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27th out of 162 books
—
260 voters
Cruel as the Grave (Justin de Quincy #2)
by
Sharon Kay Penman (Goodreads Author)
April 1193. England’s King Richard Lionheart languishes in a German prison, and treason scents the air. Richard’s younger brother, John, seizes Windsor Castle, and Dowager Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine summons her trusted personal “queen’s man,” Justin de Quincy, to do the impossible– mediate a truce with her rebel son. Amid such fateful events, the murder of a Welsh peddler’...more
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
October 30th 2001
by Fawcett
(first published 1998)
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Another fun medieval mystery from SKP. The only reason I don't give the mysteries 5 stars is because her "real" historical fictions are so incredible and detailed and amazing that I can't in good conscience rate these shorter, less complex books on par with those.
I liked this one better than the previous. I really liked that Justin tried to help solve Melangell's murder on his own time, without orders from Eleanor. Not that I think he would have hesitated--he's a good man. But I liked that he s...more
I liked this one better than the previous. I really liked that Justin tried to help solve Melangell's murder on his own time, without orders from Eleanor. Not that I think he would have hesitated--he's a good man. But I liked that he s...more
The second Justin de Quincy mediaeval mystery from renowned historical novelist Sharon Kay Penman focuses on the murder of a pedlar's daughter. Fifteen-year-old Melangell was found dead in a churchyard. The obvious culprit: Daniel Aston, black-sheep son of Humphrey, a well-to-do mercer. Agnes, one of the women who nursed Justin after his near-fatal encounter with Gilbert the Fleming (in *The Queen's Man*) and Daniel's aunt, begs Justin to investigate.
The mystery is played out against the backdro...more
The mystery is played out against the backdro...more
May 13, 2013
Merredith
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
crime-mysteries,
historical-fiction
This is the second book in the Justin de Quincy series. I first read #3, then couldn't find #1, and now read #2. Oddly enough, #3 was easier to read not knowing what'd been going on than this one was, it seemed to refer to book one a lot, and was more of a building sort of book than #3 was. Still, I enjoyed it. This series is set back in midieval times, when King Richard is currently a prisoner and John is plotting to take the throne. Justin, the unrecognized son of a prominent church man, has b...more
Cruel as the Grave is dubbed as a Medieval mystery set in London, 1193. The novel features Justin deQuincy as the "queen's man." He runs errands and spies for Elanor of Aquitane who is going through a crisis. Elanor's oldest son, Richard (heir to the throne) was captured while on crusade and her younger son John has plans to take over the throne. Justin's job is to travel to Windsor castle to try to calm things down with John. Justin is also asked to investigate a murder (hence the mystery). A y...more
I enjoyed this book a lot. It is the 2nd in the Justin De Quincy series, and it is very enjoyable to get to know the characters. I love the medieval setting - it seems like a feat for the author to have done enough research to create the scenery, the details of daily life, and the language of the period. She makes the reader aware of the practical concerns of getting around, communicating with people, making a living, and even methods of perpetrating violence in a world where there are no cars,...more
In all the others work I have read by her, I have found Sharon Kay Penman to be a really engaging storytelling, weaving historical facts seamlessly in with human drama. But in this case I feel like the story was too disjointed. This book is ostensibly about Justin's attempts to figure out who murdered a 15 year old girl in the local cemetery. Justin and the his neighbors on Gracechurch street live an interesting life and are interesting characters in their own right, so I don't know why Penman f...more
Second in the series, fictional detective a.k.a. "The Queen's Man" Justin de Quincy takes on another side case to his work for Queen Eleanore. The story is set in the historically accurate time period of the political scheming of John while his brother Richard Lionheart was held captive in Austria, and in London, England. Sharon Kay Penman masterfully weaves the fiction into the facts her historian background provides her with... and gives us a peek into the lives of ordinary people of the time....more
Sep 17, 2007
Lorena
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
mystery
Much like the first book. I'm finding the mysteries a little obvious and the characterizations a little clunky, so this is probably the last of this series I'll read.
Book 2 in the Justin de Quincy series, Cruel as the Grave find de Quincy doing double duty as the Queen's Man, negotiating between would-be-King John and his mother Eleanor, as well as hunting down the killer of a local Welsh girl who was brutally murdered in a churchyard. The dual mysteries as well as the attention to historic detail kept me riveted. The cast of characters is brilliantly written, from the beautiful and wily Claudine, the tart-tongued Nell, tough-guy Luke, and my favorite, the...more
Penman wrote these medieval mysteries to take a break from her more flowery medieval prose. Unlike the latter, she didn't necessarily know what the outcome would be to various mysteries so it gave her a new stretch in her writing career.
The dialogue and descriptions are sparse compared to her more Historical works. If anything, this series focuses on movement
and pacing. I would say this is more of a fun and quick read than the usual elegant, flowery and heart breaking Historical pieces Penman is...more
The dialogue and descriptions are sparse compared to her more Historical works. If anything, this series focuses on movement
and pacing. I would say this is more of a fun and quick read than the usual elegant, flowery and heart breaking Historical pieces Penman is...more
Justin de Quincy is back again in the 2nd book of this medieval series. Justin is called upon by a friend to solve the murder of a 15-year old Welsh girl Melangell who was killed in the church graveyard. The accused are two brothers who seem to be hiding something are not helpful in solving the mystery of this young girl. The father also seems to be hiding something. Again Justin has his work cut out for him to find a killer and the reason why.[return][return]It is April 1193 and Justin is summo...more
Mar 03, 2011
Dolly
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Mystery fans
It's been almost three years since I read the first book in this series. Our previous library system did not carry this next book, and I forgot about it. So I'm glad that I've picked up the Justin de Quincy series again. This book was not quite as thrilling as the first and I think the mystery was easy to solve. But overall, I found the tale to be quite interesting. I like the historical foundation of the story as well as the dialogue dripping with Olde English idioms. I have to give Sharon Kay...more
And the story continues…I had no idea that Cruel as the Grave continued the story of Justin de Quincy as the Queen’s Man. I was pleasantly surprised to find all of the familiar characters back in place as Justin continues to work for the Queen and solve another murder mystery, in his free time. This is a light and enjoyable mystery. The characters are colorful and lively and Penman does a fantastic job of porting the reader back through time to walk the streets of London, April 1193.
The second in the Medieval mystery series featuring Justin now elevated as the Queen's man (Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine)was even more interesting to me than the first. The three story plots are nicely interwoven and the murder Justine must solve was better drawn. As with the other one, I especially like the detailed reflection of social conditions during this period. Again, well written.
I absolutely loved these books about Justin de Quincy with their mixture of historical fiction and mystery plot. They're a good mix of fictional and historical characters, and increased my understanding of English history. I just had one small disappointment -- that some of the (admittedly minor) characters that I really liked in the first book or two had a smaller role in the later books.
Jerry and Marnie have told me for years to read Penman's books "Here be Dragons" and "Falls the Shadow". We have them on the bookshelves downstairs but I don't typically love the genre and the books are really long so I've never read them. Marnie lent me "Cruel as the Grave" when we were there for Thanksgiving. It's quite short so I read it as a trial run and liked it. It's a medieval, quasi-historial mystery. I'll put "Here be Dragons" in my queue now!
I should have read a little more about this book. It's a teen book. Simplistic. A young woman is murdered, and the hero sets out to discover the murderer. The plot twist at the end was clever, so it kept my attention. But for me, the nod to the 11th century with a few "certes" mixed in with modern language just didn't work.
I don't know if I enjoyed this more because of the story, because it was a better book, because I was in a better mood, or because I've been reading truly terrible mysteries lately and someone who cares about both plot and world building is refreshing... but yeah, giving this another star more than the last one ;)
This is the second in Penman's Justin de Quincy mystery series, which takes place at the time King Richard Lionheart is missing in the Crusades and Queen Mother Eleanor is running the country. A quick, light, entertaining read. I still prefer Penman's more serious historical fiction.
As "fluffy" as you can get with 12th century English historical fiction with a faux murder mystery tossed in. Love Penman's longer works -- if you haven't tried them, this might be a good amuse bouche for you before you tackle one of the larger works.
It's been a while since I read the first book in this series, but I think I liked this one better. The historical detail is great and I really like her protagonist. Penman also makes Eleanor of Aquitaine a great character. The mystery is good one as well and she keeps you guessing. Fun, quick read.
A great, easy read. I enjoy how Penman brings both Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Middle Ages to life. While the plot lines are somewhat predictable and the writing easy, sometimes that's what I want to read. I'm glad I discovered this series.
I love Sharon Kay Penman and really enjoy the Justin de Quincy mysteries. Her long, historical fiction is must meatier, but these are satisfying and not too inaccurate from an historical perspective.
I liked this story - mostly a medieval cozy-type mystery - although mystery-wise it wasn't too hard to figure out and it seemed a little anti-climatic at the end. It was faster reading than straight historical fiction. I would try another book by this author.
The fit between events of historical importance and common life was less comfortable this time around and the solution to the mystery telegraphed too early, but still a fun read.
Second in the Justin deQuincy books, it is another fine mystery. It fed my appetite the first one (Queen's Man) generated and whetted it for the next one (Dragon's Lair).
Not nearly as beautifully written as Ellis Peters, but still a fun read for anyone interested in a medieval English historical setting, with some mystery/espionage to boot.
Yay for finding a new historical fiction author! Penman's Cruel as the Grave was quite good and I appreciated that she was very mindful of the historical record in her research for the book.
I'm getting so I like these Justin de Quincy books. They are well written and keep me on edge as he manages to wend his way through all of the traps set for him.
Nice historical mystery that takes place during the later years of Elenore of Aquitaine. Not as well written as the Mistress of death series but enjoyable.
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Penman received her bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin, she majored in history, and also received a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Rutgers University School of Law, and later worked as a tax lawyer. Penman suffered from an eighteen month bout with mononucleosis.
The Sunne in Splendour, a novel about Richard III of England is one of the most popular books on the Historical Nov...more
More about Sharon Kay Penman...
The Sunne in Splendour, a novel about Richard III of England is one of the most popular books on the Historical Nov...more
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Jul 29, 2011 08:23pm