Menu
When a disheveled young woman walks into King Arthur’s court and demands justice, declaring she has been brutally violated by a knight of the Round Table, Arthur vows that the culprit will be tracked down and punished. But young Gildas of Cornwall, now squire to the king’s nephew Sir Gareth, has his own problems: His beloved Lady Rosemounde has been betrothed by her father to another knight. When Rosemounde’s new fiancé turns out to be the knight accused of the vicious crime, Rosemounde begs Gildas for help. He must enlist the aid of his old mentor, Merlin, in order to prove the innocence of the man he feels has stolen the affections of his only love.
$16.99
Queen Guinevere, trying to head off a rush to judgment, secures a promise from the king to let her be arbiter in the accused knight’s case and sends the young man on a quest to discover what women most desire. The Knight’s Riddle is a fast-paced mystery in King Arthur’s mythic court of Camelot, set (like the original Arthurian romances) in the high Middle Ages, and narrated by the young squire Gildas, whose knightly ambitions revolve solely around his love of the beautiful Rosemounde.
Rating
I really enjoyed this book! It was fun to read a mystery written in the realm of King Arthur and all of the characters that are so familiar. Interesting take on Merlin too!
This was just flat out fun to read! The scene descriptions are so vivid that I still have strong images of the castles and land in my mind. I love the way the female characters are written so subtly but with such power and strength. Cant’ wait to get to the second book, "The Knight’s Riddle."
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I sat down with this novel. The premise was interesting–a murder mystery featuring Merlin? How could I pass that up? The book surpassed my expectations. Even though it’s quiet, more of an intellectual novel than a thriller, it is still full of suspense. I often find it hard to immerse myself in a book, but this one kept me turning pages. There are plenty of surprises throughout, and the historical details are masterfully rendered, but what really makes this book special is how fully realized the characters are. Young Gildas is so likable, you can’t help rooting for him. Merlin is irascible and complex.The knights seem so young and yet burdened by the cares of courtesy and honor. Guinevere herself is full of personality, thoroughly likable and sympathetic, though imperfect–a feat few other characterizations of her have ever managed to accomplish. The mystery itself is intriguing, with enough twists and turns to keep you going, but it is watching Gildas increase in confidence as he works with Merlin to puzzle out the murder, up against a figurative ticking clock, to save the Queen and set things right, that makes it satisfying. There is action, but not on every page. This is more Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers than it is Tom Clancy, but that’s a good thing. Can’t wait for the next installment.
I love historial novels and this one is no exception. Ruud’s pacing is perfect – I was fully engaged throughout the book and never felt it was moving too fast or too slowly. It’s a whodunit that isn’t revealed until the very end and I for one, didn’t see that one coming.
