This is a fascinating read, very well researched. I highly recommend.

NetGalley, Shelly Myers

"If you want to know more about mediaeval life and morality, I would recommend it."

Family and Community Historical Research Society Newsletter, Volume 22, November 2021

Curiously, the story has not previously been the subject of a book, a deficiency that I am pleased to say has been corrected by Dr Melissa Julian-Jones with this volume – warmly recommended.

Ripperologist, July 2021, No. 169 - review by Paul Begg

If you want to have a wander around 14th Century England, you will no doubt enjoy Julian-Jones’ book.

Beating Tsundoku

A seminal and original study of detailed and painstaking scholarship throughout, "Murder During the Hundred Year War: The Curious Case of Sir William Cantilupe" by academician and historian Melissa Julian-Jones is a unique and extraordinarily informative and exceptionally well written contribution to community, college, and university library British Medieval History & Culture collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Read the full review here

Midwest Book Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is a fascinating study of a crime committed centuries ago, and the author goes through the evidence to try to determine the guilt and innocence of those accused of the crime.

William Cantilupe was found murdered, but all was not as it first appeared. The author provides a detailed examination of the evidence - sadly some of it has not been preserved and the motives are unclear, but she has researched the period thoroughly, and produces evidence of the social and economic conditions prevailing at that time. Its an interesting case, and well presented. The author does not try to persuade the reader one or way or another, nor does she jump to conclusions based on the preserved evidence, but offers all potential scenarios.

An interesting academic read, well presented.

NetGalley, Sue Andrews

Promoted in competition feature by

Inside Flintshire, February 2021

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I have to recommend this book. It is an interesting, thorough exploration of a crime that should appeal to true crime buffs, those who enjoy a good medieval mystery and those who want to understand more about medieval life, especially the more grisly elements.

NetGalley, Lisa Mutton

If you like medieval period and are a fan of true crime, like myself, this book is a perfect blend of both. This is a fascinating look at how a medieval murder mystery was investigated.

Author Melissa Julian-Jones presents the information in a clear and crisp fashion. She details who had the opportunity and motive to kill Sir William Cantilupe (who was murdered, his body discovered in a ditch) and who had the most to gain from his death.

You will see the main suspects in the case (Cantilupe's wife, their servants, etc.) in this murder mystery through the eyes of a dedicated investigator who uses the available evidence to come to reasonable conclusions.

I also enjoyed the author's discussion of similar cases.

Overall, this is an original and interesting book, worthy to grace your shelves. Highly recommended.

Read the full review here

GoodReads, Constant Reader

The murder of Sir William Cantilupe was a fun one to read about. While the circumstances were suspicious, and the body lay undisturbed for a length of time, going through the case - and so much more. This book really dives into the social nuances of the day, giving more information on the relationships between servants and masters, and then dissecting the case of Sir William, down to a degree that will appease any true crime lover. From history to crime - there is so much to love about this book, and it's one that you are going to truly enjoy reading!

NetGalley, Rebecca Hill

This book was fascinating and I’ve learnt quite a bit from it. I have quite a local interest in this as I live in the midlands so a lot of the towns mentioned are very familiar to me. I was previously unaware that there had been a title of Lord of Ilkeston- Ilkeston is one of the neighbouring towns to where I live, so the events in this book are all very close to home for me.
Pen & Sword pick some really interesting and unusual topics for their books, I always know I’m going to read something a little bit different when I pick up one of their books. And an investigation of a Middle Ages murder cold case certainly fits that description. Finding evidence from this time is no easy task, but I felt this book was well researched and presented in an interesting and engaging manner. I feel the author did a thorough job of analysing the likely suspects and suggesting motives and opportunities. We will never know for sure the answer to ‘who done it?’, but that doesn’t take anything away from this absolutely fascinating read. Highly recommend.

NetGalley, Amanda Lavelle

This book is an interesting look at many facets of Medieval life, all through the lens of one man's murder and the intrigue, theories, and people surrounding it. Expect glimpses into household life, the plight of an abused or unhappy wife, divorce norms (or lack thereof), legal systems, the consequences of infertility, and (of course) a number of murders and their context.

As a history buff who is not a historian, I enjoyed this read, but would encourage anyone who plans to read this book to get some additional context on the Hundred Years War first. I've been researching the period for a couple years and that additional context enriched the read for me when key figures or dates came up in passing.

NetGalley, Gigi Griffis

This book will expand your knowledge about the medieval nobility, their households, and the criminal justice system of their time. This was truly a fascinating study into a centuries old cold case mystery. If you want a good study into a medieval mystery,you should definitely check out, “Murder During the Hundred Year War: The Curious Case of Sir William Cantilupe” by Melissa Julian-Jones.

NetGalley, Heidi Malagisi

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

For the me this is one of the best books from the Pen and Sword publishing house.

It is centred on the murder in the 1370s of William de Cantilupe whose body was found decomposed in a ditch, with evidence pointing to his wife and household being at the least complicit in a premeditated killing. As the book acknowledges early on, we will never know who was responsible, though several possibilities are discussed.

The fascination of the book lies largely in its well-researched portrayal of the background. Besides information about members of the families involved (and there is much here for the genealogist), the reader is given insights into marriage law and customs, social mobility, patterns of influence in local affairs, career paths for various ranks of society, attitudes to those who were intersex, other medieval and renaissance murder cases, and the vagaries of the judicial system. Further in the background are the more familiar broader historical events of the time - the black death, the fighting in France during the first decades of the Hundred Years' War, and the politics of the reign of Richard II.

Appendices give further background and include transcripts of original documents.

The considerable research is presented in a very readable way.

This book is not just for aficionados of true life historical murders: it has a great deal to offer for anyone interested in medieval history.

NetGalley, Michael Cayley

I enjoyed that this was a sort of true crime book and a historical one. The author had written this well and well researched.

NetGalley, Kay McLeer

A fascinating look at a controversial murder that took place in the period known as The Hundred Years War.

Sir William de Cantelupe, a nobleman with a lineage dating back to the Conquest, was murdered, his body left in a ditch. His entire household, including his wife, was suspect; however, both at the time and today, there are difficulties in piecing together events and provide a suitable outcome.

Using contemporary documents and accounts, Melissa Julian-Jones presents the reader with various hypotheses, whilst examining in detail both the members of the household (including the wife) and the extended family connections "... to consider likely scenarios ..". As such, it is necessary to gather as much background information as possible to contextualise possible narratives. In this day and age, family and familial connections were very important and it is necessary to delve into the background of all associated with this case in order to eliminate possible suspects and motives.

There were no surviving records of the trials of the various suspects as testimonies were not required to be kept. And it is here that Julian-Jones brings to light similar criminal cases to illustrate each point she raises.

Medieval justice and criminal investigations is nothing like what we are used to today - social connections, social and financial position, and a person or family's good name counted for much. But the question still remains - "cui bono" - who benefits? And that is possibly something that we will never really know for sure.

This is an excellent and well researched investigation of a cold case. Those with an interest in the medieval period and obscure criminal cases will enjoy this very much.

NetGalley, Melisende d'Outremer

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Packed with intrigue, secrecy, deception, betrayal and murder, this well-researched book examines the complex murder of Sir William Cantilupe in 1375 and the history and events of the time.

The book includes the potential suspects, socioeconomic conditions, corruption, marriage, occupations, father to son succession and relationships of above and below stairs stairs which are all relevant and provide context.

Sir William's body is discovered in a ditch in Lincolnshire in 1375. As the crime rate in medieval England is extremely high, it appears at first glance (to me) it's a typical violent medieval murder but it quickly becomes apparent it is not...far from it. The complexities are mind blowing! So many plausible possibilities. I can almost envision the hushed scuffling and whispering of the suspects in the manor.

The entire household of fifteen are indicted but 600+ years later we still do not know with certainly who committed the murder. Several possible motives are listed as are motives and opportunities. Convictions were based on Sir William's wife, Lady Maud's testimony alone. Was it just? Was it sufficient? Did the real murderer(s) go free?

The author closes with a discussion on the trial's outcomes and what happened to those involved, including an escape and no shows. The appendix is important to read.

Do refer to the Cantilupe genealogy in the front while reading. I found the Williams and Augustines difficult to keep straight at first.

History and true crime readers will find unsolved mystery fascinating. It is evidently the first book ever written in this depth on this specific crime. Talk about fascinating!

Upon the author's recommendation I have requested The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher from the library, a book about a shocking Victorian era murder.

NetGalley, Brenda Carleton

Throroughly researched case of a murder of a noble, William Cantilupe which took place in 1375. Dr Julian-Jones presents the background of the family history, not only of the murder itself, and sometimes I got confused with the names, the more that traditionally the names were repeated in the next generations.
It seems that after nearly seven hundred years the reconstruction of the murder, the trial and the fate of all main characters would be a mission impossible, however, Dr Julian-Jones draws on all surviving documents, and if there is none, she turns to the historic documents concerning the place of the nobility, the role of wives and their rights, interactions with the servans etc. These parts of the book were are as valuable to me as the case itself. Being interested in the Middle Ages, I found a lot of new information that will definitely enhance my understanding of the period.

NetGalley, Beata B. Reviewer

For me,this is a winner on several levels, I live in Lincolnshire and have always had an interest in the history of the county, particularly the medieval period.
Unusually Ms. Julian-Jones isn't playing the role of a modern day Sherlock Holmes, this isn't a miscarriage of justice story necessarily, it just there are other interpretations of the extant evidence than that evinced by most historians writing about the case.
What you get is an absorbing use of the murder of William Cantilupe to examine all sorts of dark crannies of medieval society from domestic violence and sexual assault of servants through to the treatment of intersex individuals in the late medieval period.

Excellent.

NetGalley, Tony Stacey

For the me this is one of the best books from the Pen and Sword publishing house.

It is centred on the murder in the 1370s of William de Cantilupe whose body was found decomposed in a ditch, with evidence pointing to his wife and household being at the least complicit in a premeditated killing. As the book acknowledges early on, we will never know who was responsible, though several possibilities are discussed.

The fascination of the book lies largely in its well-researched portrayal of the background. Besides information about members of the families involved (and there is much here for the genealogist), the reader is given insights into marriage law and customs, social mobility, patterns of influence in local affairs, career paths for various ranks of society, attitudes to those who were intersex, other medieval and renaissance murder cases, and the vagaries of the judicial system. Further in the background are the more familiar broader historical events of the time - the black death, the fighting in France during the first decades of the Hundred Years' War, and the politics of the reign of Richard II.

Appendices give further background and include transcripts of original documents.

The considerable research is presented in a very readable way.

This book is not just for aficionados of true life historical murders: it has a great deal to offer for anyone interested in medieval history.

Michael Cayley