Hugh DeLuc, an 11th century inn-keeper, finds himself caught up in the Crusades and in possession of a historical relic that unscrupulous nobles will stop at nothing to acquire. Hugh's wife and son are captured and so he learns the jester's trade to infiltrate the castle of his lord to find his love in a plot that sees him leading a revolt against the upper classes.
I haven't read any James Patterson for a while. I enjoyed his exciting Alex Cross detective thrillers but I went off him when he started churning out books that were written in partnership with other people. This is the first such book I've read of his, co-written with Andrew Gross, and while it keeps the short chapter-structure and punchy, non-stop plotting the setting is very different. The characters do talk like they've been transplanted from the twenty-first century and there is a lot of blood, sex and action - Labyrinth this ain't - so it's an exciting ride that barely pauses for breath. It is quite refreshing to read something set in the past that doesn't fawn or pander to a languid exploration of the period and just cracks on with plot, plot and more plot.
but...
Some of the plot is fairly predictable, and the revelation containing Hugh's love interest, Emilie, and her parentage comes as no surprise to anyone who's ever read a book before. Characters are introduced and dispatched in breathtakingly short spells, in often ridiculously short chapters. Dan Brown managed to mix excitement with (some) character-development, this latter isn't much of a concern for Patterson and Gross. It is interesting that I read The Jester during the same week I watched G-Force, as Patterson and Bruckheimer share a sensationalist streak that sometimes means subtly suffers, or vanishes altogether.
briefly...
Exciting, plot-driven thrills from a skilled writer (and friend) that I will forget almost as quickly as I read it. A passing pleasure with no lasting impression.
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