The Jester

by James Patterson, Andrew Gross

Freedom - in eleventh-century France, it is a luxury enjoyed by only the King and nobility. For the serf, it is surely worth fighting for. But is it worth dying for?

Arriving home disillusioned from the Crusades, Hugh DeLuc discovers that his village has been ransacked and his wife abducted. The dark riders came in the dead of night, like devils, wearing no colours but black crosses on their chests, leaving no clue as to who they are. Knights they may be, but honour and chivalry are not part of their code. They search for a relic, one worth more than any throne in Europe, and no man can stand in their way. Until Hugh, taking on the role of a jester, is able to infiltrate the enemy's castle where he believes his wife is being held captive.

And when a man is fighting for freedom - for his wife, and for everything he holds dear - he will prove a formidable opponent.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Historical, Fantasy, Mystery Thriller

388 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2003

About the author

Official US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Paul Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love historical fiction! I love thrillers! I just got a double treat!

Hugh De Luc and his loving wife, Sophie, peasant vassals under their evil liege lord, Baldwin, Duke of Treille, scratch out a meager living as the owners of the local inn in Veille du Père. The papal inducement of a promise of freedom from the grinding servitude of feudalism proves too much to resist and Hugh joins a rag-tag army of Catholic crusaders marching to the Holy Land to retake the city of Jerusalem from the infidels. In the presence of horrific carnage and violence, Hugh undergoes an epiphany of sorts during a battle encounter with a kindly Turk soldier who spares his life. Realizing the futility of what he is doing, Hugh deserts and returns to France only to discover that his infant son has been murdered, his home and inn have been burned to the ground and Sophie has been kidnapped and imprisoned by Norcross, one of Baldwin's bullying minion knights - or so he thinks!

With THE JESTER, Patterson and Gross have achieved something very special indeed. Using the setting and background of medieval France and the Crusades, they crafted a finely polished veneer and laid it on precisely thick enough to provide an exciting, believable and entirely unique cover for what actually lies underneath - a tale that is, in fact, 100% modern high-speed thriller. For example, Hugh's skillful adoption of the guise of a jester and his adroit entry into Baldwin's castle is, by any other name, an undercover infiltration operation into the enemy camp! The relic from the Holy Land that Hugh doesn't even realize he carries and that causes so much death around him, could have been, in a more modern story, a piece of microfilm with some critical information worth millions to the holder! Despite so many of the plot pieces being so typical of this type of novel (I'm sure that some would say trite) - weak underdogs rallying to the strength and moral courage of a new leader; a tender scene in which Hugh's wife dies in his arms only minutes after he has found her; newly found love providing a reason to persevere; a sex scene just before the battle with a charging enemy - they are put together in such a fashion as to be irresistible!

I'll succumb to a cliché myself - THE JESTER was a rollicking great read and I enjoyed it immensely. Somewhere between the next Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club novel, I sure hope that Patterson finds time to give us another "historical thriller"!


Paul Weiss

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess it's no surprise that a historical mystery written by two thriller writers is not very historically accurate, but if you can grit your teeth and ignore that then it's an enjoyable, often farcical romp through medieval France. Set in the crusades in 11th century France, cheeky commoner and innkeeper Hugh deLuc joins the crusaders to travel to Jerusalem to kill the infidels with the promise of freedom and riches on his return. After seeing the reality of the crusades with many of the common foot soldiers slaughtered on the battlefields Hugh returns to find his Inn burned, his wife kidnapped and his baby son killed by the evil lord who rules his fiefdom. Thus begins Hugh's second life as a Jester as he attempts to find his wife. Unknown to Hugh he is suspected of bringing a holy relic back from the Holy lands and the nobles will stop at nothing to find it.

I suspect Patterson and Gross had a lot of fun writing this novel. They have taken a lot of liberties with the people, customs and traditions of the times but have spun a fun, if far-fetched tale that makes for a good, quick read with short sharp chapters and a pacy plot. 3.5★

[The Book Maven · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think the nicest thing I can say about this book--and possibly all of Patterson's books--is that it would be an excellent book for adult learners (especially male) to cut their reading teeth on. The chapters are short, the sentences are short, there are very few challenging words to stump readers, and there's no complexities to the text whatsoever.

But for an adult reading at an advanced level, hoping for involved plot or character development, this book is...possibly going to be disappointing.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just reviewed Sail, saying it was the first Patterson book I'd read. I was unaware that he had also written Jester. I stand corrected...and Patterson has been redeemed in my eyes. Jester was so great. I cared so much for the characters in that book - and felt as though I was right there with them. Set in the days of knights, kings, and of course, jesters...this was a great story of revenge! After realizing that a story I loved so much was written by James Patterson has now motivated me to go out and buy the newest Patterson book that I refused to buy last week because of Sail.

So, Patterson is 1-1 for me. The next one had better score a win...or he's back in jeopardy.

[Mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm only reading this because I haven't gone to the library recently and it was one of the few fiction books on the shelves that I hadn't read. It's terrible, but yet I keep reading. Morbid curiousity, I guess. It's supposed to take place in France during the Crusades, but the writing style is all wrong for historical fiction and is full of anachronisms and unconvincing slang. There's no emotional depth to any of the characters, and no intricacy to the plot. Patterson has clearly written way too many serial killer novels, because he keeps trying to top himself with the brutality of the bad guys, which is all described in loving detail.

Why am I still reading? I guess because I'm a compulsive reader, and if text appears in front of me, I have to read it, and if I start a book, I have to finish it. And at this point, the library won't be open again until mid-day Monday, so there's nothing good to distract me from this train wreck of a book.

--

I've now finished it, and the last hundred pages did not redeem it. Of course the noble girl that's been helping the jester out is the king's daughter. I saw that coming pretty much as soon as the character was introduced.

Structurally, the novel is a mess. Most of the chapters are 1st person, from the point of view of the jester. Sprinkled throughout, there are 3rd person objective chapters following various characters (a few of these chapters edge into 3rd person limited with shallow penetration). Then there's the framing story, which only appears in the beginning. The first chapter (or was it prologue?) was set in modern times, with an archeologist finding a holy relic. The rest of the book tells the story of how the relic ended up where it was. I thought that the frame was completely pointless, but if they were going to use it, they should have at least made it a real frame and had a chapter at the end also set in modern times. It just feels lopsided the way it is.

[Susanne Leist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I buy a James Patterson book in a thrift store and expect to sit down to read a silly, modern day caper. Instead, I find a love story from a man's perspective taking place during the Crusades.
Hugh, a commoner, an innkeeper, joins the Crusades out of boredom and a way to better his and his wife's lives. He makes unusual friends along the way. His love of stories makes him popular. After a few years of blood and gore, he runs back home with a few trinkets for his wife.
His town is gutted and his wife gone. All believe she is dead except for him. He has a new quest. He must find his wife. He becomes a court jester, gets into trouble, gets more people killed, finds new love, and so on. He has the artifact that is causing more death and blood shed.
The end is predictable. Modern day language and swearing is used. But still I couldn't put it down.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

James Patterson is my favorite author and it is rare that I find a book that I don’t like but I just can’t get into this book. I’m going to have to ditch it and move on to something better......and I really hate doing this but why waste time on a book I’m not enjoying.

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an excellent example of my distaste of 11th - 14th century history. The barbarism is perpetrated via a Jester at the time of the Crusades. Thus providing another example my distrust and abhorrence of all religions. Alas and in a clown move, the only laughter occurs at the end. 0 of 10 stars

[Saša · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't read this. You'll get a headache. At first it will seem actually amusing, because you won't be sure if the writer(s) are serious with their catastrophic depiction of Medieval France, the Crusade wars, and the unavoidably horrible sex scenes. However, as you delve deeper and deeper into this atrocity of a novel, you will only find yourself regretting the money (and time) you wasted.

[John (Just bought an Oculus 2 VR, so less time to read these days!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book. I may have given an extra star or two due to my love of castles and tales of the Crusades.

[Jerry B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unusual and violent medieval tale stretches belief...

Patterson and co-author Gross have certainly crafted an unexpected offering, set literally 1000 years before Alex Cross, Lindsay Boxer, and the gang come along. A French innkeeper, and our leading man, Hugh de Luc, leaves his wife Sophie and his hometown to seek ultimate freedom from his life of servitude. He joins the Crusades in 1096; then we wade through many chapters of violence and gore as men on both sides of the argument die brutal deaths. Using laughter to save his life, and precursoring his role as a Jester (hence the title) through much of the book, Hugh returns home (actually as a deserter) only to discover his wife was abducted by the evil duke. He sets out for revenge and eventually assimilates into the staff of the evil lord. He is helped along by a noblewoman named Emilie, itself an unlikely scenario, only to stir feelings in both akin to his love for his own wife. This lack of fidelity (although not consummated until after his wife's ultimate death) seemed incongruous with the undying love expressed throughout the first half of the book -- yet these feelings rapidly transfer right onto Emilie with little further provocation.

Before it's over, Hugh "the fool" leads a ragtag band of farmers and other common folk to overthrow not one but two fiefdoms, with such total success that he becomes the darling of the people and starts a movement toward the abandonment of the serf system.

What's tough to accept out of all this is the odds against which this lowly guy survives and flourishes, his role in finding a cherished religious relic, the love affair with the noblewoman, his success against organized armies (and other evils), etc. While Patterson's usual story-telling abilities are in full evidence, the early-on gore and the relatively unbelievable premises we are asked to swallow, one after another, make for a quick but only mildly entertaining read. While we applaud the author's departure from the norm, we need about half of the unbelievable wrinkles removed to give this book a facelift worthy of a more serious look.

[Baba · Rating 1 out of 5]

An innkeeper goes to the Crusades and returns with a Historical treasure that nobles are prepared to murder and pillage for. Not all bad, but certainly not good! Back in these days, the sole driver for reading Patterson, was because I could usually finish them in a day and they were quick easy reads.. but Patteson (and Gross) writing historical fiction? Just say no!! 3 out of 12.

[Giordano Bruno · Rating 1 out of 5]

Semplicemente uno dei libri più brutti che abbia mai letto.

[Jackaline Rutter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not your usual James P book. This took me a bit to get into but it started to grow on me.

[Thee_ron_clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every so often, I pick up a book and have a difficult time putting it down. This was exactly that type of book. I swam through nearly 500 pages in less than two days, dying to see the outcome. From start to finish, I was more than impressed.

The basic premise is that an innkeeper joins the Crusades to gain freedom from his tyrannical liege. He becomes disheartened after the first major conflict he is involved in and deserts the Crusader army with a few trinkets picked up during their victory in Antioch.

He finally returns home to find that his inn has burned down and his wife has been taken, among other things by a group of ruthless knights. The innkeeper sets forth on a quest for vengeance in a matter that is much larger than he initially believes.

There, I think I accomplished a decent description without giving anything that cannot be discovered by reading the back cover.

The only flaw I found in this book is that some of the tactics seemed played out and unoriginal. I suppose used in the context of that time period I can forgive that though.

This is a must for those who enjoy literature.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the story was awesome. I kept raising the question "How is Hugh getting out of this one?" which kept me reading until the end, finishing the book in less than a week. Of course the book doesn't really leave a lot of downtime. The story is always progressing, jumping from one event to the next in the blink of an eye. You're never too far from the action, and with how short the chapters are (and large text) a book that looks like it could take a while is actually a quick and fun read.

On the other hand, I did have a few caveats about Jester. Patterson barely describes people, sometimes just saying portly woman or old man, so a lot is left up to your imagination. In one way that's alright: you get to picture people how you want, giving them the features you feel they need, but most of the time it just feels lazy. I'm probably just spoiled by the way Martin describes his characters. Such as going into details over what they were wearing, the little scars on them, and a brief history of some that seem to die off in a chapter.

[Victor The Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Jester (My Kindle Review)

Taking place in medieval times during the Crusades (1095-1291), we follow the tale of Hugh De Luc who discovers his life changed forever after returning from war. He finds his village has been pillaged by thieves, known as dark riders who wear black crosses, who are searching for a very valuable relic. If that wasn’t tragic enough, he learns that his beloved Sophie has been kidnapped and held captive by the man behind the relic search. He makes the tough decision to infiltrate the enemy by taking the role of a jester, where it’ll only be the beginning of a suspenseful quest.

Compared to Patterson’s latest writing nowadays, “Jester” is a spectacular historical story of adventure, revenge and romance. There’s a lot of shock and suspense in Hugh’s story as his is a very cunning protagonist. You also can definitely notice that his writing is certainly more well written than just being usual Patterson, even with Gross’ help. A powerful and emotional novel with a noble and determined hero. A- (91%/Excellent)

[Janie Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably one of my faorite Patterson books! And it is totally out of his normal genre. And I love that!

The book is set back to medievil times, it had a great plot and shared some history! I loved that too. I rarely put the book down to be honest. It was a fast quick read.

This book is definitely worth a read by any Patterson fans! It gets 5 stars from me!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A "Pillar's of the Earth" like novel of a French inn keeper swept up in the Crusades who comes back home to the destruction of his family...under the "pretext" of being a "court jester" seeks to avenge the wrongs by exacting retribution against those in the nobility who harmed his family...Decent, but no Ken Follett!

[Tûba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yazarın James Patterson olduğuna bakıp her zamanki gerilim-polisiye tarzında bir roman okuyacağınızı düşünmeyin zira tür bildiğimiz tarihi kurgu. Nasıl oldu da yılların polisiye yazarı tarihi kurgu yazdı bilemiyorum ama benden 3yıldız aldı.

[Tarah Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this book off the shelf because it was by James Patterson first & foremost. When I started on the story I was surprised and a little hesitant to continue onward once I found out what time it was set in. I've never been a huge fan of historical novels but I am glad I gave it a chance. Mr. Patterson with the help of Andrew Gross really draw you into this setting and allow you to immerse yourself into the story. You hear the anger in Hugh's voice, you smell the fowl stench of the jail cells, you taste the food being served in the great halls, you can feel the silks the nobles wear.

I found myself rooting for Hugh, gasping when a sword clashed against another sword and feeling a mix of emotions when Hugh discovers Sophie. I found his character to be a true hero, a leader and someone people of today would follow. Hugh stands for justice and freedom and what is right. This book may look long but you quickly realize it ends all too soon when you reach the end. I would recommend this book to any James Patterson fan or any fiction reader who enjoys a historical novel, the research they've done for this book really help enforce the story line.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Patterson, for better or worse. If you're looking for artistic merit of any sort whatsoever, then forget it. THE JESTER succeeds only on the level of a trashy pulp adventure story--the kind of thing you might enjoy reading in the tub after a long day at work. The writing mostly feels like it was intended for kids, yet the content is strictly adult fare. The story is set during the Crusades and written in first-person (except when it's not), yet the voice of the narrator is virtually indistinguishable from that of detective Michael Bennett, a present day Patterson character. It almost goes without saying that the historical aspects of the novel are weak, despite the authors listing a dozen or so books that they supposedly used for reference during the writing of THE JESTER. With the exception of a few antiqued words, there's no knowledge or insight into the time period that you haven't already gleaned from casual TV viewing. The plot is bland and predictable, but Patterson's breakneck pacing makes it difficult not to be at least somewhat entertained.

[Amy Subaey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The BEST book I have ever read!!!!! its so exciting, and remember, this was pre- Da Vinci code, exciting in a new way. Its also very historical - I love the era of the Crusades, the characters are so interesting, the story is so unexpectd and refreshing - its a thinking person's book for sure. Its not a typical murder mystery like he usually writes. I have passed this book on to Julee and Jeff and they both were just engrossed and read it in like 2 days!!!!! MUST read (good beach reach, plane read if you don't want to sleep!)

[Mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was given to me by a friend. I thought I would put aside my prior thoughts about Patterson and give it a go...at least now I can hate it and have justification for it. Poorly written, poorly researched, and most definitely written by men who have limited knowledge about the most basic of subjects.

[G.B. Nefe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro parodistico e beffardo nei confronti delle follie della religione e delle Crociate. Incredibilmente avventuroso e con un protagonista simpatico e molto fortunato, direi.
Una lettura piacevole

[Kim Vermaak · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending blew me away.

[Georgie · Rating 4 out of 5]

did not expect this to be such a banger but it was great. lots of violence and gore and absolute chaos + an actually engaging protagonist. there was some repetitive descriptions every here and there and it was a little odd how quickly hugh fell for emilie after discovering the passing of his wife.

sometimes the writing style got a little boring, just describing things as they happened without much flavour, but the events themselves were wild enough for it to be passable. something i enjoy is the main character getting injured and in this hook hugh gets absolutely battered, it’s great.

i wasn’t sure what to expect from this but i was thoroughly entertained. i was thinking about it a lot when i had to put it down.

[Cathal Kenneally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of historical fiction but this book is written in such a way that it's almost too easy to read. Considering that it's a collaboration between two authors it makes for a good medieval yarn.
Set during the late 11th century during the Crusades; it didn't bowl me over. Not really a swashbuckling tale of brave knights coming to save the day, more of a serf fighting oppression and injustice against the nobles and knights who mete it out.
I was surprised that James Patterson would actually cowrite something like this but apparently he has written a few .
He does deserve three stars and oh they all lived happily ever after. 🤭

[Tgordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

So not John but so much better than normal honestly! So this story is about the crusades! I’m sure I spelled that wrong but set during the time of duke and lord rules when the Christians were pushing the word or rule by people rather than by Kong’s and queens! Very rough and very dirty times! Killings by hanging and beheading! Great story of a man trying to first find his wife and then trying to free his people from oppression! And guess how it does it? By laughter! Jester is not an easy story to read but well worth it!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this was a very different novel from Patterson's usual mysteries, so I suspect it was more Gross than Patterson. Set in the Middle Ages, it was too brutal for me. The second half redeemed itself for me.