The Paths of the Air
Sir Josse d’Acquin is sitting by his fireside wondering where his life is going when a mysterious stranger comes to the door asking for a place to stay. The man looks like a Saracen, perhaps a servant of a returning knight, and he agrees, but then the man vanishes – where has he gone, and why? When a mutilated body is found in the forest by a passing merchant, Josse wonders whether it is the missing John Damianos. Then he finds himself in the middle of a race to not only find out whodunit, but prevent several other deaths.
I do enjoy a good mediaeval mystery, but am less keen on the paranormal element that has crept into Ms Clare’s books of late. Perhaps burst in and taken over the whole series might be a better way of putting it, but if you are like this reviewer and liked her earlier works before the New Age brigade arrived, then this book might appeal. I can guarantee it virtually woo-woo free, and instead it bursts with a good plot filled with mysterious Hospitallers, Saracens, treasure, fleeing fugitives and merciless assassins. It reminded me why I used to enjoy her books so much, so maybe we might hope that she will write more in this vein.
