"A great read, through and through. Westerson's finely wrought portrait of gritty Medieval London is embued with great wit and poignancy.&nb...
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reviews
Dec 03, 2008
LJ
rated it: 
VEIL OF LIES (Hist. Mys-Crispin Guest-England-1384) – G+
Westerson, Jeri – 1st in series
St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2008, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9780312379773
First Sentence (Personally, I think this is a terrible first sentence): The rain didn’t bother him, even though London’s rain fell thicker and harsher than country rain. (LJ- WHAT?)
Crispin Guest, a disposed knight, is hired by Master Walcote, a wool merchant, to find out whether his wife is being unfaithful. W More...
Westerson, Jeri – 1st in series
St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2008, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9780312379773
First Sentence (Personally, I think this is a terrible first sentence): The rain didn’t bother him, even though London’s rain fell thicker and harsher than country rain. (LJ- WHAT?)
Crispin Guest, a disposed knight, is hired by Master Walcote, a wool merchant, to find out whether his wife is being unfaithful. W More...
Dec 12, 2011
Alana
rated it: 
Veil of Lies, by Jeri Westerson, Minotaur, 2008
{This review first appeared in the "Historical Novels Review" (a publication of the Historical Novel Society) as an Editors' Choice Title, Nov. 2008}
Poor Crispin Guest! In Jeri Westerson’s debut novel (featuring Crispin Guest), set in 14th-century London and described as “a medieval noir,” Crispin is slapped, backhanded, tied up and tossed in the Thames to drown, arrested, and slapped again. The good news is Crispin i More...
{This review first appeared in the "Historical Novels Review" (a publication of the Historical Novel Society) as an Editors' Choice Title, Nov. 2008}
Poor Crispin Guest! In Jeri Westerson’s debut novel (featuring Crispin Guest), set in 14th-century London and described as “a medieval noir,” Crispin is slapped, backhanded, tied up and tossed in the Thames to drown, arrested, and slapped again. The good news is Crispin i More...
Sep 25, 2011
Kevin
rated it:
Crispin Guest is a disgraced knight, stripped of his rank and his honor - but left with his life - for plotting against Richard II. Having lost his bethrothed, his friends, his patrons and his position in society...With no trade to support him and no family willing to acknowledge him, Crispin has turned to the one thing he still has - his wits - to scrape a living together on the mean streets of London. In 1383, Guest is called to the compound of a merchant - a reclusive mercer who suspects th
More...
Apr 12, 2011
Rachel
rated it:
3.49 stars.
There is a lot about this book I really enjoyed. The author describes it as Medieval Noir (so hard-boiled detective story set in 1384) and that alone caught my attention. The history is really well done. I liked the descriptions of London and the characters.
I loved the protag – Crispin Guest. He’s a tortured hero, a disgraced knight. He’s good with his fist, his knife, and his brains. The secondary characters were well done as well. I especially liked Crisp More...
There is a lot about this book I really enjoyed. The author describes it as Medieval Noir (so hard-boiled detective story set in 1384) and that alone caught my attention. The history is really well done. I liked the descriptions of London and the characters.
I loved the protag – Crispin Guest. He’s a tortured hero, a disgraced knight. He’s good with his fist, his knife, and his brains. The secondary characters were well done as well. I especially liked Crisp More...
Dec 15, 2010
Rossrn
rated it:
Veil of Lies was the first book I'd read by Jeri Westerson. I was at the library and saw the 3rd Crispin Guest book was out, it seemed interesting so I went and got the first one.
Set in medieval times, Crispin was once a knight and nobleman, who was charged with treason, lived, but had only the clothes on his back. He becomes The Tracker, a man hired to find things.
In this capacity he is brought into the service of a wealthy merchant, who soon thereafter found stabbed to deat More...
Set in medieval times, Crispin was once a knight and nobleman, who was charged with treason, lived, but had only the clothes on his back. He becomes The Tracker, a man hired to find things.
In this capacity he is brought into the service of a wealthy merchant, who soon thereafter found stabbed to deat More...
Oct 08, 2010
Joan
rated it:
VEIL OF LIES by Jeri Westerson
Published 2008 by St. Martin’s Minotaur, New York
Veil of Lies: A Medieval Noir is Jeri Westerson’s debut novel featuring Crispin Guest; a medieval tec of the Sam Spade ilk. Originally from nobility with land, wealth, and a promising future, he loses it all to a rash and treasonous act against King Richard II. Although lucky to be alive, he was degraded and left with nothing but the clothes on his back.
Though literate, Crispin doesn’t have th More...
Published 2008 by St. Martin’s Minotaur, New York
Veil of Lies: A Medieval Noir is Jeri Westerson’s debut novel featuring Crispin Guest; a medieval tec of the Sam Spade ilk. Originally from nobility with land, wealth, and a promising future, he loses it all to a rash and treasonous act against King Richard II. Although lucky to be alive, he was degraded and left with nothing but the clothes on his back.
Though literate, Crispin doesn’t have th More...
Aug 10, 2010
Beth
rated it:
VEIL OF LIES: A MEDIEVAL NOIR is the first book in a series by Jeri Westerson. Crispin Guest is a man without a place in the rigidly stratified world of England in 1384. Crispin had been the protege of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, uncle of King Richard II. He had been knighted when he was 18 but an accusation of treason had cost his his lands, his money, and his knighthood. In need of an income, Crispin becomes the Tracker, the man who uses the fighting skills he learned as he moved t More...
Aug 11, 2011
Nesa
rated it:
In London of 1384, Crispin Guest is a man adrift in a rigidly defined society. He is a disgraced knight, convicted of treason and stripped of his rank and honor for plotting against Richard II.
Barely escaping with his life, he lost his patron and his friends. With no trade to support him, Crispin has turned to the one thing he still has -- his wits -- to scrape a living on the mean streets of London.
Styling himself as a "private sheriff," Crispin agrees to work for More...
Barely escaping with his life, he lost his patron and his friends. With no trade to support him, Crispin has turned to the one thing he still has -- his wits -- to scrape a living on the mean streets of London.
Styling himself as a "private sheriff," Crispin agrees to work for More...
Mar 23, 2010
Linda
rated it:
Veil of Lies is subtitled A Medieval Noir and it is that, tough, cynical characters in bleak settings, suggestive of danger or violence; Lies is set in the late 14th century, definitely medieval.
Crispin Guest is a disgraced knight, once a member of the court of Richard II and found guilty of treason. Through the intervention of John of Gaunt he is not executed but banished. Living a rough life on the streets of London, Crispin survives by his wits. Known as the Tracker he hires himself out More...
Crispin Guest is a disgraced knight, once a member of the court of Richard II and found guilty of treason. Through the intervention of John of Gaunt he is not executed but banished. Living a rough life on the streets of London, Crispin survives by his wits. Known as the Tracker he hires himself out More...
Nov 20, 2008
C.w.
rated it:
In Ms Westerson's debut in a genre dubbed Medieval Noir, Crispin Guest, a former knight who has lost everything due to an ill-advised foray into treason and now struggles to make a living as a 'watcher', is hired by a wealthy, eccentric merchant to investigate the possibility that the merchant's nubile wife is an adulteress. What seems at first to be a mundane and quick way for Crispin to make some money quickly twists into a murder case with no obvious culprit or motive, and a frantic search fo
More...
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Aug 22, 2009
Ken
rated it:
The author, Jeri Westerson, spins a wonderful story. The one fault that I have with this book is that she seems, at times, to try too hard with words. Early on I almost put the book down. The only reason I read on was because my friend Nancy told me that she really enjoyed it. The line, and this is not an exact quote, that almost made me quit this book was, The leaves skittered around his feet like puppy dogs.
I am glad I pushed on because Jeri is a really good storyteller.
The book More...
I am glad I pushed on because Jeri is a really good storyteller.
The book More...
Sep 15, 2010
Carol
rated it:
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a “medieval noir,” but I do have a fondness for historical mysteries and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Now I know little to nothing about London in 1384, so I’m not going to comment on the historical accuracy. I will say that the setting felt real to me, was an integral part of the story. London is a dark, grimy, dangerous place, if you’re not one of the upper class.
Crispin is the sexy detective, but with a medieval outlook. He’s the character More...
Crispin is the sexy detective, but with a medieval outlook. He’s the character More...
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Jan 10, 2010
Minsma
rated it:
A very entertaining read. Ms. Westerson has taken the Raymond Chandler noir detective idea of a detective-knight with his own quixotic but unshakable moral code and a weakness for damsels in distress quite literally. Crispin Guest really is a disgraced knight, stripped of all rank and privilege because of crossing King Richard II. Now living on the margins of society, Crispin keeps himself from starving (barely) by working as a Tracker—usually of lost goods—and constantly running afoul of the
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Aug 21, 2009
Lori
rated it:
Veil of Lies is set in 1384 and follows the adventures of Crispin Guest, a degraded knight who must now make his own way in the harsh world of medieval London. He scrapes by as a tracker (a detective in modern language). He is hired by a wealthy merchant to discover if his wife is unfaithful. This assignment leads to murder (in a locked room, no less)and the search for a missing holy relic that forces people to unwillingly speak the truth.
I liked this book despite it being a bit More...
I liked this book despite it being a bit More...
May 20, 2011
Rusty
rated it:
Crispin Guest is known as The Tracker. A former knight who lost his status due to a youthful rash decision, he has become an investigator who has a love/hate relationship with the sheriff. Crispin becomes involved when a man asks him to discover whether or not his wife is being unfaithful to him. Reluctantly he accepts the case but when he goes to report to the man that she is unfaithful, Crispin finds the man has been murdered. Since he has not been paid he vows to discover the murderer. O
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Jan 01, 2011
Abigail
rated it:
Veil of Lies focuses on an interesting concept-- a medieval knight down on his luck and stripped of his title becomes a detective. I really liked the setting, I felt that the author had down a lot of research on the time period. I appreciated the glossary at the back for some of the obscure terms. The writing is good but not great (some of the dialogue comes off poorly), but I feel that the setting makes up for it. I thought the story was paced well, and enjoyed the twists.
The book More...
The book More...
Jun 28, 2009
Elizabeth
rated it:
This feels like a typical series mystery. I like the premise -- a Middle Ages setting that is more rough and tumble than it is twee. It was maybe a little ham-handed on this point, there were a few times where it turned almost comic. No one actually said "Prithee, I will kick thine ass!" but you got the definite feeling the characters were thinking it. Our detective (not called that of course) is a former knight who got demoted and lost all his property and social standing, and is now
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Dec 07, 2010
Alan
rated it:
A great new addition to one of my favorite genres, the historical mystery. This one is set during the early day's of the reign of Kink Richard II of England (1384). Here we meet Crispin, a former knight who has been striped of his title, his rank, his land his fiancée and any of his old friends. He has turned to finding things, for a price, for clients.
This book took many turns keeping you off balanced, so you don't alway's where the story is going. I like the characters as they are being d More...
This book took many turns keeping you off balanced, so you don't alway's where the story is going. I like the characters as they are being d More...
Dec 12, 2008
Susan
rated it:
Pretty good for a debut - I think the series has promise. Crispin is an interesting protagonist, and I look forward to seeing more of him. The love interest didn't really do it for me, but I'm sure as the series develop, Crispin will continue to have love interests and Westerson will get even better at writing the scenes between them; since it's billed as "Medieval Noir" I won't be looking for Crispin to settle down anytime soon!
I hope we see more of him and the Duke and D More...
I hope we see more of him and the Duke and D More...
Oct 29, 2010
Grey853
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Oct 21, 2010
This just wasn't for me. There were little things that got in the way of my reading enjoyment. The primary one being the way Crispin Guest is thinking about Philippa Walcote's skin and lips and the neckline of her gown. That theme was a bit overly dramatic for my tastes. And I just didn't buy some of the other events as believable. I didn't think it was realistic for Philippa to go to Crispin's lodgings alone, immediately after her husband was discovered murdered and I didn't think it was r
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Feb 02, 2009
Donna Jo
rated it:
Crispin Guest had been one of John of Gaunt's knights, but he was stripped of his lands, his knighthood, and his honor after being convicted of treason against the young Richard II. In a time and place when rank and position is everything, all he has left is his wits to support him on the mean streets of medieval London.
He becomes a Tracker (or a private detective in modern parlance) and this case gives him a crack at a locked room murder mystery. The reclusive cloth merchant he is work More...
He becomes a Tracker (or a private detective in modern parlance) and this case gives him a crack at a locked room murder mystery. The reclusive cloth merchant he is work More...
Aug 06, 2010
Spuddie
rated it: 
#1 Crispin Guest "medieval noir" mystery set in 1380's England. Crispin is a fallen knight, set to be hung for being part of a treasonous plot against Richard II. He was given a last-minute reprieve; his life was spared, but he was stripped of lands, property and title and now makes a living on the mean streets of London, living hand to mouth and shunned by those of his former class. Known as 'the Tracker,' he investigates, finds things, tracks people down and cobbles together a bleak
More...
Jun 21, 2009
Diana
rated it:
New series. Crispin Guest, a 14th century degraded knight, scrapes out a living as a Tracker – an investigator of sorts. I had a few minor quibbles, but essentially I enjoyed the book and look forward to the next in the series. I particularly liked Guest’s immense difficulty with the question of rank – having been displaced from the rank in which he was born and bred, he is cut off in ways that more democratic folks can only dimly grasp. The simultaneous attraction and repulsion he feels for
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Oct 26, 2008
Ana T.
rated it:
In London of 1384, Crispin Guest is a man adrift in a rigidly defined society. Left with only his life, he’s a disgraced knight, convicted of treason, stripped of his rank and his honor for plotting against Richard II. Having lost his patron and his friends, with no trade to support him, Crispin has turned to the one thing he still has--his wits--to scrape a living on the mean streets of London.
Crispin is called to the compound of a reclusive merchant who suspects his wife of infidel More...
Crispin is called to the compound of a reclusive merchant who suspects his wife of infidel More...
Apr 18, 2010
Jerelyn
rated it:
14th century Sam Spade, truly it reminded me of a 1940's movie. Down on his luck Chrispen Guest, has lost everything to youthful indiscretions. He survives by becoming a P.I. of sorts like Bogart he spends most of his time being beaten up by the bad guy's or the Sheriff or his guilty conscience. Instead of a gum snapping secretary as his sidekick, he has a street wise urchin who he has taken under his wing. He of course falls for the babe who is the Client/murder victim wife. No great surprise
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Nov 13, 2009
Jon
rated it: 
I gave this one about 30 pages and then skipped ahead to see if the answer to the locked-room mystery was ingenious. It wasn't. The prose is self-conscious and over-written, the characters and situations are cliches. Someone (even more of an officious snob than I am) had "helpfully" gone through the library copy and commented on the anachronisms, some of which were innocent enough not to have bothered me. But with my to-read pile as tall as it is, this one won't take up any more of my
Jan 15, 2011
Rosemary
rated it:
I enjoyed this book, but not as much a s I hoped I would. I could never quite get any kind of emotional investment in the protagonist.
However, in terms of atmosphere, plot, quality of writing, I really enjoyed the "Sam Spade meets Medieval" feel of it. I'm going to read the second book in the series before I write it off. Really, if I can't connect on some level with a major character, I can't bring myself to squander my limited reading time on a series.
However, in terms of atmosphere, plot, quality of writing, I really enjoyed the "Sam Spade meets Medieval" feel of it. I'm going to read the second book in the series before I write it off. Really, if I can't connect on some level with a major character, I can't bring myself to squander my limited reading time on a series.
Nov 16, 2010
jjbooklvr
rated it:
The first in a new series this book will appeal to fans of historical mysteries and also noir. Set in the Middle Ages we follow the adventures of former knight Crispin Guest. Guilty of treason he is stripped of his rank, lands and position. Detailed descriptions brings 1383 London to life as Crispin takes the case of checking on whether a merchant's wife is being unfaithful. Murder soon follows with Crispin right in the middle of the action.
Apr 13, 2009
Terri
rated it:
A former knight, lives in poverty and finds work as The Tracker. When hired to spy on an adulterous wife, he has no idea that soon he would be involved in murder and conspiracies and tracking a holy relic.
I really liked Crispin Guest, the sleuth. For one, a medieval mystery without a priest or nun as the sleuth was a nice change. And the tone was more "noir" as the subtitle implies.A very refreshing book and I definitely will read more in the series
I really liked Crispin Guest, the sleuth. For one, a medieval mystery without a priest or nun as the sleuth was a nice change. And the tone was more "noir" as the subtitle implies.A very refreshing book and I definitely will read more in the series
