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ebook / ISBN-13: 9781472202529

Price: £9.99

ON SALE: 30th October 2012

Genre: Fiction & Related Items / Historical Fiction

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Delve into the world of medieval sleuth Hugh Corbett in the first three mysteries featuring the intrepid detective, from acclaimed historical author Paul Doherty. Includes Satan in St Mary’s, Crown in Darkness and Spy in Chancery. Perfect for fans of Ellis Peters, Susanna Gregory, Michael Jecks and Robin Hobb.

Satan in St Mary’s:

1284: Edward I is battling a traitorous movement founded by the late Simon de Montfort, the rebel who lost his life at the Battle of Evesham in 1258. The Pentangle, the movement’s underground society whose members are known to practice the black arts, is thought to be behind the apparent suicide of Lawrence Duket, one of the King’s loyal subjects. The King, deeply suspicious of the affair, orders his wily Chancellor, Burnell, to look into the matter. Burnell chooses a sharp and clever clerk from the Court of King’s Bench, Hugh Corbett, to conduct the investigation. Corbett – together with his manservant, Ranulf – is swiftly drawn into the tangled politics and dark and dangerous underworld of medieval London.

Crown in Darkness:
1286: on a storm-ridden night, King Alexander III of Scotland is riding across the Firth of Forth to meet his beautiful French bride Yolande. He never reaches his final destination as his horse mysteriously slips, sending them both crashing to their death on the rocks. The Scottish throne is left vacant of any real heir and immediately the great European princes and the powerful nobles of Alexander’s kingdom start fighting for the glittering prize. The Chancellor of England, Burnell, ever mindful of the interest his king, Edward I, has in Scotland, sends his faithful clerk, Hugh Corbett, to report on the chaotic situation at the Scottish court. Concerned that a connection exists between the king’s death and those now desirous of taking the Scottish throne, Corbett is drawn into a maelstrom of intrigue, conspiracy and danger.

Spy in Chancery:
Edward I of England and Philip IV of France are at war. Philip, by devious means, has managed to seize control of the English duchy of Aquitaine in France, and is now determined to crush Edward. King Edward suspects that his enemy is being aided by a spy in the English court and commissions his chancery clerk, Hugh Corbett, to trace and, if possible, destroy the traitor. Corbett’s mission brings him into danger on both land and at sea, and takes him to Paris, and its dangerous underworld, and then to hostile Wales. Unwillingly he is drawn into the murky undercurrents of international politics in the last decade of the thirteenth century.

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Reviews

A masterpiece of murder and mystery
Northern Echo
For those who are keen enthusiasts of medieval murder stories the name Paul Doherty will need no introduction... He writes with enthusiasm about an era he knows well
SHOTS Magazine
Doherty's deep understanding of the period and the nitty-gritty of historical detail are to the fore without intruding on the rhythm of the plot. Superb entertainment
Historical Novels Review
Paul Doherty has a lively sense of history... evocative and lyrical descriptions
New Statesman
As always the author invokes the medieval period in all its muck as well as glory, filling the pages with pungent smells and description. The author brings years of research to his writing; his mastery of the period as well as a disciplined writing schedule have led to a rapidly increasing body of work and a growing reputation
Mystery News
Praise for Paul Doherty: The maestro of medieval mystery... As with all Doherty's historical whodunnits, it is packed with salty dialogue, the smells and superstitions of the 14th century, not to mention the political intrigues
Books Magazine
The best of its kind since the death of Ellis Peters
Time Out
Paul Doherty has come up trumps again with this medieval mystery
Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Medieval London comes vividly to life
Publishers Weekly
Vitality in the cityscape... angst in the mystery; it's Peters minus the herbs but plus a few crates of sack
Oxford Times