Jeri Westerson

Books: Mystery | Historical

Crispin Guest: Veil of Lies (2008)

Crispin Guest

Veil of Lies (2008)

The complete title of the book is Veil of Lies: A Medieval Noir, which is part of what interested me in the book. I like historical fantasies, though I often take umbrage at the lengths to which authors will go to create an historical detective. but they're fun, so I'm often willing to take a chance on them.

Is this book a noir? It didn't particularly feel that way to me. It was definitely a mystery of the "private detective" sort, and the actions of the characters were often dark, but instead of feeling particularly noir, they seemed more a characteristic of their times.

Doesn't mean the story was bad, just that I didn't think it quite qualified as a noir.

Crispen Guest was a knight who fell from grace and barely missed the death penalty for treason. Now he is a man about town, serving in many ways as a thief-taker, and has earned the nickname the Tracker. When he is hired to look into a case of infidelity, things turn ugly when he discovers the truth of the infidelity, and that the man who hired him has been murdered.

Was the book good? It wasn't bad, and it was enjoyable. Like I said, it didn't really feel like a noir, and I think if you went in simply expecting a medieval fantasy you'd be better off.

Rating: 6/10