By Michael Jecks
Trafalgar Square Publishing, $24.95, 384 pages
Are you a sucker for a good mystery? Do you get goosebumps when watching a period-accurate movie of knights and kings in battle? Then this is the book for you or, more excitingly, the series for you! The King of Thieves is the twenty-sixth tale in the Knights Templar series. Author Michael Jecks delivers a pristine account of the times in 1325 under the reign of King Charles IV of France and King Edward II of England. But it’s more than that. This is a murder-mystery in its purest form, set in a time when there were no forensics labs, police procedures to follow or even an All Points Bulletin to post. Murder, thievery, deception and chivalry each play a role in this sentimental journey of various characters. Subplots and interrelated storylines keep you turning the pages at such a pace that you will torture yourself in not savoring the enchantment of it all. You will find yourself transported to 1325 in the descriptive writing of Jecks with perfect rhythm of the age even down to the dialects, smells and design of the landscapes. Take this penalty-free journey into the Middle Ages for real entertainment.
Reviewed by M Chris Johnson