BOOK REVIEW: The Oath

Title:                      The Oath

Author:                   Michael Jecks

Publisher:               Simon & Schuster

RRP:                       $22.99

ISBN:                      9781849830829

Release Date:        March 2011

Pages:                  

Description:

1326. In an England riven with conflict, knight and peasant alike find their lives turned upside down by the warring factions of Edward II, with his hated favourite, Hugh le Despenser, and Edward's estranged queen Isabella and her lover, Sir Roger Mortimer. Yet even in such times the brutal slaughter of an entire family, right down to a babe in arms, still has the power to shock. Three further murders follow, and bailiff Simon Puttock is drawn into a web of intrigue, vengeance, power and greed as Roger Mortimer charges him to investigate the killings.
Michael Jecks brilliantly evokes the turmoil of fourteenth-century England, as his well-loved characters Simon Puttock and Sir Baldwin de Furnshill strive to maintain the principles of loyalty and truth.

Review:

I loved this novel. Michael Jecks has written a brilliant story. The book is based in the period of Edward the Second’s reign and his turbulent relationships with Queen Isabella and her son. There are interwoven storylines that mingle to excellent conclusions.

Michael has not only told the monarch story but also the story of family’s murder. The writer keeps you guessing right to the end. So not only are you intrigued by Edwards’s family but also that of the murder. The main characters Simon Puttock is great. The book is written so you can sympathise with him and enjoying his company as you travel through the pages.

I really loved this book.