Fifth Book in a Captivating Series - Rated 
Bernard Knight, or to give him his correct title, Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, was a pathologist to the Home office until 1980 when he was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology at the University of Wales College of medicine, 1980. He has written the extremely successful Crowner John series of medieval mysteries, of which there are now ten or eleven books, His character Crowner John is certainly among my favourite characters in medieval mysteries.
Sir John de Wolfe, better known to both his friends and enemies as Crowner John, a name that refers to his post as county coroner of Devon, find himself out on the bleak moors investigating the murder of a tin miner. The moor is a cold and forbidding place, but anything that takes him away from his shrewish wife and her mood swings and constant nagging is a bonus in John's book. The victim worked for one of the most successful mine owner's in the area, Walter Knapman.
The tin miners have their own laws and rough justice and are none too please at the Crowner's interference and then Knapman disappears. Sir John realises that he will get little if any help from the miners. The only assistance he can rely upon is from Gwyn, his right hand man, but when he too gets arrested for murder and put on trial, Sir John's task becomes ever more difficult . . .
OK as a quick read - Rated 
I began reading the Crowner John series with this one. As it was also my first medieval-thriller book, I wasn't able to compare it with other books of the same genre. That said, it was an ok book for a quick read. The plot (and sub-plots) was not so complicated and there were some parts that I think didn't have to be in the book because they neither contributed to the story nor helped readers to understand the characters more. But the book interested me enough to finish it quite quickly and inspired me to get more of the series so I gave it a 4-star because if it were a total bore, I wouldn't even finish reading. Having since then read other Crowner John books as well as by other authors, though, I must say that I agree... that the characters in this series lack development and hence making the series a bit unexciting. It's probably not fair to expect Crowner John to change dramatically from one book to another because the time series were only a few months apart (between each book). Though in Tinner's Corpse, readers who began since the first book will see changes in, say, Nesta (his mistress) and learn of some inner thinking of Thomas, Istill found the quarrelsome Matilda (his wife) and the brother-in-law boring characters. Perhaps next time Professor Knight can invent some new characters and either make Matilda and Richard de Revelle MORE evil or just spend less time on them (such as having Crowner John solving crimes outside Exeter). I hope that will help make the series more exciting in comparison with books by other authors. All in all, though, I did enjoy the book and I believe other readers will do, too.
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