Medieval Mysteries: The Fool's Guild

Categories: Mystery & Suspense , Fiction

Back in medieval times, it was very important to keep the Royalty happy, lest all hell break loose.  Therefore the King's fools, or court jesters, were no fools at all, since they played such an integral role in the well-being of the court.  Members of the Fool's Guild in the mystery series by Alan Gordon are especially savvy.  They use their inside knowledge and the anonymity of their masks to undermine all varieties of political trickery and deceit. 

Author Alan Gordon is a marvelously clever writer, who has a 'day job' as a lawyer with the Legal Aid Society in Queens, New York.  He has received praise for his series featuring the Fool's Guild, displaying a cunning group of unlikely heroes mixed in with history, suspense, and even a little Shakespeare before his time.  All six of Gordon's Medieval Mysteries are available at the Library:

The Lark's Lament (2007)

An Antic Disposition (2004)

The Widow of Jerusalem (2003)

A Death in the Venetian Quarter (2002)

Jester Leaps In (2000)

Thirteenth Night (1999)

And, for a highly readable look at the history of the Fool:

Fools are Everywhere (2001), by Beatrice K. Otto

Look for the seventh title in the Fool's Guild series, to be published in May 2008:  The Moneylender of Toulouse.