Wolf at the Door (Bradecote & Catchpoll, 9)
All Hallows’ Eve, 1144. A man is found savagely mauled in his cottage in the King’s Forest near Worcester. The man’s son claims it was a wolf—but wolves have not been seen in this part of the country for years, and something doesn’t seem right to the Sherriff’s men, Bradecote and Catchpoll, along with their apprentice Walkelin, sent to investigate the killing. The murdered man’s son, William fitzDurand, is better known to the wily Sarjeant Catchpoll as William Swicol, or Deceitful William, and Catchpoll is sure he is involved. As disturbing incidents start to pile up—another man missing, a major fire and a raid on the nearby King’s hunting lodge—it gradually becomes clear that there are malevolent forces at work deep in the forest, whether natural, supernatural, or man-made. The three must seek for evidence that will make sense of what’s happening in the usually peaceful area.
The author skilfully invokes a medieval world where peaceful lives can be turned upside down in a moment, but where human motivations are emotions are what they have always been: greed and lust; loyalty and friendship. The three central characters of the Sheriff’s men are well-drawn and likeable, the differences between them providing much of the readers’ enjoyment— Walkelin’s enthusiasm and naivety compared to Catchpoll’s hard-boiled cynicism; Bradecote’s upper-class outlook not hiding his fundamental compassion and desire for justice.
This latest instalment in Hawkswood’s popular medieval crime-fighting series is as entertaining as previous books in the series, but can also be read in its own right as a standalone mystery. Overall, this is an absorbing historical murder mystery with an engaging cast of characters and a convincing medieval atmosphere—very enjoyable.
