Monday, February 15, 2010

Company of Liars by Karen Maitland


Title: Company of Liars
Author: Karen Maitland
ISBN: 9780440244424, Delta Trade Paperbacks, 2009
Genre: Historical Mystery
Rating: A+

First Line: "So that's settled, then; we bury her alive in the iron bridle."

The year is 1348. Camelot, hideously scarred peddler of religious relics and hope, is in Kilmington for the Midsummer Fair when he learns that plague has reached the port cities of England. All he can think of is heading north to safety. Seemingly within the blink of an eye, eight other people have joined with Camelot in order to escape death: a young married couple, two minstrels, a one-armed man, a serving woman, a showman with a wagon filled with curiosities for exhibit, and a strange albino girl child.

The weather forecast is simple: rain, rain, nothing but endless rain. Food and shelter are scarce. The further they travel, the more they hear of other ports closing due to the plague-- and then the dreaded scourge begins moving inland.

The various personalities within the group begin to chafe, but they know they're stronger as a group than as individuals:


The truth was, though none of us admitted as much, we had begun to depend on each other to survive. We shared all our food and ale, which we bought with the little each of us earned from the villages we trundled through. We made makeshift shelters when we couldn't find an inn or a barn, and together helped to gather fodder for the horse.
As their journey continues, strange things begin to happen, and one by one members of the group begin to die. Each member of the group has a secret, and they are all beginning to learn that what they don't know about the others may very well kill them.

The further into this book I read, the more I wanted to shut everything else out until I'd gobbled up every last word. There's something eminently satisfying about a road trip taken with people who cannot be trusted. (At least from the reader's standpoint!) With the reasonable voice of Camelot as narrator, I began to observe the others more closely in an attempt to ferret out their secrets.

To read Company of Liars is to be immersed in another place, another time, another culture in which the very weather plays an important role in how each hour of every day is negotiated:


The rains still fell; the water continued to rise in hollows and lakes. The forests, meadows, and marshes absorbed the rain until the ground oozed water like a weeping sore....

Once, half submerged in a sodden field, we saw the statue of Saint Florian, his face battered, his millstone tied around his neck. Since their saint was unable to protect them from the rains, the parishioners had stripped his statue of his scarlet cloak and golden halo, beaten him, and cast him out to face the elements.

Some readers may find the torrential rains, the inexorable advance of the plague, and an almost total lack of trust to be much too grim. I didn't. As I turned the pages, I kept hearing mud squelch between my toes, wet strands of hair refused to stay out of my eyes, and a constant smell of wet wool surrounded me. The colder and the wetter and the more miserable I felt, I began to react to each new village, each stranger, each bend in the road with increasing suspicion. My mind was, indeed, in fourteenth century England.

Few writers can get into my head to such an extent as Karen Maitland did in Company of Liars. If only I could get the smell of wet sheep out of my nose, I'd thank her. As it is, I look forward to reading her other books with great pleasure.

[Source: Christmas gift from my husband.]

15 comments:

  1. Although I'm not entirely sure I'd like this book, I loved your review! (And it is on my wish list.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I loved this book and can't wait to read more by Karen Maitland - The Owl Killers sounds just as good!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Perfect timing Cathy - I've been looking for another historical mystery which is a relatively new genre for me and your review makes this book sound very tempting so I've added it immediately to my wishlist. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have been wanting to read this one since it came out. I kind of forgot about it, so thank you, thank you for reminding me about it. And so happy to see that you gave it such a high rating. Your review rekindled my enthusiasm.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wet sheep, huh? Oddly enough, I'm in!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Avis-- Thank you! I can see where some readers wouldn't enjoy it, but if it grabs hold, you should like it.

    Margaret-- The Owl Killers is on my wish list!

    Bernadette-- You're welcome. I just hope that you enjoy it.

    Beth-- Good!

    Jeanne-- Doesn't matter how... I'm just glad that you are! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  7. I had a similar experience reading Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses a few days ago. I kept feeling grubby and dusty and when I looked outside I was almost surprised to see snow. Now that's the sign of a good read.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I always love coming by and finding new mystery series that I was not familiar with. I'm going to have to get this one. Thanks for the review.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Barbara-- Yes, that certainly is!

    Ryan-- You're very welcome!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great review! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it so much, as I found this book the other day on the free book shelf at the train station and immediately snapped it up.

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anna-- Wonderful!!! I hope you enjoy it, too.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I haven't been able to read and comment much on blogs since coming down to visit my mother. I actually had 15 posts for Kittling:Books in my Reader. But I had to come and check this A+ book out. It looks terrific and is now on my wish list. I love it when a book takes me completely away to another world.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Margot-- I used to fly back 2-3 times a year to stay with my grandfather to spoil him. It was my pleasure to do so, but most of my friends said it was as though I'd fallen off the face of the earth. I hope you get a chance to read and enjoy this book as much as I did.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thought I'd pop in and say thanks for the recommendation Cathy. I managed to get this one on audio book and am a little under half way through and really enjoying it. The characters are fascinating and I can't wait to find out what will happen next (right now I'm up to the bit where the company has stopped at a glass blower's and he has just been taken away for being Jew). I listen to my books during my hour-long walk to work each day but this morning I walked an extra 15 minutes around a large block just so I could get some more listening time in. The narrator of this one is top notch too.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Bernadette-- I am soooo glad you're enjoying this book!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!