Before he died, it seems, Felix Vodyanov was linked to a passenger ferry that sank in 1994, an even earlier U.S. But the hints of other crimes Tempe’s identification uncovers, particularly crimes against children, spur her on to redouble her efforts despite the new M.E.’s splenetic outbursts.

Heavner isn’t exactly mollified when Tempe, aided by retired police detective Skinny Slidell and a host of experts, puts a name to the dead man. Nettled by several errors in Heavner’s analysis, and even more by her willingness to share the gory details at a press conference, Tempe launches her own investigation, which is not so much off the books as against the books. Showboat Medical Examiner Margot Heavner makes it clear that, breaking with her department’s earlier practice ( The Bone Collection, 2016, etc.), she has no intention of calling in Tempe as a consultant and promptly identifies the faceless body herself as that of a young Asian man. This first installment in a planned series, introducing a conflicted hero and delving into the grim lives of ordinary people in medieval times, will appeal to mystery and history fans alike.Īnother sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan.Ī week after the night she chases but fails to catch a mysterious trespasser outside her town house, some unknown party texts Tempe four images of a corpse that looks as if it’s been chewed by wild hogs, because it has been. Still a loyal liege of England, he ignores the threats and keeps working to expose a sinister plot. A former servant, she is no mate for a former knight who retains his honor and class prejudices. Threatened by the sheriff and left for dead in the Thames, Guest ends up falling for the merry widow. Guest soon realizes there are other people interested in the Mandyllon, including the wife’s Saracen lover and a group of Italians working for a powerful enemy of England. In its presence everyone must tell the truth. The Mandyllon is a cloth said to bear the image of Jesus’ face. When her husband is found murdered in a locked room, she hires Guest to find and dispose of a holy relic her husband has hidden in the house.

The wife, who is indeed unfaithful, seems surprisingly dissatisfied with her adultery.

When a wealthy merchant hires Guest to determine whether his wife is unfaithful, he quickly becomes embroiled in a more complex and ominous plot. Now he must use his wits to survive in a dark and dangerous world he hardly knew existed. A disgraced knight earns a meager living as a private inquiry agent in 1383 London.Ĭrispin Guest lost everything but his life after plotting against King Richard II.

Veil of Lies by Jeri Westerson