It is 1348 and panic hits the people of England when the first victims of the plague are reported to have arrived on its shores. In a bid to get ahead of the killer disease, our narrator, Camelot heads north. He is a seller of "relics" of the saints to those willing to part with ready cash to ward off evil with their power. As he travels, he unwillingly seems to pick up an unlikely group of companions who find themselves travelling together for mutual protection. There are Venetian musicians Rodrigo and Jofre, Cygnus, a one-armed storyteller, the painter Osmond and his wife Adela who is with child, Zophiel the conjuror, and the midwife Pleasance who is accompanied by the strange, white-haired child, Narigorm. The action moves along with great pace and there are many twists and turns that keep the reader both gripped and guessing. When the company's numbers start to dwindle, relentlessly pursued by a lone wolf, everyone starts to get a bit jumpy, and suspicions and accusations start to break the company apart. Will anyone make it out alive, and will anyone be able to keep their deepest, darkest secret to themselves? I really, really enjoyed this book, assisted by the fine narration of David Thorpe in the audio edition. Company of Liars is a book that you want to keep reading even though you really know you should get some sleep! The author, Karen Maitland, brings to life the desperation of the Middle Ages where life was short and often miserable, and populates it with fascinating and sympathetic characters. There is so much going on, but all of the characters and action is woven together with such exceptional skill that the epic nature of the story still feels very human and personal. Superb storytelling, and I will certainly be seeking out other work by this author.
My STAR rating: FIVE.
Length: 592 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.92.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.
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