Dark deeds in medieval times!

It’s All Hallows’ Eve 1144. The mauled body of the Keeper of the King’s Forest of Feckenham, near Worcester, is discovered. Unfortunately it turns out a man disliked by all. The villagers are whispering wolves or even a Werewulf!
Undersheriff Lord Hugh Bradecote and Serjeant Catchpoll are called into investigate. Puzzling! After all, “What wolf would enter a village?” and into a home? What they found was murder and a deeply lain plot of revenge and retribution that led from one end of the King’s forest to the other. Too many coincidences need to be turned into cold, hard proof.
I loved the way Walkelin, Catchpoll’s serjeanting assistant, begins to come into his own. He’s a quick study and begins to even sound a little like his mentor.
Beyond that Hawkswood gives us a fascinating look into the various stratus of society and the way all interacted; the social, political and legal aspects.
So enjoyable!

An Allison & Busby ARC via NetGalley ( )

1144 Sergeant Catchpoll and his assistant Walkelin are called out with Under-sheriff Bradecote when a body is discovered in the village of Feckenham. Initially thought to be a wolf attack. But they are not convinced. Who did murder this unlikeable man. Soon there is a raid on a nearby manor, and more deaths.
An entertaining and well-written historical novel set in the time of King Stephen. Containing a cast of likeable and well-drawn characters. Another good addition to this series which can easily be read as a standalone story.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I regularly find myself checking GoodReads and other book sites to see when I can anticipate the next release in Sarah Hawkswood's Bradecote and Catchpoll series. And when I do get access to one, everything else on the calendar gets crossed off so I can devote myself to reading it. The series is set in mid-12th Century Worcester and the surrounding areas and focuses, at this point, on three lawmen: Bradecote and Catchpoll of the series title and Catchpoll's apprentice Walkelin.

Bradecote is a local lord appointed as undersheriff for the shire; Catchpoll is an aging, experienced, and hardened Sergeant with a strong sense of decency hidden under his cynical exterior; Walkelin is Catchpoll's apprentice Sergeant, a more recent addition to the series, still unsure of himself, easily embarrassed, and deeply emotionally connected to the new career he's learning. Hawkswood makes clear the respect these three have for one another, but also puts some bristles in their relationship that make the respect feel all the more genuine.

This time around, the trio are investigating the death of a keeper of the king's forest, a man about whom no one has anything good to say. It appears that a wolf has entered his isolated hut, attacked him, and left the partially eaten body behind. Those in the local village are panicked by the two most accepted explanations for the killing: either there's a rogue wolf in the forest, one who's not afraid of fire and who will enter human homes, or there's a werwulf at large, entering homes in human form before changing into a wolf to do his deadly work. With howling being heard around the shire after dark, no one feels safe.

Bradecote, Catchpoll, and Walkelin acknowledge that an animal played a role in the attacks, but are not embracing either of the popular explanations, certain that a human is behind the violence. The case quickly grows more complicated with additional deaths—and fires and robberies. These events are clearly all connected, but what that connection might be remains unclear. Hawkswood crafts a puzzle that will have readers every bit as engaged and confounded as the investigative trio are.

I read a lot of historical mysteries, some better than others, and Bradecote and Catchpoll series lands right at the top of the pile. Highly recommended.

I received a free electronic review title of this book from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. ( )