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A medieval mystery featuring sleuthing monk Brother Athelstan May, 1381. The Great Revolt draws ever nearer. The Upright Men openly roam the streets of.
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(The Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan #15)
A medieval mystery featuring sleuthing monk Brother Athelstan'
May, 1381. The Great Revolt draws ever nearer. The Upright Men 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...more
May, 1381. The Great Revolt draws ever nearer. The Upright Men 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...more
Published January 1st 2016 by Creme de La Crime (first published September 28th 2015)
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Sep 03, 2015Margaret rated it it was amazing
The best Paul Doherty novel in ages.
'The Herald of Hell' takes places literally days before the Great Revolt of 1381. So the atmosphere of the book is one of danger and fear.
A clerk from the secret chancery of John of Gaunt is murdered in a brothel. His servant seeks sanctuary at St Erconwalds and is also murdered. All hell is breaking loose and only Sir Jack Cranston and Brother Athelstan stand in its path.
Well written, fast paced, and damn near unputdownable. 'The Herald of Hell' had me on the...more
'The Herald of Hell' takes places literally days before the Great Revolt of 1381. So the atmosphere of the book is one of danger and fear.
A clerk from the secret chancery of John of Gaunt is murdered in a brothel. His servant seeks sanctuary at St Erconwalds and is also murdered. All hell is breaking loose and only Sir Jack Cranston and Brother Athelstan stand in its path.
Well written, fast paced, and damn near unputdownable. 'The Herald of Hell' had me on the...more
Jan 15, 2016Jacqie rated it liked it
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have not read any of the other Brother Athelstan books, but I had no trouble figuring out what was going on and who was who.
While I like history, especially English history, I can sometimes have trouble with it all blending together. The year 1381 was a very tumultuous one in England, and while I'd learned about the Peasant's Revolt back in the day, one of the reason I like to read historical mystery is the chance...more
I have not read any of the other Brother Athelstan books, but I had no trouble figuring out what was going on and who was who.
While I like history, especially English history, I can sometimes have trouble with it all blending together. The year 1381 was a very tumultuous one in England, and while I'd learned about the Peasant's Revolt back in the day, one of the reason I like to read historical mystery is the chance...more
May 18, 2016happy rated it really liked it
At just over 200 pages, I found this a fun and quick read. Set in the days immediately preceding Wat Tyler's Revolt in 1381, the author paints a grim picture of what life in London must have been like. Paranoia is running rampant among the followers of the King, the descriptions of every day life are vivid and in some respects revolting.
The plot is a standard murder mystery, an important clerk in John of Gaunt's intel service in found hanging in his room in an upscale brothel. Bro Athelstan is...more
The plot is a standard murder mystery, an important clerk in John of Gaunt's intel service in found hanging in his room in an upscale brothel. Bro Athelstan is...more
I am enjoying this newest progression of books revolving around the Peasant's Revolt during the reign of Richard and John of Gaunt. Brother Athelson and Chief Coroner Cranston again investigate plots and murders around London in the atmosphere of dissatisfaction of the populous with the monarchy. This author obviously knows the history well, but also has the remarkable ability to infuse his story with the sights you'd see and the smells, sounds and ambience of this time in historical London. I e...more
Jan 02, 2016Breakaway Reviewers rated it really liked it
Search for the truth through the thick miasma of Medieval London
This book is the fifteenth in the very successful Brother Athelstan series, and the first I have had the pleasure of reading. Doherty certainly knows his Medieval London and truly brings the stench and squalor alive on the page; at times it almost had me scratching!!
It is 1381 just before the Peasants’ Revolt over poll taxes and general grievances from all sectors of society. The young King Richard II is on the throne and in the clu...more
This book is the fifteenth in the very successful Brother Athelstan series, and the first I have had the pleasure of reading. Doherty certainly knows his Medieval London and truly brings the stench and squalor alive on the page; at times it almost had me scratching!!
It is 1381 just before the Peasants’ Revolt over poll taxes and general grievances from all sectors of society. The young King Richard II is on the throne and in the clu...more
Oct 02, 2015Judy Lesley rated it liked it
The star rating I’ve given this novel reflects on the quality of the writing and the really good mystery plot. I have to say, though, that I’m just about burned out on The Great Revolt of 1381. From a comment in the Author’s Note following this story it would seem it will take at least one more novel to, hopefully, finish up this particular set of events. I know they were hugely important in the history of the nation, but I’m up to my eyebrows in Earthworms, Upright Men, and John of Gaunt.
Brothe...more
Brothe...more
I have read all of the Brother Athelstan books and have become addicted to them. Other reviewers have detailed the plot, so I won't go there. What I will say is that the series gets darker and contains less humour the nearer it gets to The Great Revolt (Peasant's Revolt is not that accurate a description). This book is quite dark and the plot very involved with the up-coming Revolt. Having ripped through this book I am about to start the next in the series, 'The Great Revolt': I am very concerne...more
Sep 14, 2015Samantha rated it liked it Shelves: kindle-own-it, british-history, plantagenets, mysterious, net-galley
Eye-catching cover? Definitely.
Smart & underestimated monk/detective? Check.
Plantagenet drama? Of course!
Everything about this book supported the idea that I would like it, maybe even love it, but it never caught on. There are some great descriptions of 14th century London but the characters all left me wanting something more.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy of this book. Opinions are my own.
Jan 31, 2019Sarah Foxley rated it really liked itSmart & underestimated monk/detective? Check.
Plantagenet drama? Of course!
Everything about this book supported the idea that I would like it, maybe even love it, but it never caught on. There are some great descriptions of 14th century London but the characters all left me wanting something more.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy of this book. Opinions are my own.
Shelves: historical-murder-mystery, crime-mystery
I really like how the characters in these books are written. They feel human as even the good guys have foibles.
This isn't a standalone book - you really need to read the entire series to feel the gradual menace building up over the series. I won't say anymore in case its a spoiler as not everyone know 14th century English history!
What I can say is that the storyline does not seem terribly outlandish. The characters act within character, especially given the political & social backdrop of th...more
This isn't a standalone book - you really need to read the entire series to feel the gradual menace building up over the series. I won't say anymore in case its a spoiler as not everyone know 14th century English history!
What I can say is that the storyline does not seem terribly outlandish. The characters act within character, especially given the political & social backdrop of th...more
Mar 23, 2019Kay Pack rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
The prequel to The Great Revolt.
Really exciting as always. I love the whole series. This one has intricate plots and ends on a cliff-hanger, urging me to want to read the next.
The characters are so well portrayed that it leaves you loving them and fearing for their safety.
Thoroughly recommended
Really exciting as always. I love the whole series. This one has intricate plots and ends on a cliff-hanger, urging me to want to read the next.
The characters are so well portrayed that it leaves you loving them and fearing for their safety.
Thoroughly recommended
Nov 02, 2017Sarah Hearn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I always annoy a Brother Athelstan book and this one does not disappoint. It's now getting so close to the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, I can taste it. I only hope Doherty doesn't mean it when he writes in the Historical notes that the title of the next novel is something like 'The Revolt Finally', which indicates the end of the Athelstan novels.
Sep 02, 2017Kelly Martin rated it it was ok
I normally love this writer, but this book felt very much that he was following a formula. I struggled to read this one. I knew who did the crime because he has already use that culpert in another book. Oh well, maybe the next one will be less predictable.
I enjoyed this. It gives good insight into the Peasants Revolt and develops many of the characters we have met in previous books.
Set in 1381 with the country on the brink of the Peasants’ Revolt Doherty’s hero Friar Athelstan has a killer to find and a code to break.
Jul 06, 2017Paula rated it liked it
Good continuation of story. A bit repetitive in places.
May 11, 2017Geoff Boxell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
The usual quality tale that Doherty writes.
A must have for fans of Brother Athelstan as he heads towards the 'Peasants' Revolt'.
A must have for fans of Brother Athelstan as he heads towards the 'Peasants' Revolt'.
Dec 28, 2015eyes.2c rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
..the scents of murder foul, the craving mobs, and of fear, envelopes! Medieval Mystery at its best!
In the midst of the violence and unrest of May 1381 London, just prior to the Peasant's Revolt, Brother Athelstan and Sir John Cranston, the Lord High Coroner of London must once again step carefully and solve a murder that has ties to plots of highly placed persons and the scrutiny of the Upright Men. A man of subterfuge, Amaury Whitfield, chancery clerk to Tribuault, Master of Secrets for John o...more
In the midst of the violence and unrest of May 1381 London, just prior to the Peasant's Revolt, Brother Athelstan and Sir John Cranston, the Lord High Coroner of London must once again step carefully and solve a murder that has ties to plots of highly placed persons and the scrutiny of the Upright Men. A man of subterfuge, Amaury Whitfield, chancery clerk to Tribuault, Master of Secrets for John o...more
Aug 05, 2015Susan in NC rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I enjoyed this latest outing in one of my favorite series, and Doherty did his usual wonderful job transporting me to the filthy, violent, claustrophobic world of late 14th-century London teetering on the brink of the Peasant Revolt - but that's part of the problem. I have been a loyal fan of this series from the beginning, reading every book and even rereading some of the early books in the series in anticipation of finally getting to the Revolt, but I'm tired of teetering and ready to get on w...more
Jan 30, 2018KateNZ rated it liked it
On the eve of the Peasants' Revolt in 1381, a clerk to John of Gaunt's spymaster is found hanging in his room in an inn that doubles as a brothel. All the signs point to suicide - the door locked and bolted from the inside, no possibility of access through the window, the suicide note, the fact that the clerk had been in terror of a grisly death once Wat Tyler's revolutionaries reached London. Despite this, Brother Athelstan, the Dominican friar who assists the coroner, believes the clerk has be...more
Jul 13, 2016PJ Jones rated it it was amazingRecommended to PJ by: No one. I'm a fan of this author.
Shelves: mystery, paul-doherty, fiction, medieval, kindle
I have to begin this review with an admission that I messed up. I forgot to read this book before I read #16, which I finished last week.
Just a recap, the Great Revolt (the topic of book #16) occurs in 1381, London England. A bloody, irrational affair led by the Upright Men, where some foreigners, prostitutes, and government leaders are caught and murdered.
Anyway, in this book, it is May 1381 and the Great Revolt is about to explode into reality. A man, the 'Herald from Hell', comes in the night...more
Just a recap, the Great Revolt (the topic of book #16) occurs in 1381, London England. A bloody, irrational affair led by the Upright Men, where some foreigners, prostitutes, and government leaders are caught and murdered.
Anyway, in this book, it is May 1381 and the Great Revolt is about to explode into reality. A man, the 'Herald from Hell', comes in the night...more
(thank you Netgalley for an early reader copy)
It's 14th century England and the natives are restless. 14 year old Richard II is king, and his ambitious uncle John of Gaunt would happily take his throne. Threatening objects and bits of scary doggerel are left on people's doorstep in warning that they are the next to die. Who the Herald of Hell? Who are the Upright Men who lead the army of Earthworms?
When the Master of Secret's clerk Amaury is found hanged, an apparent suicide, Frier Athelstan is...more
It's 14th century England and the natives are restless. 14 year old Richard II is king, and his ambitious uncle John of Gaunt would happily take his throne. Threatening objects and bits of scary doggerel are left on people's doorstep in warning that they are the next to die. Who the Herald of Hell? Who are the Upright Men who lead the army of Earthworms?
When the Master of Secret's clerk Amaury is found hanged, an apparent suicide, Frier Athelstan is...more
Apr 29, 2018Clemens Schoonderwoert rated it it was amazing
This delightful mystery by Paul Doherty is already the 15th volume of the brilliant Brother Athelstan series.
Once again the historical knowledge and atmosphere about this period of history comes off the pages in a most amazing fashion.
Storytelling is as ever of a top-notch quality, so much so that it makes this mystery into a page-turner, and a mystery where you will be drawn with ease into the evil medieval times of 14th Century London.
The atmosphere of these medieval times comes vividly off th...more
Once again the historical knowledge and atmosphere about this period of history comes off the pages in a most amazing fashion.
Storytelling is as ever of a top-notch quality, so much so that it makes this mystery into a page-turner, and a mystery where you will be drawn with ease into the evil medieval times of 14th Century London.
The atmosphere of these medieval times comes vividly off th...more
Nov 07, 2015Sarah-Hope rated it liked it
Paul Doherty’s The Herald of Hell is a fun, quick read that brings to life an interesting moment in English history. In 1381, London, its population still reduced by the plague epidemic of forty years earlier, finds itself on the brink of an uprising of the Upright Men, the poor and disenfranchised, heavily burdened by taxes and eager to wreak violence on those with more comfortable, secure lives.
At the heart of the mystery is an encrypted document that may (or may not) tell the day of the upris...more
At the heart of the mystery is an encrypted document that may (or may not) tell the day of the upris...more
14th century England was an interesting place, and the author makes sure to remind us of this--with his well-researched historical setting and interesting characters.
If you are a fan of historical mysteries, you can't go wrong with this series, or with this book. With some intelligent code cracking, a mystery worthy of trying to figure out and the usual wit and charm of the main character, this book was a lot of fun to read.
I was particularly impressed with the political moves going on in the...more
If you are a fan of historical mysteries, you can't go wrong with this series, or with this book. With some intelligent code cracking, a mystery worthy of trying to figure out and the usual wit and charm of the main character, this book was a lot of fun to read.
I was particularly impressed with the political moves going on in the...more
Mar 29, 2016Elizabeth rated it it was amazing
While I've read other books by Doherty, I hadn't read any of his Brother Athelstan books. Boy, was I missing out. Doherty weaves history and mystery and excellent characters together that make you want to keep reading. He does this with his others as well but displays his writing quite well in this book.
Apr 30, 2016Kate rated it liked it
Set in the 1100s a mystery that pulls the chaos and intrigues of the time to a murder that involves a court official. Part of the Brother Athelstan series, a forensic sleuthing religious figure much like the TV series character Brother Cadfael. Highly readable
It must be my mood? I go back and forth on whether I like Brother Athelstan books. This one will require reading the next one up...not something I am fond of. Anyway, the Upright Men are up to all kinds of things but Athelstan cuts through the woods to find the truth
Jan 22, 2016Ruth Feathers rated it really liked it
Interesting fiction, especially considering that the little I know about the period comes from Shakespeare's history plays. Looking forward to the next installment.
Good but rather predictable.
I usually look forward to Paul Doherty's books. This one was just the same story as last time repeated and not very well. Was disappointed.
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
He has been published under several pseudonyms: P.C. Doherty, Celia L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas, Vanessa Alexander, Michael Clynes and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name.
Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough (North-Eastern England) in 1946. He had...more
He has been published under several pseudonyms: P.C. Doherty, Celia L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas, Vanessa Alexander, Michael Clynes and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name.
Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough (North-Eastern England) in 1946. He had...more
The Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan(1 - 10 of 19 books)