Reviews for The Champion

The average rating for The Champion based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-07-17 00:00:00 Hector Canpos 3.5/5 Simon of Blackstone returns from the crusades having learned that the man who sent him, Bishop Thurstan (yes, a clergyman) is his real father and he plans to take him to task for ignoring him and not acknowledging him all his life. He manages to start the confrontation, but before they can talk things out, the Bishop is murdered. Suspicion falls on Simon at first, but then it falls of Linnet Especer, an apothecary who was close friends with the Bishop and rumored to be his mistress. At first Simon believes the rumors, but soon believes Linnet - she is too good and honorable to lie. So he sets out to clear her name and find the true murderer. But Linnet is keeping a terrible secret from Simon. The night before he left for the crusades and while VERY drunk, he took her virginity and left her pregnant. This would be nothing, except Linnet gave the child up for adoption. But Simon would see this as a betrayal, an abandonment of their child. He became bitter because his own father abandoned him, she knows he'd never forgive her if he learned she abandoned their child. This was a pretty well executed story. Simon was a pretty great hero - he was chivalrous and honorable, but he had his flaws and a bit of a dark side. He was also stubborn in continuing to dislike his father. I liked how the hero had to face his own preconceived notions of his father and of Linnet. I did not like the fact that Simon went around all judgemental and looking down at people who went around siring and abandoning bastards, but then no one pointed out (and he never came to the realization himself) that he'd done the exact same thing. I strongly felt that THAT needed to happen for him. But he did come around in realizing that giving up a child was not always abandonment; sometimes it was the most loving thing a parent could do. Linnet was also a nice, strong and independent heroine but she didn't do that stubborn, I-don't-need-anybody's-help sort of thing. She'd occasionally say it, but she wasn't stupid about it. My only issue with Linnet was the constant reminders in her monologue that she'd given up their child. Nevertheless, I liked how the story worked around to a theme, how it incorporated the title (in Simon becoming Linnet's champion - literally to solve a court case by letting God decide). The suspense part was also interesting, but not really suspenseful, as we knew who the criminals were all along. I really did enjoy this - I wish this author's stories were available on ebook.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-02-08 00:00:00 Johnny Maldonado Anything Suzanne wrote is gold..