The Last Templar by Michael Jecks
Enjoyable, Michael Jecks' research is remarkable and his descriptions work very well for me. Sir Baldwin and Simon Puttock are two characters who I thoroughly enjoy. Ive read the series a couple of times, and feel that the series starts well, gets brilliant, and then gets a little too embroiled in politics and takes us away from the beloved Devon countryside... I digress, here we are first introduced to the characters, Bailiff Simon Puttock, his lovely wife Margaret and his dour servant Hugh. We also meet the enigmatic ex-Templat Sir Baldwin, recently come to claim his inheritance with his laconic sidekick Edgar. As bailiff, Simon is charged with finding the culprit in several death, one of which includes an Abbot being tortured to death over an open fire. The plot circles around and the denoument IS a very surprising one. A great introduction to the series, though not one of my personal favourites