Sword of Shadows

Crispen Guest is known as the Tracker of London, but his latest adventure takes him to Cornwall. Hired by Carantok Teague to provide protection and assist in a search for Excalibur, Guest is skeptical that Teague can succeed but his payment would allow him and his servant Jack Tucker to live comfortably for a while. Teague is a treasure hunter working under a decree given by Edward III allowing him to seek treasure throughout the kingdom, forfeiting all gold to the crown. Although Edward has been dead for some time, he uses this decree to protect his activities. In his searches he obtained parchments that point to Tintagel castle as Excalibur’s resting place.

Tintagel has fallen into disrepair and is overseen only by a caretaker and several men-at-arms. Shortly after their arrival the body of one of the men-at-arms is found in an area where Teague has been searching. As the Tracker, Guest is asked to investigate, leaving Jack to assist Teague. Their tasks are complicated by the arrival of a troupe of entertainers. One member of the troupe is Kat Pyke, a thief who Guest has encountered in the past. With the hunt for Excalibur and the untimely death, Guest knows that her appearance is no coincidence.

This is a story of myths and legends that has Guest encountering druids with their pagan rites and Marzhin Gwyls, who introduces himself as a caretaker. Guest is the only one who has seen Marzhin Gwyls, who questions the search for the sword and seems intimately acquainted with its’ history. Jeri Westerson makes life in England’s villages come to life and gives her readers a mystery that is informative and entertaining. This is a story that will enchant fans of historical fiction. I would like to thank NetGalley and Severn house for providing this book for my review.

I read my first Jeri Westerson last year and fell in love with the charm of the books. Set in the 1300’s, this series follows the adventures of Crispin Guest, the “Tracker” of London who solves crimes and, more often than not, finds a mythical/mysterious artefact along the way.

Having loved the characterisations in Traitor’s Codex, I wanted to continue, even though I hadn’t started at the beginning. When Sword of Shadows became available to request, I jumped at the chance. What I didn’t realise, however, was this book was based around the hunt for Excalibur: it combined the historical fiction I love with one of my favourite myths. Perfect.

The plot is a little different this time: rather than solving a crime and accidentally discovering an artefact, Crispin and Jack are employed to help find Excalibur – and the murders along the way distract them. Given Crispin’s scepticism, it was fun seeing him get excited about the prospect of finding the sword and what it means to him personally given his past.

Crispin is a great character. He’s noble and dignified, despite no longer having claims to titles. Regardless of personal feelings, he’s determined to do the right thing, regardless of what that costs him. He can be stern and proper but at the same time, you see his massive heart: he cares deeply for Jack and his family and is always surprised when that love is returned.

I haven’t read all the books in the series to comment on previous relationships. But it was amusing seeing Crispin with his heart on the line: a casual marriage proposal reveals his longing for something more and despite his proper ways, he takes his pleasure when he can.

Jack remains my favourite. His loyalty to Crispin – even when he’s disapproving – and his determination to stay on the straight and narrow, regardless of what is thrown his way, is entertaining. Jack’s determination to be a good man is matched by his need to help his master – even if that means reverting to old tricks better forgotten.


This is a gripping and enjoyable read, albeit not one to necessarily get your heart racing. The mystery kept me guessing: obvious signs were misleading and the secondary characters were all eccentric enough it could have been anyone. Not to mention certain characters who are not what they seem – if they are even there at all.

I loved the hunt for the sword and all the potential hiding places. Throughout the entire novel, you’re guessing whether they will find it – and whether they should or it should be left in peace.

Sword of Shadows is a whirlwind of charm and suspense, mystery and love where a man’s worth isn’t measured in what he owns, but who he is. Crispin and Jack are a great literary duo, Crispin’s love interest provides sharp entertainment and his employer helps define how much of a good man Crispin is.

If you’re into historical fiction, this is a definite read.

“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there,” or so the saying goes. And that’s certainly true in the Crispin Guest Medieval Noir series, of which Sword of Shadows is the lucky, or unlucky, 13th book.

They may DO things differently in 1396 A.D., but that doesn’t mean that human beings are actually any different, either better or worse, than they are in 2020. Or than they were at the time of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, whether that was the quasi-medieval era as later chroniclers made it, the latter part of the Roman occupation of Britain, as historians claim it, or a magical period of myth and legend as written in the chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth – the only version that would have been extant in Crispin’s time.

King Arthur shouldn’t be relevant, as Crispin deals in facts and motives, evidence and crimes, in the real world. But he also needs to keep a roof over his head and food in his belly. While he is best known as the “Tracker of London”, solving crimes and righting miscarriages of justice, sometimes he takes other work.

So this tale begins. A gentleman “treasure hunter” feels that he is on the track of Excalibur. While the sword may be shrouded in myth and legend, Carantock Teague believes that he has found clues to the fabled artifact’s location – that Excalibur is hidden somewhere near Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, purported to be the site of King Arthur’s birth. Teague hires Crispin – and Crispin’s apprentice Jack – to come with him to Cornwall and help him search for it. And to guard him if he finds it.

The pay is too good to turn down, even with a wet, cold, miserable fortnight’s journey to Tintagel by horseback to start it off.

But once there, the search for the sword is complicated by the discovery of not one but two extremely recent corpses. Meanwhile, Crispin’s sometime quarry and occasional lover, Kat Pyle, has arrived in this remote spot to either bedevil Crispin, nab the treasure before he can, or make some other mischief.

Knowing Kat as he does, Crispin can’t help but wonder if the answer is “all of the above – and more.”

The question is whether it is only Crispin’s heart at risk – or his life.

Escape Rating A-: Sword of Shadows was a terrific read. It was a return to a series that I’ve picked up off and on over the years and always enjoyed. It dipped into a legend that has always fascinated me, the Matter of Britain, or as it is better known, the tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. And it was also a reminder of journeys of my own, as I read the first three books in this series, Veil of Lies, Serpent in the Thorns and The Demon’s Parchment, on a Caribbean cruise, back when such things were possible. This series was among the first things I read on my then-new Nook. How time flies.

That being said, although there were nostalgic elements attached to this story for me, I don’t think they are necessary to enjoy this book. If you love historical mystery, this is one of those series where the author has meticulously researched every detail, and the reader feels as if they are walking beside Crispin whether on the streets of London or exploring the caves on the Cornish coast. This is a series where you not only feel the feels, but you also smell the smells – good and bad.

It is a series where some prior knowledge is probably helpful, but does not have to be exhaustive. I haven’t read the whole series, just dipped in here and there, and enjoyed the journey back to England during the reign of Richard II, during the opening stages of what history would call the Wars of the Roses.

This particular event in Crispin’s life is a bit different than the usual stories in this series as it takes Crispin out of the London that he has come to call home and out into the country, far away from not just his home but from any place with which he is familiar. Crispin has become a creature of London, a man of the city, that’s where his reputation and his living are.

In Tintagel he is a complete outsider, and has to do his job of tracking the murderer – or murderers – in a place where he is not well-known, where his current reputation is of no help but his long-buried past as a traitorous knight is still remembered. He knows no one, but he still has a job to do – even if it’s one that he isn’t getting paid for.

At the same time, he is teased and tormented by the search for Excalibur and the legends surrounding it. In the end, catching the murderer, as difficult as it is, turns out to be easier than letting go of the search for the sword. The myths that are wrapped around the hilt of Excalibur have caught better men – and many, many searchers – before Crispin, and have continued to do so after, inspiring creators century after century. The way that Excalibur fades into the mists of Cornwall in this story feels right – and sends a chill up the spine at the same time.

The author claims that Crispin’s story is coming to an end. His next outing, Spiteful Bones, will be his next-to-last adventure. Normally I’d say that I couldn’t wait to read his next book, but knowing that his journey is coming to an end means that I’ll be happy to wait a bit. I’ll be sad to see him go – but I hope it will be into a happy and successful retirement. We’ll see.