The Brother Athelstan Mysteries Series

A terrible power struggle threatens the very core of Britain… In 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 intrigue… The 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

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

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 betrayal… A 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

The kingdom teeters on a knife edge, and one man would throw it into chaos… Autumn, 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.

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.

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 set of horrific killings hints at the answer behind a legendary crime... Autumn, 1380. Brother Athelstan is very busy. He and his parish council are preparing for the annual Christmas mystery play when a series of brutal murders occur at a Southwark tavern. Two young whores are found slain but their deaths are only the beginning of a series of gruesome killings which occur around the parish of St Erconwald’s. He resolves to solve not only these grisly deaths, but also their source - the Great Robbery of the Lombard treasure, which occurred in Southwark some 20 years earlier. Plots and deceptions abound in this thrilling mystery novel by Paul Doherty, ideal for fans of Susanna Gregory, C. J. Sansom and S. J. Parris. Praise for Paul Doherty 'His fascination for history comes off the page' Daily Express 'Paul Doherty has a lively sense of history ... evocative and lyrical descriptions' New Statesmen 'An opulent banquet to satisfy the most murderous appetite' Northern Echo

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.

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.

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 strange and ominous artifact could hold the key to everything... December, 1380. When the corpse of Sir Robert Kilverby is discovered in a locked room, Brother Athelstan accompanies the King's coroner to investigate. Sir Robert had in his possession a priceless relic, a sacred bloodstone, which has now disappeared. Did Sir Robert die of natural causes or was he murdered? Athelstan is sceptical of rumours of a curse hanging over Sir Robert, but when it is discovered that a second old soldier has been gruesomely slain on the same night, the rumours no longer seem so far-fetched... A scintillating murder mystery with twists and turns throughout, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom, S. J. Parris and Michael Jecks. Praise for Paul Doherty '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

Even angels have devils inside of them… Summer, 1381. The Great Revolt has been crushed; the king’s peace ruthlessly enforced. Brother Athelstan meanwhile is preparing for a pilgrimage to St Thomas Becket’s shrine in Canterbury to give thanks for the wellbeing of his congregation. But preparations are disrupted when Athelstan is summoned to a modest house in Cheapside, scene of a brutal triple murder. One of the victims was the chief clerk of the Secret Chancery of John of Gaunt. Could this be an act of revenge by the Upright Men, those rebels who survived the Great Revolt? At the same time Athelstan is receiving menacing messages from an assassin who calls himself Azrael, the Angel of Death? Who is he – and why is he targeting a harmless friar? Could Athelstan’s pilgrimage be leading him into a deadly trap? An unputdownable historical mystery, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom, Ellis Peters and E. M. Powell.

Can he crack the code before the Great Revolt begins? May, 1381. As the Great Revolt draws ever nearer, rebels openly roam the streets of London, waiting for the violence to begin. Their mysterious envoy, the Herald of Hell, appears at night all over the city, striking terror into the hearts of those who oppose them. But who is he? When his chancery clerk is found hanged in a notorious Southwark brothel, the ruthless Thibault, John of Gaunt’s Master of Secrets, summons Brother Athelstan to investigate. Did Amaury Whitfield really kill himself following a visit from the terrifying Herald of Hell? Athelstan is unconvinced. In the dead man’s possession was a manuscript containing a great secret which he had been striving to decipher. If he could only unlock the cipher and interpret the messages being carried to the so-called Herald of Hell, Athelstan would be one step closer to catching the killer. But time is running out… An utterly enthralling medieval mystery, perfect for fans of D. V. Bishop, D. L. Valentine and Antonia Hodgson.

Once again Athelstan must enter the murky world of murder, where nothing is as it seems. February, 1381. London lies frozen in the grip of one of the bitterest winters on record. The ever-rising taxes demanded by the Regent, John of Gaunt, are causing increasing resentment among the city’s poor. The seething unrest boils over into a bloody massacre at a splendid Southwark tavern, The Candle Flame, in which nine people, including Gaunt’s tax collectors, are brutally murdered. The furious Regent orders Brother Athelstan to get to the bottom of the matter. For not only has Gaunt’s treasure trove been stolen, he has reason to believe a French spy is active along the Thames, carefully recording for his masters the state of English war cogs. And a professional assassin, Beowulf, who has sworn vengeance against Gaunt and his minions, also stalks the shadows… An exceptional tale of mystery and the underworld from a master of the genre, perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, S G MacLean and C. J. Sansom.

Solve the case, or risk London being engulfed in the flames... February, 1381. A ruthless killer known as the Ignifer – Fire Bringer – is rampaging through London, bringing agonising death and destruction in his wake. He appears to be targeting all those involved in the recent trial and conviction of the beautiful Lady Isolda Beaumont, burned at the stake for the murder of her husband. As the late Sir Walter Beaumont was a close friend of the Regent, John of Gaunt orders Sir John Cranston and Brother Athelstan to investigate. In the dead man’s possession was a copy of the mysterious ‘Book of Fires’, containing the secret formula of a devastating weapon, the so-called Greek Fire. The manuscript has since disappeared, and Gaunt is desperate for it not to fall into the wrong hands... A totally thrilling mystery novel from master Paul Doherty, perfect for fans of E. M. Powell, S G MacLean and S. J. Parris.

All the depravity and evil of man is found upon the stage. January, 1381. Guests of the Regent, John of Gaunt, Brother Athelstan and Sir John Cranston have been attending a mystery play performed by the Straw Men, Gaunt's personal acting troupe. The evening’s entertainment, however, is suddenly and brutally interrupted by the violent deaths of two of Gaunt's guests, their severed heads left on stage. The Regent orders Athelstan to find out who committed such a heinous act, leading him to tackle his most baffling and disturbing case yet… A taut and clever medieval murder mystery that won’t let go, perfect for fans of S G MacLean, S W Perry and Rory Clements.

The sins of the father shall be visited upon the son. June, 1381. The rebel armies are massed outside London, determined to overturn both Crown and Church. The Regent, John of Gaunt, has headed north, leaving his nephew, the boy-king Richard II, unprotected. Brother Athelstan would prefer to be protecting his parishioners at St Erconwald’s. Instead, he finds himself investigating a royal murder that took place fifty-four years earlier whilst the rebel leaders plot the present king’s destruction. What does the fate of the king’s great-grandfather, Edward II, have to do with the murder of Brother Alberic, a priest stabbed at the monastery in Blackfriars, more than fifty years later? When he finds his own life under threat, Athelstan discovers that exposing past secrets can lead to present danger. A gripping medieval mystery of rebellion and murder, perfect for fans of Edward Marston, Kate Sedley and David Penny.