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Company of Liars
4 Stars

The year is 1348 and the Pestilence has come to England. Among those fleeing the spread of the deadly disease are a company of nine travelers, each possessing a unique gift and each concealing a dark secret, but none is darker than the one that may spell the destruction of them all�

Note: Although the publisher claims this is a reimagining of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Cantebury Tales, there is no resemblance between the two other than a group of travelers sharing their stories. While Chaucer’s classic is vastly entertaining in its own right and well worth the read (if one can cope with the Old English), it is not necessary to read it in advance of this book.

Company of Liars is a dark and disturbing tale of the secrets people keep and the lies they tell. The rich historical detail concerning the social, cultural and religious beliefs of medieval England along with the twists and turns of the plot make Karen Maitland’s writing style gripping from the first page to the last.

Each of the characters is more fascinating than the next and while some of their secrets are obvious, others are virtually impossible to guess due to the well concealed clues and hints. The primary antagonist is exceedingly creepy and their actions truly horrific given their identity.

Unfortunately, the audiobook narrated by David Thorpe proved impossible to listen to as he spoke too slowly (even speeding up didn’t help) with long gaps between paragraphs. Thankfully, the switch to the Kindle version was more successful.

In sum, this book made me very grateful that I did not live in the Middle Ages and I look forward to reading more of Maitland’s work.