Sunday Seconds

Sunday Seconds -- there are books that I would really love to re-read -- if I could make the time. Sometimes books have profound impacts on one's reading experience. Sometimes you just know these books could be even greater if you could go back and read them with again better understanding and life experiences under your belt. Sometimes books don't hold up the memory the second time around -- that's the risk. Sunday Seconds will be a cataloging of that kind of wish list.

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Fools' Guild Mysteries series:

• THIRTEENTH NIGHT (1999). Set a decade after the events of Twelfth Night, Feste returns to investigate the murder of the Duke of Orsino.


• JESTER LEAPS IN (2000). Theophilos (aka Feste), along with his new apprentice Viola, has been sent by the Fool's Guild to investigate the disappearance of some agents in Constantinople.


• A DEATH IN THE VENETIAN QUARTER (2002). Theophilos and Viola (now a fool, and going under the name Claudia) are investigating the death of Bastiani, a silk merchant and informant.


• THE WIDOW OF JERUSALEM (2003) is set in Tyre during the Third Crusade, and is set as a story being told in 1204 of events that took place prior to the events recounted in the first three books. Theophilos is trying to broker peace between the various participants. It is based on actual events involving Isabella of Jerusalem and her husband Conrad of Montferrat.


• AN ANTIC DISPOSITION (2004) is based on Hamlet, but more than that, it is a window into Theo's background.


• THE LARK'S LAMENT (2007), in which Theophilos is sent to persuade Abbot Folquet, a former troubadour turned monk, to help the Fools' Guild. Whilst Theo is there, a monk is killed and a threatening message left on the monastery walls.


• THE MONEYLENDER OF TOULOUSE (2008). Theophilos is sent to Toulouse to convince the current Bishop to retire, to be replaced by one more amenable to the Fool's Guild (Abbot Folquet, seen in the previous book). A moneylender who had argued with the Bishop is found dead.


• THE PARISIAN PRODIGAL (2010) a swashbuckling stranger shows up at Count Raimon VI's chateau in May 1205 claiming to be the count's hitherto unknown brother, Toulouse's ruler taps one of his court's best minds to investigate—Theophilos the fool.

This is one of my favorite historical mystery series. I think the concept is brilliant: court jesters are always present but invisible in the power centers of kings and rulers. The Jester's Guild is a medieval CIA -- keeping a hand in to made sure things go politically advantageously. Gordon's writing and characters are funny but astute.



If you're going to read this series, do start with the first one; it will make more sense and the payoff in AN ANTIC DISPOSITION is much sweeter read in order. That book in particular is rather expensive to get even used.

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I've got to keep truckin' on the newsletter but also to walk Tug, do laundry, etc.



Last night we watched most of The Blind Side, the movie that Sandra Bullock won her Academy Award for. It was actually a very good story. Tonight on tv, I'm loaded up: the series finale of Ice Road Trucker, Rubicon, and PBS Mystery as Wallender II with Kenneth Branagh. I probably won't be able to watch them all.



Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster