The story is set in the reign of King John, during the period known as the Interdict, when (the King having fallen out with the Pope) the whole of England was placed under interdict and no religious ceremony of any kind was permitted to take place. The hero of the book, Sir Richard Straccan, an ex-Crusader, deals with authentic, extremely valuable relics. The relics are generally the body parts of saints, such as three hairs of St. Edmund, the ear of St. Marcellinus, etc.One of those relics is the finger of St Thomas, which Straccan has been asked to obtain for a wealthy patron. Straccan does not know much about the finger itself: The finger is needed to make up the sum of eleven relics (of the eleven good disciples of Jesus) that a Scottish sorcerer will need to protect himself when he sacrifices Straccan's daughter in his attempt to release a devil from Hell.It was the most boring book of 2010 so far. I didn’t like the story. I didn’t like the hunt for relics interesting or exciting at all. I do not know if it is the Turkish translation to blame but I had hard time trying to reach the end. This book is the first book of Sir Richard Straccan Trilogy and I am so sure that I will not read the other two books.
I really enjoyed this book. I noticed that other reviewers didn't care for the supernatural element. The year is 1209. The people have no other way to explain the many strange elements of their world. In 2015, we can explain many, but not all, strange happenings. The main character is a pedlar of bones (Holy relics) that many churches and abbies keep as religious symbols. I liked him because he deals in these relics but not necessarily believe in them. I am looking forward to finding and reading the other two books in the series.
Do You like book The Bone-Pedlar (2001)?
A medieval mystery with a strong element of the occult, this book introduces the reader to Sir Richard Straccan, ex-Crusader and now dealer in authentic relics of saints. Straccan is commissioned to acquire the finger of Saint Thomas - but then his young daughter is kidnapped from the convent where she was living. Little does Straccan know of an evil sorcerer's nefarious plan, and that the holy relics that some may think mere symbols will be essential to stopping an evil worthy of Lovecraft.This is Hamilton's first novel, and that is sometimes noticeable in some slight awkwardness to the flow of events, but overall, this is a very enjoyable book which effectively meshes the genres of historical mystery and occult horror.
—Althea Ann
