba come una volpe e riuscirà persino a risultare simpatica, perché è lei che sa inquadrare ogni persona meglio di un detective. Riesce ad intuire la verità ascoltando nei posti giusti e sa riportare le informazioni solo alle persone giuste.
Potrebbe sembrare un personaggio inutile, ma in realtà il suo ruolo è fondamentale per le indagini.

3) L'INNAMORATO, IL VERO PROTAGONISTA ___ Mi piace ! Bello e simpatico è anche un giovane uomo che non mancherà alla parola data seppure questo gli spezza il cuore. E' il primo in assoluto a credere nell'innocenza della donna che ama e sin dall'inizio fa di tutto per trovarla e scagionarla dall'accusa di omicidio. Contro il pensiero di tutti e contro tutte le prove che potrebbero avvalorare la colpevolezza della sua amata, egli si comporterà sempre in maniera corretta ed educata, metterà a rischio la propria reputazione e la propria vita fino ad arrivare alla meta prefissa. Il miglior personaggio di tutto il libro. Un vero eroe.

4) IL DETECTIVE ___ personaggio non al massimo dell'intelligenza e della perspicacia ma neppure stupido. E' un uomo che sa riconoscere i propri errori di giudizio e seppure aiutato nelle indagini da parecchi personaggi ( ognuno di loro riesce a risolvere  delle parti dell puzzle fino ad arrivare alla verità finale ) è comunque una solida figura su cui si può contare.
Di lui mi è piaciuto il fatto che non sia affatto presuntuoso e che non abbia mai creato problemi a chi cercava di trovare la verità per conto proprio, anzi, egli ha accettato la collaborazione con l'intelligenza di chi è realmente interessato alla verità e non al prestigio personale ( ATTENTI: SPOILER ___ [ sebbene alla fine Mr. Ware gli conceda la gloria dell'aver risolto il caso, com'era giusto che fosse ]___FINE SPOILER )

5) ALTRI PERSONAGGI DI CONTORNO __ attorno ai protagonisti principali ci sono altri personaggi di contorno, ognuno dei quali ricopre un ruolo fondamentale sia nei crimini annessi al reato sul quale si sta indagando sia nelle investigazioni.
I personaggi sono tutti bene delineati caratterialmente anche quando fanno solo poche apparizioni o hanno poche battute ...l'autore li ha resi reali mettendo in risalto la caratteristica che li contraddistigueva dagli altri ( l'eccentricità, la bonta, la malvagità, la furbizia, l'impulsività, la cupidigia, l'intelligenza, la vigliaccheria...di ognuno possiamo vedere chiaramente i tratti più distintivi del loro carattere ).
Nelle scene drammatiche forse qualcuno risulta un poco teatrale, ma questo mi ha ricordato i romanzi di Wilkie Collins e quindi mi è piaciuto.

Nel complesso mi è piaciuto tutto : trama, personaggi, finale ( eccetto che avrei voluto anche l'umiliazione per il colpevole ), il tipo di scrittura e l'atmosfera eccitante data dalla corsa contro il tempo.

Questo è stato il primo romanzo che ho letto di Fergus Hume e sicuramente non sarà l'ultimo.

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Book review : The Earl's Christmas Consultant by Bianca Blythe

The Earl's Christmas Consultant
by Bianca Blythe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A nice clean romance.

___THE PLOT___
Flora works as a duchess's maid, passing herself off as French. Once discovered by a friend of the duke, who is actually an old acquaintance of Flora, but he does not immediately recognize her, she decides to leave and find work elsewhere.
Through the employment agency she is hired as a Christmas consultant and by chance her new employer is precisely the former friend who had discovered that she is not French.
There's much more at stake than this, because Flora is actually on the run from a cruel murderer...

___ MY OPINION___
Light and unpretentious romance, suitable for those looking for a quick read (say a day or two), pure entertainment, without drama and with a guaranteed happy ending.

The side characters have very few lines, the whole story revolves around the dialogues and thoughts of the two protagonists. Said it this way it may seem boring, yet I gave 4 stars, because although it is not an unforgettable book, it kept me good and cheerful company for every page I read.

The story is also suitable for young adults as it is a clean romance. In fact the two characters spend the nights in bed together, but there is no description or even hot kisses. (so if you're looking for a love story hoping for this, don't read it because you'll be disappointed)

( Sorry for any errors in my review, English is not my mother tongue. Thanks for reading anyway :-) )

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Giveaway : January 2024 Free Printable Calendar

January 2024 free printable calendar

Good morning, the first day of the new year !
Here I am to post a giveaway for the new year, a useful monthly desktop calendar.

You can download it for free and use it as a wallpaper on your PC screen or you can print it ( with his original size or in a smaller size, for example in postcard format ) just to always have the days of the month in view.

To download, simply click on the preview image and save it on your device.

@TizianaFragnerGraphic
January 2024 Calendar
Size 1634 x 1264

I hope my graphics will give you a bit of joy coloring your days between one commitment and another of the normal everyday life.
Greeting you warmly and wishing you a good start to the new year!
Love, Tizi

NOTE : Any errors in my text? Well, I certainly need to improve my English.
You know, I'm from Italy, so English is not my native language. :-) Thanks for reading anyway!

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