The traditional "knight in shining armor" has become a staple figure in popular culture and the images of bloody battlefields, bustling feasting halls and courtly tournaments have been creatively interpreted many times in film and fiction. But what was the knight truly like? The world of the English Medieval Knight was complex, and ever-changing. From the household of King John to the defenders of Elizabeth I, there was great change in the social standing of knights, their equipment and appearance, and their involvement in politics and warfare. An expert on Medieval military history Christopher Gravett describes how the knight evolved over four centuries of English and European history, the wars they fought, their lives in peacetime and on campaign, the weapons they fought with, the armor and clothing they wore and the fascinating code and mythology of chivalry. The text is richly illustrated with images ranging from manuscript illustrations to modern artwork reconstructions, and many photographs of historic artifacts and sites.

Realizing that a serial killer has been using clues from an ancient manuscript as a blueprint for murderous acts, FBI criminologist Patrick Bowers must prevent a next attack before discovering that he may be the intended victim.

A popular crime genre in the nineteenth century, urban mysteries have largely been ignored ever since. This historical and critical text examines the origins of the innovative genre, which grappled with the rise of enormous, anonymous cities, beginning in France in 1842, then spreading rapidly across the continent and to America and Australia. Writers covered include Eugene Sue, George Reynolds, Paul Feval, George Lippard, "Ned Buntline" and Donald Cameron.

A new Templar Knight mystery from the author who "masterfully creates a medieval world full of rich historic detail." (National bestselling author Victoria Thompson) Templar Bascot de Marins is summoned to Lincoln Castle to learn who murdered a servant engaged in an illicit affair with a married woman. Even though the jealous husband had a motive, Bascot's investigation uncovers a more shocking revelation about the victim that would give him any number of potential enemies...

When a squire's body is found hanging from a tree, Templar Bascot de Marins is given the task of unearthing the truth before an unprecedented meeting of kings at Lincoln Castle.

When a royal servant is murdered, Templar Bascot de Marins is once again called upon to serve justice—and protect a royal secret. NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED As King Phillip of France leads a devastating attack on Normandy, defection spreads among once-loyal English vassals. King John is even forced to imprison his own nephew Arthur for treacherous acts. And when Arthur suddenly disappears, John must keep his mysterious absence a closely guarded secret, or face even greater dissent among the nobles. Fleeing Normandy, King John and Queen Isabella hope to find safe haven at their royal residence in Canterbury. But they soon discover that no haven is truly safe. When one of John’s servants is murdered, it seems that he and Isabella were the intended targets. John suspects the murderer was a Breton bent on avenging Arthur. Asking Templar Bascot de Marins to investigate the crime, he also asks him to protect the secret of Arthur’s disappearance. But as Bascot and his protégé Gianni follow the murderer’s trail, they find themselves caught between the King’s machinations and the constraints of justice.

Coroner Sir John gets mixed up in alchemy in this twisty instalment in the Crowner John medieval mystery series, set in twelfth-century England. 1195. Prince John plots to seize the throne from his brother, Richard the Lionheart – and he is supported in his wicked schemes by King Philip of France, who offers to help John financially by sending him a mysterious alchemist, a Mohammedan named Nizam, who claims to be able to transmute base metals into gold. But Nizam never makes it England alive. The ship transporting him and his retainers to the Devon tin mines is found wrecked off the south Devon coast, its crew savagely slaughtered. And shortly afterwards, Sir Peter le Calve, a Norman knight living near Exeter, is also found foully murdered, his head stuck on the rood screen of the cathedral. It's up to Sir John de Wolfe, the county coroner, to find a motive and connection between the killings – and it’s clear that his unscrupulous brother-in-law, the disgraced ex-sheriff and known Prince John-sympathiser, Richard de Revelle, has something to hide . . .