The Demon's Parchment by Jeri Westerson

November 28, 2019

The Demon’s Parchment by Jeri Westerson

Former knight Crispin Guest was convicted of treason and lucky to escape the king’s justice with his life.  Now living in the Shambles, one of the lowest sections of London, Crispin is known as the Tracker, a finder of lost items, lost people, and occasionally lost truths.  It’s not just the poor of London who seek out Crispin’s services, but also the wealthy and well-born, when they have problems that they prefer to keep confidential or away from the sheriff's notice.  Such is the case when Jacob of Provencal, a Jewish physician at the king’s court, approaches him about locating some stolen documents.  Crispin would prefer not to take the job, but clients are few and far between in the winter of 1384, so against his better judgment, he agrees to find the missing parchments.  But as he begins his inquiries, a suspicion grows that the stolen parchments are somehow connected to the murders of several young boys.

This is another solid entry in Westerson's Crispin Guest historical mystery series.  I enjoy how well-researched these books are, and the colorful descriptions that make the reader feel what it was like to live in London in the 14th century.  In this mystery, we learn more about accepted attitudes and misconceptions of the time, especially with regard to Jews.  We also learn that straight-laced Crispin has a friend who is a cross-dresser and works as a male prostitute!

It might sound strange to call Crispin a noir detective since we tend to think of noir as a 20th century concept, but he has all the characteristics of a Mike Hammer or Philip Marlowe:  he's always down on his luck, consistently short of money so he is forced to take cases that he knows he shouldn't, hooks up with the wrong kind of woman, drinks way too much, gets beaten up with regularity, and most importantly, lives by his own code of honor.  The third entry in the Crispin Guest series is based on a historical serial killer case from the 15th century (serial killers are another thing we tend to think of as modern rather than medieval).  As always, historical figures are skillfully and seamlessly interwoven with Westerson's creations.