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The Wealth of History
Death Takes a Knight follows an American archaeology student visiting Glastonbury who has a friend framed for murder and has to take on the role of amateur sleuth to find the mastermind controlling the pieces in this deadly game of chess. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Here’s what it’s like to tour sacred sites with me: My husband says, “What a beautiful garden,” and I say, “What a great place to dump a body!” In the case of Death Takes a Knight, the inspiration came from visiting Glastonbury Abbey, seeing King Arthur’s gravesite (before the monks hid him), and the Chalice Well Gardens, where the Holy Grail was thrown. The wealth of history, legend, and sacred sites combined to make an irresistible setting.
The Glastonbury Abbey hosts a Medieval Fayre every year, so Arthurian knights do wander through town at times. They inspired the novel’s chess tie-in and the evil mastermind manipulating Maddie and the police.
Maddie is intelligent and capable but also impulsive. How do you balance those qualities without making her seem reckless simply to move the mystery forward?
In the first few books, Maddie is a college sophomore. For anyone who has ever been nineteen, they will remember that decisions that seemed perfectly logical were sometimes crazy. This phenomenon is caused by the brain rewiring, much like the Pixar movie Inside Out. Thoughts like, “I got an unbelievable job offer! I think I’ll stay up all night partying to celebrate,” have happened to the best of us.
For Maddie, she often thinks she’s figured out the best way to do something; however, she is usually wrong. She never plans to wind up in danger, but, of course, she always does!
What is your process for planting clues so readers have a fair opportunity to solve the mystery alongside Maddie?
My process for writing always starts with the crime. Once I have that, I work on the villain. How and why did the crime happen? Answering those questions gives me the clues. In Death Takes a Knight, I created a strict timeline of the mastermind’s movements so he could frame Maddie’s friend, and then interspersed those clues into Maddie’s story.
The clues are always there for the reader, but Maddie usually misinterprets them. As an American in England, she doesn’t read people correctly, and she thinks she understands when she doesn’t.
Are there other areas of British history or archaeology you would especially like Maddie to encounter in future mysteries?
In Book 3, Death Plays with Fire, Maddie works at the Chedworth Roman Villa, which boasts the best-preserved mosaics in England. While still Roman, the villa was constructed about three centuries after the Roman Baths, where she works, so the reader gets to experience a slightly different timeframe.
In Book 6, Death Goes to Church (release date January 2028), which I’m currently writing, Maddie is sent over to help with the Bath Abbey Footprint Project. Conducted by Wessex Archaeology to reinforce the abbey’s failing foundation, this massive undertaking uncovered many Norman, medieval, and Tudor treasures. The project is, in reality, completed, but in the universe of the book, Maddie can still help with uncovering over 2,000 skeletons. And maybe a few ghosts!
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DEATH TAKES A KNIGHT: A Cotswold Crimes Mystery, Book 4
Death Takes a Knight by Sharon Lynn is a lively British cozy mystery that blends murder, archaeology, Arthurian legend, and a generous amount of character-driven humor. American archaeology student Maddie McGuire is visiting Glastonbury when she and her friend Lily discover a dead man dressed as an Arthurian knight, complete with a broadsword through his chest. The theatrical crime scene quickly becomes more personal when Detective Inspector Parikh, one of Maddie’s closest allies, emerges as the leading suspect. From there, this Cotswold mystery gives Maddie plenty to untangle as she tries to clear Parikh’s name while balancing coursework, her job at the Roman Baths, friendships, and her relationship with constable Edward Bailey.
One of the book’s strongest features is how naturally the mystery grows out of its setting. Glastonbury, Bath, the Roman Baths, local pubs, old buildings, blacksmithing, medieval weapons, and Arthurian history all become part of the investigation rather than simply serving as scenery. The chess motif is especially effective. Maddie begins viewing the people involved as pieces on a board, with an unseen mastermind moving pawns, knights, bishops, and rooks into place. That gives this amateur sleuth mystery a playful structure while also reinforcing the idea that the murder is part of something much larger. Lynn keeps the historical and archaeological details approachable, so the book works equally well as an archaeological mystery and a cozy mystery for readers who simply enjoy an atmospheric English setting.
Maddie herself gives the novel much of its personality. She’s curious, impulsive, funny, academically gifted, and remarkably capable of talking herself into situations that sensible people would avoid. Her first-person narration keeps the tone conversational even when the stakes rise from suspicious clues to kidnapping, violence, forgery, and organized crime. The supporting cast adds just as much energy. Simon’s restrained aristocratic manner plays beautifully against Maddie’s Arizona directness, Dolly and Lady Vivian bring their own versions of competence, James adds an unpredictable edge, and Edward’s relationship with Maddie gives the story a warm romantic thread. Even Milo the border collie becomes an important part of the action. The result is an ensemble-driven cozy crime novel where friendships and relationships matter as much as discovering who committed the crime.
What I enjoyed most about Death Takes a Knight is the way its many ingredients fit together. The Arthurian murder, Parikh’s apparent guilt, the chess imagery, forged antiquities, hidden compartments, Maddie’s architectural instincts, and the larger criminal scheme gradually converge into a satisfying solution. The later chapters increase the danger without losing the humor and warmth that define the book, and the final revelations reward details planted throughout the story. Readers looking for a British cozy mystery with an amateur sleuth, historical intrigue, archaeology, light romance, and a twisty murder investigation will find plenty to enjoy here. Death Takes a Knight is a character-rich Cotswold cozy mystery with a strong sense of place, an engaging puzzle, and a heroine whose curiosity keeps the story moving.
Pages: 320 | ASIN : B0GQDH2S31
