Whenever one of Ms. Westerson's Crispin books hits my Kindle or my hands, all other books go to the 'hold' list until I finish it. Her books are well researched.  They are set in medieval times, which I find to be a fascinating period, and they are intelligent.  Her descriptions make me feel like I am right there in the story.  There are some interesting twists presented to Crispin and Jack in this 10th Crispin book.  The female character is also quite interesting.  You won't want to miss this one!  Or any of the others, for that matter.

5 stars

It is 1390 in London. Crispin Guest is being followed. He hides in a doorway only to find his stalker is a woman. She wants to hire him to locate her apparently abducted young neice who she believes has been taken by the former Lord Sheriff Simon Wynchecombe. He is a powerful figure indeed. A knock on the door proves to be a dying monk with a very distinctive dagger in his back. He drops a crystal as he falls. The dagger belongs to Wynchecombe. Crispin rises to discover that the woman is gone and she has taken the crystal with her. 

 What follows is a remarkable romp through London and Hailes to monasteries, slums, cathedrals and sheriff’s offices. Crispin falls for the lady, and then he learns a great deal about her – or does he? We meet some delightful and unusual friends of Crispin’s. They will also play a part in uncovering the conspiracy and catch the killers. They recover a relic artifact, and then lose it. Do they get it back safely? And what of the mysterious woman? Who is she and what does she really want? 

This book is very well written and plotted. The descriptions of the 1390’s London were brilliant. I felt like I was there, seeing the people and smelling the smells.  I truly enjoyed it. The suspense starts out immediately and continues throughout the book until it reaches its denouement in an exciting and surprising ending. This is my first Jeri Westerson novel, but it won’t be my last. I immediately went to Amazon to look at her other books. 

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this most wonderful book to read and enjoy.

Season of Blood takes the reader on another adventure with Crispin Guest as he investigates murdered monks and stolen relics.  I've enjoyed several of these Crispin Guest novels and enjoy the setting during Richard II's reign. Crispin is a disgraced knight who has earned a reputation as an investigator and finder of lost objects.  He has become known as the Tracker.

A beautiful and mysterious woman sets this mystery in motion.  She approaches Crispin, asking for his aid in finding her niece.  Things are not what they seem, however, and when a monk falls into his door with Crispin's old rival Simon Wynchecombe's dagger in his back and a blood relic in his hand, events take a perilous direction.

Crispin has a skeptical approach to relics, but this one seems unlike the usual fakes.  Religious institutions were often competitive about relics because relics were a source of pilgrims and income, but blood relics containing the blood of Christ were particularly desirable.

Crispin's attempts to return the relic are thwarted because the relic keeps returning to him.  

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1_d3x4HkagA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Read in September; review scheduled for Dec. 21.

Goodreads/Severn House

Historical Mystery.  Jan. 1, 2017.  Print length:  224 pages.