The Killing Way by Anthony Hays

Set at the Court of King Arthur this story owes more to Ellis Peters than Thomas Mallory.

Ambrosius the High King of the Britons has called a meeting of his Lords to select his successor.   It is well known that he favours Arthur his most competant general but on the eve of the meeting a young girl is found murdered outside the hut of Merlin, Arthur's friend and counsellor.   That this is intended to blacken Arthur's reputation and sabotage his election is obvious to him and so he asks Malgyn a crippled ex soldier to investigate.

Like the late Ellis Peters Anthony Hays prose style tends to stroll rather than race to it's conclusion but nonetheless this is an entertaining read.