Reviews

The Death Ship of Dartmouth by Michael Jecks

rowanpendragon's review against another edition

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3.0

Another pretty good read from Michael Jecks. One of his mysteries that take place in 14th century england featuring friends Bailiff Simon Puttock and Sir Baldwin de Furnshill, a keeper of the Kings peace. I've read a lot of these books and, frankly, I'm starting to tire of them a bit, but I still enjoyed this one. The first in the series "Last Templar" hooked me and i'm still hooked.

heritage's review against another edition

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2.0

In England, 1324, a dead body is found in a hole in an unrepaired road in Dartmouth on the same day that a half-burnt merchant ship is brought into the harbor. And a knight is asked by his master to go there to find a Frenchman who is fleeing the realm.

You can't judge a book by its cover, but you certainly can by its title. Death Ship of Dartmouth--book 21 in a 32-book medieval mystery series featuring two friends--should be enough to sum up how this book will turn out. This is B material, through and through. The unsatisfying plot is overly convoluted in its telling. Not that it is complex, just that the telling of it is rather meandering and heavy on exposition. And it is dialogue-heavy, while the narration is limited simply to what people are doing, saying, and thinking. Yes, thinking. It's that kind of novel.

Two redeeming features would be the characters and the history. Despite all its many flaws, the characters do have interesting personalities. As it is a multi-character, multi-subplot novel, nothing gets fleshed out very much, but we do come to an understanding of these people, even if the motions they go through are frustrating. The historical setting, too, is surprisingly well done. In fact, I'd say this is its single greatest strength. Not that it is all-encompassing, but it does put the reader firmly in the time and place. The specific geography of the port town not so much so, but certainly life in England in the early 14th century.

This book is not on the level of Patrick O'Brian regarding historical novels, it is not on the level of James Clavell regarding multi-character, multi-subplot writing, and it is not on the level of Martin Cruz Smith regarding dialogue, plot, and setting. If you don't have a strong interest in the Middle Ages, then best give this one a miss. However, if you do, and you're willing to put up with the imperfections of the fiction, then it's worth it. I'll probably give Michael Jecks series on the Hundred Years' War a try next, though, to see how that goes.

katymvt's review against another edition

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4.0

Good, exciting, fast-paced book, but too many characters and a bit too much going on.

kukushka's review against another edition

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4.0

Amidst political turmoil, a man has been found dead in the road and a ghost ship has been found at sea. Meanwhile, the rebel Roger Mortimer has been sending out spies, threatening civil war.

I read this rather quickly while on holidays and the details were quickly forgotten. But I do remember quite enjoying it, despite being a little disconcerted by all the rape (and there truly is a lot of rape!).

Death Ship is a solid mystery with strong characters, and the historical fiction aspect is well executed. The violence, particularly against women, is realistic without being gratuitous.

All in all, a well-written novel and an excellent addition to any historical mystery collection.
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