The Merchant Murderers

The constant changing of monarch and thus religion in the 1550's has caused Jake Blackjack to flee London to the West Country. Now thinking it safe to return via the cathedral city of Exeter, he stumbles across a dead body - and once again his troubles begin. The plot is complex with several unsavoury characters, of both high and low birth, and uncertainty as to which religion they are following, and once again Jake is in fear of his life - not least because his amorous instincts keep getting in the way of his safety. Huge fun; great humour and several memorable one liners. This series is as good as ever.

This is a great series that keeps getting better. Jack Blackjack is in Exeter - the London man about town is very much out of his depth, and is keen to get home. However, he gets embroiled in a murder and some religious and political machinations and has a really adventurous time. His description of life on board the ship was really amusing.

A really fun read, set in the time of Mary Tudor when it was not wise to hold any opinion contrary to the accepted norm. Pirates and murderers, unholy clerics and love sick swains, this book has them all!

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

August 1556, Devon. Jack Blackjack had recently fled London, but found the moors of the south-west to be even less hospitable. On discovering that it was now safe to return to his life of luxury and occasional peril, he heads back to the capital, only to find himself stranded in Exeter. Unable to find a horse, Jack does manage to find a number of new people who would like to stick a knife in him, and, of course, a dead body.

Jack only wants one thing – to leave Exeter at the first opportunity. When the opportunity is finally dangled under his nose, little does he realise that he is walking into a trap. Can Jack possibly make it back to London in one piece? And in the process, will he discover who killed the unfortunate merchant?

This is the seventh Jack Blackjack historical thriller from the pen of Michael Jecks, the tale of a Queen’s assassin who hasn’t actually killed anyone. “Thriller” is probably the best word for it, as by calling it a mystery, especially around here, might cause some people to read it with expectations that might lead to disappointment. The thing is, it’s hard to write an out-and-out mystery when the lead character has no interest in being a sleuth and not much ability in that direction either. When everything is told in Jack’s entertaining voice and he isn’t particularly interested in anything apart from his own skin – and possibly the skin of some of the more attractive ladies in his vicinity – the structure of a classic mystery is next to impossible to maintain. So Michael Jecks doesn’t even try.

What we get is a thrilling tale of Jack trying to stay one step ahead of murderous merchants, robbers, husbands and the local Dean while the murder mystery resolves itself in the background. Anyone who has read any of Mike’s work before will know the detail that he paints his world in. Tudor Exeter is not a place that you will want to visit, but that’s because it is brought so vividly to life. The characters are rather wonderful too. It’s a challenge, I think, to create a fully-formed cast of characters in a book told in the first person, as you can’t easily get inside their heads, but it’s a skill that the author certainly has. The character arcs seem natural, and while I did have hopes that one character might have become a regular in the series at the end of the tale, it’s hard to grumble when you get this invested in a story.

So, don’t go in expecting a fully clued mystery – not sure how Jack could gather all the suspects together as they’d probably all gang up and try and kill him – but embrace the fun, the danger, the history, the twists and turns and the wonderful narrative voice, and you’ll have a real treat on your hands.

Oh, but don’t get excited by “A Bloody Mary Tudor Mystery” as, well, she isn’t in it. In fact, she’s hardly in the series at all…

Jack’s back!

Ah Jack! The trials and tribulations of this vain, self deceived rascal never fail to amaze me. He attracts trouble like bees to a honeypot. After his recent troubles with the tin miners of Cornwall, Jack’s headed away from London to France on the off chance that he’s bound to be caught up with the wrong side of the political machinations of his masters.
He fled to the Cathedral town of Exeter, where he learns that Queen Mary is still in power, Lady Elizabeth is not in the tower, and he, as he is employed circuitously by the Lady Elizabeth as an assassin, can safely head for home.
Swaggering around town, sure of his own importance as a elegant ”man of London,” disdainful of the plebeians he encounters, well naturally pride comes before a fall. His purse is stolen, he finds the dead body of the ex priest Roger Lane. Powerful merchants and their henchman take an interest in him. He finds some fair weather friends, and he’s pursued by an attractive young thing with marriage on her mind (shudder!). This is not all, (because of our surety that Jack always goes from one torrid situation to another), Jack sets sail for London only to find himself betrayed.
He returns (miraculously by sheer good luck—again!) to Exeter, and after another set of extenuating circumstances finally flees Exeter for London and home! I’m exhausted and Jack even more so!
I swear Jack has more lives than a cat. Somehow by sheer dumb luck he always lands on his feet, His self absorption never ceases to amaze me. His drinking and womanising always trips him up.
Mind you he also can show kindness to the unexpected person, like Edith the child who first tried to rob him.
A somewhat, loveable rogue with an inconsistent conscience is perhaps one way to describe him.
Funny and horrifying. I shake my head continually. You either love him or hate him.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

My thanks to Canongate Books Severn House for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Merchant Murderers’ by Michael Jecks.

This is Book 7 in Michael Jecks’ series of historical mysteries set during the reign of Queen Mary Tudor.

All the books are written in a tongue-in-cheek style reflecting the personality of its narrator, roguish antihero Jack Blackjack. He lives by his wits and even when facing mortal danger it all seems a bit of a romp.

August 1556 and following on from events in ‘The Moorland Murderers’, Jack arrives in Exeter desperate to return to London, though finding someone who will hire him a horse is proving difficult.

While there he manages to lurch from one crises to another - including coming across the body of a dead priest, encountering thieves determined to separate Jack from his money pouch, and unwittingly attracting the amorous attention of various ladies, unfortunately who have suitors, fathers, and husbands who take exception.

There’s no doubt that Jack Blackjack is cowardly, outrageously lecherous, with a tendency to bend the truth. Yet as he seeks to keep one step ahead of his many enemies, he is strangely likeable.

While each novel can be read on its own, I found that in reading the earlier books I appreciated that in the cutthroat world of Tudor politics, someone like Jack Blackjack only survived due to quick wits and a strong sense of self-preservation. He is much like a street savvy tom cat.

In addition to a cracking story and memorable characters, I commend Jecks on how vividly he describes his mid-16th Century setting, including odours, that encourages a sense of immersion in the tale.

Overall, another enjoyable adventure in the company of the rascally Jack Blackjack.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Black Jack is back ........... he is still managing to find trouble whichever way he turns , still losing his money and finding himself in the middle of mayhem - all he wants is get home to his beloved London .
Now he finds himself in Exeter right in the middle of religious dissenters , political shenanigans and a dead body- what could go wrong ?? Everything !!
When his offered a way to get back to London by way of a sea voyage he jumps at the chance BUT once again it is case of the frying pan and the fire .........now its pirates , murders and missing ships he is facing - can he solve the murders , find the missing ships -will he ever get home . ???

This is yet another hilarious book featuring Jack Blackjack ........ stumbling from one crisis to the next Jack still manages to survive - a thoroughly entertaining series . I look forward to reading more of his "adventure" in the future

Our friend Jack Blackjack (the Tudorian Harry Flashman) is back and what a comeback!

Still running from the deadly clutches of the evil Queen, Mary Tudor, still looking for a mount to make it back to his beloved London, still losing his purse and getting into troubles for losing it and last but not least, still managing to land right in the middle of a hornet's nest of hilarious troubles.

After his rather pityful experience with the miners in the Moorland murderers our adorable "good for nothing" hero finds his way into the most unforgettable urban mayhem ever witnessed in the city of Exeter where as you can imagine his troubles start with the search for a horse, the loss of his purse and his propensity to find himself in hot water....

Still reeling from the aftermath of the Wyatt Rebellion, Exeter is a hotbed of religious dissenters, violent political shenanigans and venomous fighting within the city's mercantile community. So don't be too surprised if the situation starts going downhill as soon as Jack finds himself within the city's walls...

Uproariously funny from the get-go, I simply didn't want this novel to end.
Fiendishly plotted and blessed with cast of exquisitely drawn characters, this delicious madcap is my favorite in the series even if our hero is still unreliable, boastful, lecherous and a coward. I simply love him and his encounter with the pirates as he is trying to flee the city by boat will remain to me one of the most comical pages written this year!

A magnificent novel that deserves to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this terrific ARC

Michael Jecks does it again. A fabulous adventure involving the 'hero' Jack Blackjack. A murder mystery set in Exeter during the reign of Mary I.
Jack Blackjack is the most unlikely hero you will ever meet. A man with a very high opinion of himself, of his abilities and level of sophistication, Jack often succeeds in spite of himself. He also squirms at the sight of blood, which is a tad embarrassing for a professional assassin.
I am a huge fa of Michael Jecks - ever since the release of his first book, The Last Templar, many moons ago.
He can spin a yarn with the best of them. He never disappoints.