The Jester
James Patterson & Andrew Gross
(Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
2003 Little, Brown & Co
ISBN: 0316602051

A young innkeeper returns from the First Crusade, unknowingly carrying a holy relic. He finds his home burned, his child slain & his wife abducted by a gang of black-cloaked knights.

One day, in medieval France, a mighty horde of pilgrims wanders into Hugh De Luc's little village. Roused by the excitement of travel to the Holy Land, men & boys leave hearth & home for adventure, riches & honor, with red-haired Hugh among them. Soon we are dogging his footsteps across Europe to the Bosphorus & on to a dreadful rout at Antioch where, in a tiny Christian chapel, Hugh is spared his life, grabs a couple of souvenirs & sets off home.

Sr. Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

Fantastic. Fabulous. Absolutely Fantabulous! There are very few books that deserve so high an accolade, & this latest offering from suspense master James Patterson is one of them.

Set in the 11th Century, The Jester is the story of Hugh De Luc, who returns home a tired man after a long & hard battle (The First Crusade). However, the weary soldier is in for a shock--his house has been burned, his village ransacked, his son murdered & his wife abducted by his ruthless liege lord, the Duke. The murder & mayhem all centers around a holy relic, which De Luc supposedly has brought back from the Holy Land. Together with the help of the noblewoman, Emilie, who had rescued him after an encounter with a wild boar, De Luc enters the Duke's castle in search of his missing wife, in the role of Court Jester. What follows is an exciting adventure of thrills & chills that make for a page-turner in the truest sense of the term.

For the uninitiated James Patterson reader, The Jester provides an exciting read. For ardent Patterson devotees--take it from me--it is his best to date, & I gladly would give it 5 teapots if I could!

The Alex Cross psychological thrillers have won Patterson worldwide fame--Kiss the Girls & Along Came a Spider were truly chilling reads. However, his other thrillers including Four Blind Mice & The Beach House lacked the killer punch of the Alex Cross novels. So I did not expect much, before reading The Jester. Oh boy, was I ever so wrong!! It is one of the best thrillers I have read in a long, long time. Combining the chill-thrill of his Alex Cross stories & the pace & suspense of 2nd Chance (also co-authored with Andrew Gross) Patterson delivers a great historical mystery that makes wonderful reading.

A word of caution--the torture & violence in the work described in gory detail may not be to the liking of all, but for me, I am eagerly waiting for the movie (there's going to be one--I am sure).

Coming from the pen of a modern day mystery/thriller writer, The Jester crackles with humor & pathos, philosophy & passion, foul deeds & good, & is a rousing read!

More from James Patterson: The Beach House; Four Blind Mice; When The Wind Blows; Hide and Seek; Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas; 2nd Chance 1st to Die Kiss the Girls Jack & Jill Pop Goes the Weasel & many more!
(03/30/03)

Narayan
2003©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org