Product Description

Arriving home disillusioned from the Crusades, Hugh discovers that his village has been ransacked and his wife abducted by knights in search of a relic worth more than any throne in Europe. Only by taking on the role of a jester is he able to infiltrate his enemy's castle, where he thinks his wife is captive.With the unstoppable pace and plot of a page-turning Alex Cross novel, THE JESTER is a breathtakingly romantic, pulse-pounding adventure-one that could only be conjured by the mind of James Patterson. Everyone who has ever hoped for good to defeat evil or for love to conquer all will not be able to stop turning the pages of this masterful novel of virtue, laughter-yes, laughter-and suspense.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14197 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 496 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Just who is writing the coauthored Patterson novels makes for interesting water-cooler chat, but whether the majority of words are contributed by Patterson or Gross, this terrific new novel is prime Patterson all the way, another step in the author's application of his patented storytelling style to a multitude of genres-in this case, historicals. The title character is, when introduced in 1096, an unassuming innkeeper in a French village oppressed by the local nobleman. To earn his freedom, Hugh de Luc joins the Crusades for a torturous, bloody march toward Jerusalem that occupies the book's first third and ends with him escaping the madness around him by deserting back to France, in possession of some minor treasures-or so he thinks. Back home, he finds that his beloved wife has been taken captive by the odious nobleman, and his infant son slain. Seeking his wife and revenge, Hugh adopts the guise of a jester in order to enter to the nobleman's castle, where he begins to fall in love with a young noblewoman, and she with him. In time, Hugh finds his wife, only to experience tragedy, and learns that the nobleman is searching for him, as he is believed to have carried back from the Crusades the greatest holy relic of all. Returning to his village, which has been destroyed during the nobleman's hunt for him, Hugh persuades his townspeople, then surrounding towns, to rise up in revolt against the corrupt nobleman and his henchmen. From start to finish, this is supersmart popular fiction, slick yet stirring, packed with colorful details of medieval life, bursting with unforgettable characters and clever tropes and themes. Patterson's fans will adore this one.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Another departure for Patterson after Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas: home from the Crusades, Hugh must play the jester to find his wife, abducted by knights.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Patterson takes a break from his two police-thriller series to tell the story of a very different character: Hugh De Luc, a common man who goes to fight in the Crusades in 1096. Hoping to win his freedom from the tyrannical Lord Baldwin, Hugh leaves his beloved wife, Sophie, to head for the Holy Land. The Crusades wear Hugh down, and he is horrified when a brutal Tafur warrior slaughters a Turk who has just spared him. Discouraged, Hugh takes a few relics and heads home, only to discover his home has been burned down, and his wife taken by knights he suspects were sent by Baldwin. Convinced his wife is still alive, Hugh sets off for Baldwin's castle, Treille. Along the way, he is attacked by a wild boar and saved by Emilie, a lady-in-waiting to Anne, a noblewoman whose husband is also fighting in the Crusades. Emilie and Anne take him back to Boree, where he recovers. When Hugh finally tells his story to Emilie, she comes up with a novel idea for getting him into Baldwin's castle: he can pose as a jester. Replete with his trademark short chapters and surprising twists and turns, Patterson, along with coauthor Gross, keeps the excitement levels high in this rousing adventure tale. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

What a change...and welcome too!
Wow! After reading many of the reviews of this book, it is apparent that many Patterson fans want him to stay in the crime/suspense/mystery genre. It is also apparent that many have no desire for 'history-based' fiction. Consequently, I fear my review will be quite unpopular as I thought THE JESTER was an outstanding effort by Patterson. However, I must admit that I'm something of a Crusade/Arthurian junkie.

Present Day...

Dr. Alberto Mazzini, Director of the Vatican Museum is urgently called to the Musee d'Histoire in Boree', France. Renee Lacaze, Director of the Boree' Museum, has summoned Dr. Mazzini to analyze a relic, ostensibly a holy relic from the time of Christ. Ms. Lacaze informs Mazzini that the artifact was unearthed during the excavation for a shopping center when the excavation machinery opened a sarcophagus. Lacaze goes on to say that the grave belonged to a long-forgotten duke who died in 1098. This duke fought in the Crusades and was known to seek out relics from the time of Christ.

Lacaze said, "The local lore, it always said a precious relic was here. Just never that it belonged to a duke. But to a man of far more humble origins."

"What sort of lowborn man would come into such a prize? A priest? Perhaps a thief?"

"No." Renee Lacaze's brown eyes widened. "Actually, a jester."

Southern France, 1096...

The authors introduce you to their hero, innkeeper Hugh de Luc. He and his wife Sophie own and operate the inn in Veille du Pere, a small French village. This, during a time when land is only owned by nobles and the "lowborns" work the land and pay their masters the assessed taxes. Veille du Pere is under the power of a ruthless and cowardly noble, Baldwin, the Duke of Treille.

Fervently desiring to be free, Hugh joins a thrown-together army to fight in the Crusades. Almost two years later, Hugh returns to his village to find that all the homes have burned and the village plundered by Baldwin's knights. It was said they were in search of a precious relic dating back to the Crucifixion and was in the possession of Hugh de Luc. Hugh also learns the knights kidnapped Sophie and murdered their one-year old son, a son he didn't even know he had.

Disillusioned and fierily resolute, Hugh sets out to find Sophie and exact revenge on those responsible, an undertaking making him appear quite mad. During his search, Hugh takes on the "pretext" of a jester in an effort to infiltrate Baldwin's castle, where he is certain Sophie is held captive. During the ensuing weeks, Hugh becomes known throughout France, and NOT as a Jester.

As I mentioned, this is an era I thoroughly enjoy and find fascinating. There are so many magical moments, characters and events. It is also one of the most Barbaric times in our world's history (in the same fashion as Braveheart). Patterson, and co-author Gross, manage to make this story magical. While most of the events and characters are based in fiction, the storyline manages to engross the history buff in me albeit one taking each sentence with a grain of salt. However, the research performed by Patterson/Gross was fairly prodigious as evidenced by the historical references provided.

Bottom line, this is an enjoyable, well-written book. Sure, it is not historically accurate but then again, it is a work of fiction. I applaud Mr. Patterson for taking the risk of moving into unfamiliar territory and challenging himself and his readership. It is my hope we will see more of this type of work although I have no interest in losing the "Cross" novels for historical fiction.

A great read. Open your mind and you'll enjoy this offering.

A New Low for Historical Fiction
I've read hundreds of historical novels and this has to be the worst. The book is set during the First Crusade - about 1100 A.D. - but contains dialogue such as "Bug off" and "I guess I have you to thank for these duds [clothes]." The period detail is thin, though not as thin as the characterization. Truly awful.

VERY disappointing!
Hugh De Luc is an adventurous man so it does not come as a surprise to his wife when he goes off to fight in the First Crusade.

Hugh, discouraged from his experience in the Crusade, returns home to find villages torched, dozens of towns people slaughtered, his home ransacked and his wife missing all by knights in search of a precious relic.

Refusing to believe his wife is dead, Hugh sets out to find her and the only way to do that is to infiltrate the castle where he believes her to be by pretending to be a jester.

How do I describe `The Jester'...well, let's start by saying it's unlike anything James Patterson has written before; it's a historical action/adventure. I will list the good parts first; the pacing of `The Jester' is fast, the action scenes are exciting and filled with brutal violence, and as always in a Patterson novel the chapters are short and punchy. Now, the bad things; the short and punchy chapters get in the way of the story developing in certain parts, the fast pace makes the story feel rushed at times, there is romance that gets in the way and parts of the book are laughable when meant to be serious. All this mixed together makes for an unsatisfyting read, one that is very disappointing considering James Patterson's previous novels. Readers of this type of fiction might enjoy 'The Jester' for Mr. Patterson's easy to read style of writing, but fans of his previous novels should think long and hard before picking up this one.

Nick Gonnella