Brother Athelstan Mysteries – serie

A terrible power struggle threatens the very core of BritainIn 1376, the Black Prince dies of a terrible sickness, closely followed by his father, King Edward III in 1377. The crown of England is left in the hands of a mere boy, and the great nobles gather like hungry wolves round the empty throne.Soon the prelates of the church and the powerful Merchant Princes of London are drawn in. One of these, Sir Thomas Springall, is foully murdered within a few days of the old king's death.Sir John Cranston, the coroner of London, is ordered to investigate. He is assisted by Brother Athelstan, a penitent Dominican monk. From the sinister slums of Whitefriars to the barbaric splendour of the English Court, Cranston and Athelstan are drawn into a dark and terrifying web of intrigueThe first in a scintillating historical mystery series, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom, Susanna Gregory and S. J. Parris.Praise for The Nightingale Gallery 'The best of its kind since the death of Ellis Peters' Time Out'If you like Inspector Morse, you'll love Brother Athelstan' Prima'Evocative and lyrical descriptions' New Statesman

In a city seething with discontent, an ancient grudge is about to be settled.December, 1377. As London prepares for Christmas, a great frost has the city in its icy grip; even the Thames is frozen from bank to bank.The Constable of the Tower of London, Sir Ralph Whitton, is found murdered in a cold bleak chamber. The door is still locked from the inside and guarded by trusted retainers. So how did the assassin get in?Brother Athelstan and Sir John Cranston are ordered to investigate. They soon discover that the murder is only the first in a series of macabre killings, which have their roots in a terrible act of betrayalA vivid, blood-curdling portrayal of medieval London, this is historical mystery writing at its best, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and S. J. Parris.Praise for Paul Doherty'A vivid, intricately crafted whodunnit' Publishers Weekly'Paul Doherty has a lively sense of history' New Statesman

An impossible mystery must be solved, and he is running out of time.Men have been found dead in the scarlet chamber of an Italian manor. They have no marks upon them, they have not ingested poison, there are no secret passageways in to the room. And they all have awful expressions of terror upon their faces.London, 1379. Sir John Cranston is invited to a banquet at the Regent's palace on the Thames. There he is trapped into a wager with Signor Gian Galeazzo, Lord of Cremona and owner of the manor, who challenges him to resolve the mystery within two weeks.Realising that his reputation and future wealth now depend upon him solving this mystery, Cranston seeks the help of his faithful secretarius Brother Athelstan. However, Athelstan has problems of his own...A thrilling mystery with a twist you won't see coming, perfect for fans of Susanna Gregory and S. G. MacLean.Praise for Paul Doherty'If you like Inspector Morse, you'll love Brother Athelstan' Prima'The best of its kind since the death of Ellis Peters' Time Out

The kingdom teeters on a knife edge, and one man would throw it into chaosAutumn, 1379. The power of the crown is invested in John of Gaunt, and the kingdom is seething with discontent. The French are attacking the southern ports and the peasants are planning a revolt organised by a mysterious leader who proclaims himself as 'IRA DEI', the anger of God.When Gaunt's plans to win over the merchant princes of London are plunged into chaos by a series of bloody murders, he turns to Sir John Cranston to bring the assassin to book and to recover a king's ransom in gold which has disappeared.Cranston naturally calls on his ally Brother Athelstan. London is a hotbed of intrigue and they find it difficult to distinguish between friend and foe. They must face deadly threats not just from the powerful elite, but from the seedy underworld of medieval London.The fourth instalment in the gripping historical mystery series, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom, S. J. Parris and Susanna Gregory.

Scandal, murder and treason Athelstan and Cranston are back with a bang.Winter, 1379. French privateers are attacking the southern coast and threaten London itself, the very heart of the nation.The situation becomes dire when an English flotilla of warships, with the colossal God's Bright Light among them, drops anchor in the Thames; during the first night, the entire watch of the ship disappears without a trace.The series of murderous and strange incidents leads to Sir John and Brother Athelstan being summoned to resolve the mysteries on board the ill-omened warship. Their investigations uncover some shocking truths and they find themselves in the thick of a bloody battle on the Thames.A gripping and suspenseful historical mystery with plenty of action, perfect for fans of Michael Jecks, S. G. MacLean and Susanna Gregory.

A brutal murderer, a house of assassins, a devil incarnate...It's the Spring of 1380 and the Regent John of Gaunt needs money and supplies for his war against the French.Unfortunately, the members of parliament at Westminster are proving especially stubborn and the Regent's cause is not aided when some representatives from the shire of Shrewsbury are foully murdered.John of Gaunt orders Sir John Cranston, along with his trusty ally Brother Athelstan, to find the assassin before he loses every chance of obtaining the taxes he requires, before more innocent people are found dead.An absolutely scintillating historical mystery, perfect for fans of Susanna Gregory, C. J. Sansom and S. G. MacLean.

The only way to win this murderer's deadly game is to play along.Summer, 1380. Brutal and sudden death is not uncommon in the foul alleys and streets of London. The corpse of a clerk has been pulled from the Thames. They drowned, but not before receiving a vicious blow to the back of the head.Then Bartholomew Drayton, a usurer and money-lender, is found dead in his strongroom, a crossbow bolt firmly embedded in his chest: a real mystery because the windowless strongroom was locked and barred from the inside. So who killed him? And how? And are the deaths connected?Sir John Cranston comes to survey the scene. When other clerks are murdered, each with a riddle pinned to his corpse, Cranston enlists the help of Brother Athelstan and together they must pit their wits against a deadly adversary bent on murder and mayhem.Another thrilling historical mystery from a true master of the genre, perfect for fans of S. G. MacLean, S. J. Parris and C. J. Sansom.

Deadly secrets dwell behind closed doors...In the summer of 1380 a French captain is murdered in Hawkmere Manor a lonely, gloomy dwelling place, otherwise known as the 'Devil's Domain'.The house is used by Regent John of Gaunt to house French prisoners, captured during the bloody battles waged between the French and the English on the Narrow Seas.Sir John Cranston and Brother Athelstan are summoned to investigate the mysterious death but their path is riddled with obstacles. How could the murderer have entered the Frenchman's chamber when the room was locked from within?Brother Athelstan is back in another full-throttle medieval mystery, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom, E. M. Powell and S. J. Parris.

A murder close to home leaves Athelstan with his most dangerous case yet...After the discovery of three savagely murdered bodies in his parish, Brother Athelstan finds himself involved in the hunt for a dangerous killer.It is clear that two of the victims, a prostitute and a preacher, surprised an assassin who was then forced to kill them.But who the third victim is, and why someone has gone to so much trouble to kill him, remains a mystery.And can it really have any connection with Sir John Cranston's attempt to save a women unjustly accused of stabbing a clerk?Brother Athelstan returns in the ninth exciting mystery thriller in Paul Doherty's brilliant series, perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, E. M. Powell and Rory Clements.