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Benjamin Jurnet #2
Ritual Murder
In the cathedral of Angleby, in Norfolk, England, a choirboy lies dead, murdered and mutilated. Detective Inspector Benjamin Jurnet is in charge of the case and fears the killer may not be found quickly and that anti-Jewish feeling may arise to cause difficulties. He sets out to discover the truth--and the murderer.
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
2 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
S.T. Haymon
26 books1 follower"One of the purest lyric voices in the mystery field" New York Times Book Review
Sylvia Theresa Haymon was born in Norwich, and is best known for her eight crime fiction novels featuring the character Inspector Ben Jurnet. Haymon also wrote two non-fiction books for children, as well as two memoirs of her childhood in East Anglia.
The Ben Jurnet series enjoyed success in both the UK and the US during Haymon’s lifetime: Ritual Murder (1982) won the prestigious CWA Silver Dagger Award from the Crime Writers' Association. Stately Homicide (1984), a skilful variation on the country house mystery, was praised by the New York Times as a 'brilliantly crafted novel of detection...stylish serious fiction', and favourably compared to the work of Dorothy L. Sayers.
Sylvia Theresa Haymon was born in Norwich, and is best known for her eight crime fiction novels featuring the character Inspector Ben Jurnet. Haymon also wrote two non-fiction books for children, as well as two memoirs of her childhood in East Anglia.
The Ben Jurnet series enjoyed success in both the UK and the US during Haymon’s lifetime: Ritual Murder (1982) won the prestigious CWA Silver Dagger Award from the Crime Writers' Association. Stately Homicide (1984), a skilful variation on the country house mystery, was praised by the New York Times as a 'brilliantly crafted novel of detection...stylish serious fiction', and favourably compared to the work of Dorothy L. Sayers.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 17, 2009
This is 3.5 star book rounded up to 4. Detective Inspector Ben Jurnet, in Norfolk, is sent to Angleby Cathedral to investigate some graffiti written on one of the Cathedral walls. At the cathedral, a well-known media-loving professor is leading an excavation of the tomb of Little St. Ulf, a child who was killed and horribly mutilated in the middle ages, at which time his death was blamed on the Jews of the town. After gathering evidence and information on potential suspects for the vandalization of the Cathedral walls, Jurnet is shortly called back to the Cathedral to investigate a murder. It seems that one of the choirboys was found at the archaeological site, and his body mutilated after the fashion of Little St.Ulf. Jurnet, who is studying for his conversion to Judaism (for the sake of marriage), must get to the bottom of the crime quickly, but with so many suspects, it's not going to be easy. There are other problems as well, as anti-Semitism begins to rear its ugly head in Angleby.
There is an abundance of suspects, lots of red herrings, and the core mystery is really well written. I like Jurnet's character, but I think the author gets a bit carried away at times in sharing his inner demons with her readers -- here's yet another detective whose angst is a bit off-putting at times. However, Haymon's comments about the nature of modern crime and criminals are also pertinent to today, although this book was written over 20 years ago. It is a cross between a police procedural and a cozy, leaning more toward the procedural side of British mystery, so I'd recommend it to both cozy readers and to fans of British mystery in general.
Overall -- a good mystery with a main character somewhat overly weighted down by his own problems. I'll definitely be revisiting Inspector Jurnet in the future.
There is an abundance of suspects, lots of red herrings, and the core mystery is really well written. I like Jurnet's character, but I think the author gets a bit carried away at times in sharing his inner demons with her readers -- here's yet another detective whose angst is a bit off-putting at times. However, Haymon's comments about the nature of modern crime and criminals are also pertinent to today, although this book was written over 20 years ago. It is a cross between a police procedural and a cozy, leaning more toward the procedural side of British mystery, so I'd recommend it to both cozy readers and to fans of British mystery in general.
Overall -- a good mystery with a main character somewhat overly weighted down by his own problems. I'll definitely be revisiting Inspector Jurnet in the future.
Want to read
June 7, 2019Synopsis: in a cathedral in Norfolk, a choirboy lies murdered. DI Jurnet fears this will be slow; he worries that anti-Jewish feelings may arise.
August 14, 2017
Mystery is set in Norwich. A particularly gory Medieval child murder, the blood libel death of Little Saint Ulf (apparently inspired by Chaucer's Prioress' Tale of Little Saint Hugh at Lincoln Cathedral), is recreated and antisemitic riots erupt.
July 6, 2025
A slow burn of a mystery, full of British and outdated saying, context clues are your best friends here. All in all a fun throw away read without a huge amount of depth.
November 22, 2012
Ben Jurnet feels it isn’t really his job to investigate blasphemous graffiti in Angleby Cathedral but that is what he has been asked to do. But when an apparently ritual murder of a choir boy leads to a political demonstration getting out of hand he finds himself in the middle of something much more serious. Political and racial tensions in the city are coming to a head and are mirroring events which took place nearly one thousand years ago when the murder of little St Ulf polarised feelings. To add to the tensions the grave of little St Ulf inside the cathedral is being excavated by a team of archaeologists.
I found this an interesting and well written mystery and in my opinion S T Haymon is a much underrated author. Ritual Murder is a mystery in the classic mould with an interesting and likeable detective with an assistant who has no qualms about telling his superior if he thinks he’s making a mistake. The background is interesting to anyone who knows Norwich on which the fictitious city of Angleby is based.
I particularly liked the characterisation in this book – the flamboyant archaeologist , Professor Mallory Pargeter and his assistants; the Rabbi who is instructing Ben Jurnet in the Jewish faith so that his girlfriend Miriam can be persuaded to marry him; the marvellously urbane superintendent who is Ben Jurnet’s boss.
The plot too is well drawn with many twists and turns and a nail biting finale. If you like your mystery novels in the classic mould without too much on the page violence and an interesting background then give this series a try. They can be read in any order.
I found this an interesting and well written mystery and in my opinion S T Haymon is a much underrated author. Ritual Murder is a mystery in the classic mould with an interesting and likeable detective with an assistant who has no qualms about telling his superior if he thinks he’s making a mistake. The background is interesting to anyone who knows Norwich on which the fictitious city of Angleby is based.
I particularly liked the characterisation in this book – the flamboyant archaeologist , Professor Mallory Pargeter and his assistants; the Rabbi who is instructing Ben Jurnet in the Jewish faith so that his girlfriend Miriam can be persuaded to marry him; the marvellously urbane superintendent who is Ben Jurnet’s boss.
The plot too is well drawn with many twists and turns and a nail biting finale. If you like your mystery novels in the classic mould without too much on the page violence and an interesting background then give this series a try. They can be read in any order.
October 5, 2012
Ritual Murder by S T Haymon is a chilling story of a gruesome copycat murder committed in the cathedral of Angleby (modelled on Norwich). Detective Inspector Ben Jurnet, a series character for S T Haymon, must discover who has committed what looks like a medieval Jewish ritual murder before the anti-Semitic tensions fired up by the killing set the city ablaze.
DI Jurnet is a great character - moody, intelligent, and compassionate - who is depicted with brilliant texture in his personal and professional life. In this story he must navigate his way between the concerns of the Cathedral keepers, a vulnerable family living in the scrapyard nearby, and a group of archaeologists excavating the remains of the original ritual murder victim, Little St Ulf.
This is an elegantly written, quite creepy crime novel that evokes its place and characters very convincingly. There is warmth and humour in it, but also a cold and steely determination to put a grisly crime at the centre of the lives of the place and the characters. Excellent reading and highly recommended.
This book has recently been reissued in digital format in the UK by the Bello imprint at Pan Macmillan, the aim of which is to bring lost, out-of-print popular classics to the attention of 21st century readers. Check out some of the authors here: www.panmacmillan.com/bello
DI Jurnet is a great character - moody, intelligent, and compassionate - who is depicted with brilliant texture in his personal and professional life. In this story he must navigate his way between the concerns of the Cathedral keepers, a vulnerable family living in the scrapyard nearby, and a group of archaeologists excavating the remains of the original ritual murder victim, Little St Ulf.
This is an elegantly written, quite creepy crime novel that evokes its place and characters very convincingly. There is warmth and humour in it, but also a cold and steely determination to put a grisly crime at the centre of the lives of the place and the characters. Excellent reading and highly recommended.
This book has recently been reissued in digital format in the UK by the Bello imprint at Pan Macmillan, the aim of which is to bring lost, out-of-print popular classics to the attention of 21st century readers. Check out some of the authors here: www.panmacmillan.com/bello
November 28, 2013
More than just a murder mystery set in a small English town. The murder of a youngster is similar to the murder of a youngster in 1144 which sets off anti Jewish riots and killings in the town. It triggers anti Jewish demonstrations and attacks upon Jewish businesses and increased tensions within the town. This is just one of the several subplots to the murder investigation. The murder has a bit of a surprise solution while not all the subplots are resolved so you're wondering about them.
September 20, 2012
Enjoyable read, good airplane reading.
October 24, 2013
Quite good. A little too slow at the beginning, though.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews