Celebrating Asian-American Heritage Month: Laura Joh Rowland, Chinese-Korean-American mystery author

I have read every book in Laura Joh Rowland's excellent Sano Ichiro, a samurai-detective set in feudal Japan, in the late 1690s to the early 1700s.  I enjoyed them very much and was not happy when she ended the series.  Oh, well.

She is the daughter of Chinese-American and Korean-American immigrants and grew up in Michigan. Her first novel of the Ichiro series Shinju was published in 1994.

Book reviews - "A Prayer for the Damned", "Dancing with Demons" by Peter Tremayne

Due to a little confusion as to the sequence of books, I started reading Dancing with Demons (No. 16) until I realized I had missed A Prayer for the Damned (No. 15), so I ended up reading them back to back but in the proper order.  As with all Sister Fidelma mysteries, Tremayne presents an investigation which appears to be an open-and-shut case, but everyone’s favorite ancient Irish dalaigh manages to unravel a complicated, impossibly complex mystery.  He does a great job of keeping up the suspense and keeping the reader guessing until Fidelma has completed her report to the council.

A Prayer for the Damned opens with a beautiful, young woman throwing herself off a cliff, heartbroken over the loss of a love.  The main crux of the story is a fanatical abbot, who is wreaking havoc over the five kingdoms to have his views on celibacy and separation of sexes recognized as the top law, is murdered in Cashel, on the eve of Fidelma and Eadulf’s wedding.  One of the kings is seen leaving the abbot’s room just before the body is discovered.  In a shrewd move, the king requests Fidelma represent him to the High Council.  This means postponing her wedding.  Of course, Fidelma cannot stand by and let a client be railroaded into a conviction, not with so many other people wanting to kill the abbot.

Dancing with Demons begins with the High King Sechnussach being murdered in his bed and the murderer is discovered immediately afterwards, and commits suicide before he can be captured.  The Chief Brehon cannot investigate the assassination because it presents a conflict of interest (he and the king are members of the same clan), so Fidelma is called in.  Again, it appears it was an easy case to complete, but not for Fidelma.  She uncovers so much political intrigue and religious conflict, the reader can get overwhelmed.

That being said, there are aspects of Tremayne’s writing that make reading a little tedious.  He’s an expert on ancient Irish cultures.  We get it.  He knows what he’s talking about.  But the data dumps get weary.  It is interesting to know there were six types of roads in Eireann, but some of us like mysteries and do not want a history lesson, especially since only one of them is pertinent to the story.  Unless there is a quiz at the end.  Hint: There isn’t.

Also monotonous, he introduces ancient terms, which is fine, but follows them up with similar phrases like “Eadulf recognized the term for…”  “Eadulf was unfamiliar with the term and asked what it meant…” Sometimes, Tremayne just tells the reader what it is. 

Despite these issues, I continue to read Fidelma’s mysteries.  I find the glimpse into ancient Ireland fascinating and the stories are always satisfying.

I give them both ☘☘☘☘ out of 5

Book review - "The Devil's Wolf" by P. C. Doherty

I think P. C. Doherty has ghost writers for his publications and when they learn a new word, they try to see how many times they can use it in a novel.  In his previous book in this series, Dark Serpent, the word was ‘contumaciously’ (stubbornly perverse or rebellious).  In The Devil’s Wolf, the nineteenth and latest Hugh Corbett mystery, the word is ‘comitatus’ (a companion, an associate).  The repetition becomes tedious and distracts from the enjoyment of the story.  Doherty et al, think about using a thesaurus!  It is a great tool.

In The Devil’s Wolf, King Edward II has sent Hugh Corbett and his comitatus north, closer to Scotland.  England’s war with the Scots is going from ‘terrible’ to ‘it can’t get any worse’.  Corbett is traveling to Lord Percy of Alnwick Castle for a prisoner exchange with the Scots.

On the way, Corbett is warned of an attack by Edmund Darel, a ruthless knight whose sympathies lie with Robert the Bruce.  Corbett and his men foil the attack but one of their Scottish prisoners is later found poisoned.

Even after they reach the safety of Alnwick Castle, more attempts are made to kill Corbett.  Two more Scottish prisoners are poisoned and the fourth disappears.  Corbett knows there is a traitor in their midst but he cannot determine who it is.  He hears stories of Darel’s comitatus cavorting with witches and devil worshippers at bizarre midnight ceremonies.

Doherty takes a walk on the weird side with this story.  He’s touched on these subjects before but hasn’t take a complete dive off the deep end as with this one.

But Doherty ends The Devil’s Wolf with a teaser for the reader that Hugh Corbett Novel #20 will follow.

Three dragons out of five.
🐉🐉🐉

Book review - "The Mysterium" by P. C. Doherty

I was reluctant to start The Mysterium by P. C. Doherty since the synopsis made it sound a lot like the previous novel, Nightshade.  Remember in that novel, a sinister, mysterious assailant known as the Sagittarius was ambushing people with a long bow.  In this novel, there is another sinister, mysterious assailant known as the Mysterium.  I was afraid it was going to be a similar theme, but fortunately, it was entirely different.

In the seventeenth installment of P. C. Doherty’s Hugh Corbett series, a chief justice, close to Edward I who sought sanctuary in an abbey after he had been implicated in a series of crimes, has been found with his throat slashed, although his cell was locked from the inside and he was the only one in there. 

About the same time, the justice’s clerk’s body is found floating in the Thames, bound to the body of a pirate hanged earlier.  The clerk’s body had the letter ‘M’ carved into his forehead before he died.

Edward fears the Mysterium, a mysterious assassin, has reappeared after twenty years of silence.  The person they believed to be the Mysterium vanished without a trace then, and nothing has been heard from him since. 

Corbett and Ranulf are dispatched to the abbey to discover and capture the Mysterium.  The mystery hinges on a number of events that occurred twenty years prior, which still reverberate through the kingdom.  And the bodies continue to pile up.

I enjoyed The Mysterium more than Nightshade which I found confusing.  It could also be that I figured out who the Mysterium was before Corbett made the final reveal.

I would definitely recommend this one for mystery fans.

Book review - "Nightshade" by P. C. Doherty

Nightshade, Doherty’s sixteenth installment of his Hugh Corbett medieval mysteries is a jumble of plot lines that seem to have no rhyme or reason until, of course, Corbett unravels the conundrum, but it still doesn't make a lot of sense.   

In Nightshade, Corbett is sent by King Edward I to recover a treasure trove stolen from the Templars during the Crusades from Lord Oliver Scrope, a ruthless and wealthy man, who ordered the slaughter of a dozen innocents in a settlement near his manor.

One of the problems I had with this book is the attacks by the mysterious sniper-bowman Sagittarius. When Corbett, Ranulf and Chanson arrive, they find Sagittarius has claimed several victims and they soon witness one of his attacks.  With a blast from a hunter’s horn, people are killed randomly by his deadly arrows.  Although Corbett describes how an archer can blow a horn and kill people in the middle of a busy marketplace, it still seems a bit far-fetched. 

One of the characters in this story is Scrope’s sister, Dame Marguerite who is a member of the community at St. Frideswide.  Could she be a forerunner of Margaret Frazer’s Dame Frevisse, who lives in the sixteenth century?  It could happen.  If so, St. Frideswide fell on hard times, since it is prosperous during Corbett’s time.

Nightshade was hard for me to get into and follow.  I started it before Christmas and now it is well past Easter.  As I mentioned earlier, Corbett’s solution to the mystery is convoluted and confusing.  Not one of his best, IMHO.

Book review - "The Magician's Death" by P. C. Doherty

The Magician’s Death, the fourteenth novel of P. C. Doherty’s Hugh Corbett series set in the fourteenth century, is tied to a mystery that lingers until today.  It involves a cryptic work, The Book of Secrets, written by Roger Bacon, noted scholar, which Doherty relates to the Voynich manuscript, the infamous book discovered in 1912 and written in a language no one has been able to decipher.

In this novel, King Edward I sends Hugh Corbett and Ranulf-atte-Newgate with a small retinue to Corfe Castle, a remote fortress in Dorset.  They are to meet with Philip IV’s envoy to see if the two groups can decipher the mysterious script.  Edward I is desperate to get out of the treaty with France that requires his son Edward to be married to Philip’s daughter.  He wants Hugh to find out if the strange cipher in his possession is the same as the one that is in Philip’s possession.  And find out what the manuscript says.  With any luck, he can find something to dissolve the treaty.

Corbett knows there is much more to this journey than Edward is telling him, especially because his arch-enemy and French counterpart Amaury de Craon will also be there.  De Craon would like nothing more than to put an arrow into Corbett’s chest.  The feeling is mutual.

Upon arrival, Corbett is made aware of a series of murders involving the young girls in and around the castle. The first one disappeared over a month prior and has not been seen since.  All the others have been found murdered by a crossbow.

While investigating these crimes, the elderly scholars accompanying de Craon start dying mysteriously.  Most people think they have died of natural causes or accidentally, but Corbett is not convinced, especially since one of the scholars is a previous mentor of his. 

As usual, Doherty ties two mysteries into one novel, keeping the reader guessing if all the crimes are connected or not.  He gives clues to the reader that something is going on but leaves it until the very last few pages to pull everything together. 

I really liked this one!

Book review - "Corpse Candle" by P. C. Doherty

I think Corpse Candle was the first Hugh Corbett medieval mystery I read, so it is probably why I’m enjoying the whole series.  The title of the 13^th story in the series refers to a natural phenomenon similar to the Marfa Lights in southwest Texas, a release of swamp gases that glow in the dark.  Apparently, they were once known as corpse candles, and people thought they were spirits of the dead. 

Actually, corpse candles have very little to do with this novel.  They are part of the landscape around the monastery St.-Martin’s-in-the-Marsh, where Abbot Stephen has been found in a locked room with a dagger in his chest.  Since the abbot was a close friend of Edward I, the king sends his chief clerk Hugh Corbett, his manservant Ranulf and Chanson, horse handler to St. Martin’s to figure out what happened. 

Corbett finds out that all is not well within the walls of the monastery.  The monks had wanted to develop a meadow to raise cattle and sheep, which could help St. Martin’s become much more profitable, but Abbot Stephen was dead set against it, raising the ire of his brothers.  St. Martin’s was also at odds with a wealthy widow over the ownership of a small pond that was not an important resource. And Abbot Stephen was about to perform an exorcism on a man who claimed he was possessed by a demon. 

Shortly, after Corbett arrives the monks start dropping like flies as an assassin seems bent on killing everyone in the monastery. 

I think this one is probably the most fast-paced novel of the series.  Not that the other ones have not been, but this one has more action that previous books.  This one also reads easier than the others because it is much better edited.  Some of the annoying aspects of the writing aren’t not as prevalent as before. 

Another reason I liked this book is the scene where Ranulf acts out his own sense of judgment on some outlaws who tried to ambush him and Chanson.  I really fell in love with Ranulf during that scene.

Book review - "The Treason of the Ghosts" by P. C. Doherty

When I first read the title of this book, I thought ‘treason’ was the collective noun for ghosts, but was quickly corrected.  The twelfth book in Doherty’s medieval mystery series featuring King’s clerk Hugh Corbett does not have any real ghosts in it but it does have some spooky settings.  Perfect, since the time period of the story is just before All Saints’ Day.

In The Treason of the Ghosts, Corbett is sent to the village of Melford, where five years prior, Sir Roger Chapeley was executed for a series of gruesome murders of young girls.  Now, more girls are being murdered in the same manner and the men who sat on the jury that convicted Sir Chapeley are being murdered one by one.  Since Sir Chapeley was a knight of the king’s, Edward I sends Corbett to Melford to find out the truth. 

Corbett, his manservant Ranulf-atte-Newgate and man-at-arms Chanson arrive in the prosperous village and find the citizens do not trust him.  Nothing new here, but Corbett does manage to get cooperation out of them.  It is clear from almost the beginning there are two murderers in the story, so Doherty doesn’t wait to spring this on the reader in the last page.

This novel moved at a quick pace and keeps the reader’s attention throughout the story.  Again, I have to criticize the editing as in all the previous novels.  Other than the ubiquitous head-hops and use of the phrase “pulled a face”, Doherty over-uses “I know what you’re thinking” and “in his cups”.  The repetition of phrases, especially in close proximity to each other make reading tedious.

That being said, I think The Treason of the Ghosts is one of the best in the series so far.

Book review - "The Demon Archer" by P. C. Doherty

The 11^th novel in P. C. Doherty’s excellent series featuring Clerk of the Secret Seal Hugh Corbett opens with Hugh recovered from the arrow wound which he suffered at the end of The Devil’s Hunt.  That might be a spoiler but with many more novels afterwards, there wasn’t much fear that Corbett would pass away.  Ranulf-atte-Newgate, his manservant, has been promoted to Chancery of the Green Wax for his bravery in killing Corbett’s would-be assassin.

In The Demon Archer, Edward I calls upon Hugh and Ranulf to investigate some intrigue.  Edward was about to send an entourage to France to continue negotiations with Philip IV that Prince Edward and Princess Isabella are to be betrothed.  Before the party can leave, the special envoy chosen by Edward, Lord Henry Fitzalan, is killed by an arrow as he and his guests were about to being a hunt.  Is this a plot to sabotage the treaty between England and France?

Corbett and Ranulf discover that absolutely no one in village liked Lord Henry, not his younger brother Sir William, or his half-sister Lady Madeline, prioress of the wealthy priory of St. Hawisia.  An outlaw in the nearby woods, calling himself the Owlman, has been sending threatening notes via arrows to Fitzalan with a cryptic reference.  Lord Henry's chief verderer Robert Verlian has vowed to protect his daughter of which Henry has been lusting after and will not take 'no' for an answer. And, to Corbett’s annoyance, his old adversary, Amaury de Craon is nearby and was in the hunting party when Fitzalan was murdered.

This novel is slightly slower paced than the previous few novels but it does rely a bit more on the mystery than action.  An attempt is made on Corbett’s life but it isn’t overdone to the point of almost ridiculousness as in Satans’ Fire, where he couldn’t go a day without someone taking a shot at him.

A new recurring character (I think) is Baldock, who replaces Maltote, the unfortunate messenger killed in The Devil’s Hunt.  He has many of Maltote’s mannerisms and looks, so why kill Maltote if you’re just going to bring him back?

And Ranulf falls in love (again) but this time it might be for real. 

I did enjoy the ending though because Corbett doesn’t seem to pull a solution from thin air, but uses clues that the reader also sees.  There is still some stretch of the imagination but it was a satisfying ending.  

Book review - "The Devil's Hunt" by P. C. Doherty

This is the 10^th novel in Doherty’s series featuring Keeper of the King's Secret Seal to Edward I in the early years of the fourteenth century.  In The Devil’s Hunt, Corbett is called from his retirement by the King, who shows up at Hugh’s estate in Leighton begging him to go Oxford.  An outlaw calling himself the Bellman has been stirring up trouble in the university town, posting notices to church doors deemed treasonous to the King and supportive of his long dead enemy, de Montfort.  Edward wants any thought of rebellion planned by de Montfort’s followers. 

The city of Oxford, with its learning institutions, has no love for Edward I.  The university doesn’t like the rest of the city.  The citizens don’t like the university.  Therefore, Corbett does not find much cooperation for his investigation.  The only people he can rely on are his manservant, Ranulf and messenger Maltote.  Three of the masters have died, one mysteriously, another with an arrow in him, and the third poisoned after he was accused of the second’s murder.  It appears someone wants the university to be closed.

Again, Corbett survives several attempts on his life.  Without giving too much away, Doherty does kill off an important character.  I am disappointed to see this character go and I do not see the reason for that death. 

As with previous novels, Doherty’s habit of head-hopping within scenes gets annoying, especially when there are multiple people talking.  And he overuses the phrase “pulled a face”.  What does that mean?  That also becomes irritating throughout the novel.

One thing I did like about the novel is the university setting.  It reminds me of novels by Susanna Gregory and Pat McIntosh, both of which have centers of knowledge as settings for their stories.  So I’ll probably start binge-reading Gregory later on.

Doherty also likes to throw the reader off by having more than one mystery going on.  The reader thinks certain events must be connected, as does Corbett, only to be surprised in the end with multiple solutions.  Dastardly!

Book review - "Satan's Fire" by P. C. Doherty

P. C. Doherty’s ninth novel in his Hugh Corbett mystery series set in the early 1300’s England, involves the Knights of the Templar, and takes place just a few years before they were destroyed by greedy kings.  Doherty hints at the changing political climate in Europe as Philip IV in France and Edward I in England become jealous of the Templars’ wealth, since both kingdoms are strapped for cash.  Satan’s Fire opens with Edward managing to convince the very reluctant Templars to grant him a loan for his wars.

But strange events have occurred when the Knights of the Templar have been in the vicinity, such as an attempt on Philip’s life while hunting and ominous warnings pinned to doors.  The most bizarre of all are the reports of people killed in mysterious fires that seem to ignite spontaneously and have a mind of their own.

Edward summons his chief clerk Hugh Corbett, who longs to return to his manor in Leighton, to his wife and daughter.  Edward has received a warning and is fearful that someone is trying to assassinate him.  With extreme reluctance, Corbett plunges into the mystery of the strange fires (hence the title) and what the Templars are doing in Framlingham, their residence in England. 

The Templars aren’t shown in a favorable light and remain suspicious and aloof from Corbett and his manservant Ranulf and messenger Maltote.    But it becomes understandable when Doherty shows the shifting perceptions and the movements against their order from all sides.  They feel their existence is being threatened and have every right to believe so. There are certain splits among the Knights, which are causing tension which do not help their cause.

Corbett is one of the luckiest men on the planet since he manages to survive several attempts on his life in this book, but all the other victims were offed in one chance.  Hmm…

I like it when good ol’ chemistry is part of a novel, but not so much when it is used to kill.  Corbett finally discovers an ancient recipe founded by the Greeks centuries before after consulting old manuscripts.

On the downside once again, I read a book by Doherty and ask where is his editor? Does he even have one?  He commits several infractions that I was taught to avoid during my writing: use of passive voice, changes in point of view within one scene, etc.  Was all of it unnceccsary?

Book review - "The Song of a Dark Angel" by P. C. Doherty

Doherty opens his 8^th Hugh Corbett novel, The Song of a Dark Angel, explaining to the reader that the Song of a Dark Angel is the sound the night wind makes as it roars off the sea and into Norfolk, England.    Then he describes two bodies, which have yet to be discovered, swaying in the Song of a Dark Angel. A pretty awesome way to start a book!

The Song of the Dark Angel has stories of King John, lost treasure and more naughty nuns.  Hugh, Ranulf and Maltote are sent to Norfolk to investigate the decapitation of a man on the beach, and the hanging of the baker’s young wife.  Hugh soon hears the legend of King John losing almost all of his fortune when he and his retinue tried crossing the Wash.  The tide came upon them suddenly, catching them unaware.  John and his retainers made it across safely but the pack train carrying his treasure was lost.  Although the event happened almost 100 years before, the people in the area are still looking for the lost treasure.

Thrown into the mix is the Pastoureaux, a cult, teaching enlightenment and freedom across the seas.  How are all these connected?  More murders occur and an attempt is made to kill Corbett.

I found this one to be a bit more exciting than some of the previous novels.  It moves at a pretty good pace.  However, there are a couple of scenes in which Corbett seems to pull a conclusion to a situation out of thin air.  Also, Maltote is just a periphery character as in the past novel.  He is usually sent on an errand for which he is gone for long stretches of the story.  I hope he gets more “air time” in the next few novels.  And Maeve doesn’t even appear.

Other than those couple of items, The Song of a Dark Angel was a fun read.  I liked reading Doherty’s notes at the end of the novel.  Apparently, King John’s treasure has never been recovered so it might still be out there, waiting to be found.

Book review - "The Assassin in the Greenwood" by P. C. Doherty

Warning: There is a spoiler in this review, but not the final solution!

The seventh book in P. C. Doherty’s Hugh Corbett series is based on the legend of Robin Hood.  I thought Robin Hood took place during the reign of King Richard I and King John, at least 100 years before Edward I, but after a quick check on the internet, I realize his myth spans more than one century.  That is probably one reason his legend survives to this day.  When I began reading The Assassin in the Greenwood, I was disappointed at first to find that Doherty had based a story on a fictional character.  Although the story is fiction, Robin Hood is iconic.  It would be like Merlin the magician showing up in a Corbett novel. 

Spoiler:

But Doherty doesn’t disappoint his readers.  The legendary figure, reportedly in his mid-fifties at this time, never actually appears in the story and Doherty even manages to work in a possible ending for Robin Hood.

Edward I sends Corbett to Greenwood to try to bring the outlaw Robin Hood to justice.   Alive, if possible, but if not, that’s okay.  Reluctantly leaving his wife Maeve and their baby daughter, Corbett, his manservant Ranulf and his messenger Maltote they go off to the castle in Nottingham to help the locals in their search for the outlaw.  The woods are very thick and any force going into the forest are quickly ambushed with deadly results. 

Corbett and others have realized that there has been a change in Robin Hood.  For a while he was keeping to his mantra of robbing the rich, and giving to the poor.  But recently, he has become far more deadly and even peasants are beginning to fear him. 

Doherty hasn’t ever shied away from gore, but this novel seems to have more than previous stories and lots of deaths, emphasizing the brutal nature of the outlaw and his band of rogues. 

As always, though, Doherty gives us a surprise twist at the end, and does not disappoint his readers. 

Book review - "Murder Wears a Cowl" by P. C. Doherty

Murder Wears a Cowl, the sixth installment of P. C. Doherty’s medieval mystery series featuring Hugh Corbett, clerk to King Edward I, is a convoluted tale with more twists and turns than any of his previous stories.  It also has a bit more character development on the main characters.  Hugh is now more spy than clerk for Edward I.  Maeve, although still in the background, is much more present since their daughter is about three months old.  Ranulf, Corbett’s faithful servant, falls in love and thinks about escaping his current station and bettering himself.  At the end of the story, Ranulf exacts some revenge in a calm, cold, ruthless scheme.  I was a bit surprised at Ranulf’s actions, thinking what happened to our lusty lad who’s only mission in life was to bed someone else’s wife or mistress?

In Murder Wears a Cowl, Edward I commands Hugh to investigate murders of prostitutes in London, which have occurred once a month for over a year.  Edward isn’t interested in the women, but Lady Somerville, the widow of one of Edward’s friends has been murdered in the same fashion.  Is there a connection?  And what does her message “a cowl does not make the monk” mean?

Hugh had planned to take Maeve and the baby to Wales to visit her family, but the king is most insistent that he postpone the trip to investigate the crimes.  To add insult to injury, Hugh’s nemesis and French spy de Craon is in London along with a notorious criminal is a master at the art of disguise.

In the previous novel, The Prince of Darkness, we had naughty nuns.  In Murder Wears a Cowl, we have naughty monks.  Early on, Hugh suspects a connection between the murders and the monks and priests at St. Paul, but he finds more than he expects. 

Doherty has a knack for bringing fourteenth century London to life in all its fetid, foul and malodorous glory.  Despite the stomach-churning details, this novel delivers several surprises and keeps the reader guessing until the last page. 

Book review - "The Prince of Darkness" by P. C. Doherty

I’m enjoying reading P.C. (Paul) Doherty’s medieval mystery series featuring Hugh Corbett, because the books seem to be getting better and better.  I just finished the fifth book, The Prince of Darkness, and I’m not sure if Doherty was referring to Prince Edward (who would become Edward II) or Satan, who apparently walked the corridors of the nunnery Corbett is investigating.

A goodly portion of this story takes place at Godstowe Priory, a nunnery where Lady Belmont, former lover of Prince Edward has died mysteriously, her body found at the foot of the stairs.  An uneasy truce exists between Edward I and Philip IV of France.  It is hoped that a marriage between Prince Edward and Philip’s daughter Isabelle will bring about lasting peace.  But Philip is trying to get out of the deal by creating scandal around the Prince of Wales.

Not that Prince Edward is above reproach.  His close relationship with Gaveston is the worst kept secret in Europe and nobody believes the death of his ex-paramour was anything but murder.  King Edward I sends his favorite clerk and spy, Hugh Corbett, to Godstowe Priory to find out what happened and keep his estranged son out of any scandal that would jeopardize the union. 

A tale involving naughty nuns, a mysterious death and political intrigue reminds me of Margaret Frazer’s Dame Frevisse novels or Peter Tremayne’s Sister Fidelma.  This one ranks right up there with the best.  The final solution is a surprise but then Doherty puts a surprising twist at the end as well, giving the reader another shock.

This is why we read whodunits!

Book review - "The Angel of Death" by P.C. Doherty

The fourth novel in P.C. (Paul) Doherty’s series featuring Hugh Corbett, The Angel of Death is more of the whodunit we all love to read on par with Agatha Christie’s Cards on the Table and Michael Jeck’s The Sticklepath Strangler.  The final solution comes down to a very meticulous staging of who was standing exactly where when the vicious crime was committed, since the perpetrator is in full view of several people and still manages to do away with his victim.  In Cards on the Table, Hercule Poirot had to figure out where everyone was sitting and their activities during a game of bridge.  In The Sticklepath Strangler, Sir Baldwin Furnshill had to determine the order of people walking along a path to resolve the crime.  In The Angel of Death, Hugh Corbett had to find out the sequence of passing a cup of wine around a small group of priests after one dies from poisoning.  In each of these, the reader has to pay attention (and still may not be able) to figure out the details without some sort of visual aid.  I might have to try that sometime.

When the priest of St. Paul’s, Walter de Montfort, dies violently and suddenly during communion, Edward I charges Hugh Corbett to discover what happened.  Had the poison been meant for the king, since de Montfort, family member of the king’s most hated enemies, was about to lecture Edward I against taxing the church?

The mystery is compounded by the presence of several other members of clergy who were present during the service and drank from the same chalice de Montfort had. 

Corbett and his faithful servant Ranulf traipse all over London, questioning hostile priests, trying to figure out how to poison someone in the midst of a crowd.  Corbett is also pining over his new beloved, Maeve, whom he met in Wales the previous novel, A Spy In Chancery.  It does seem as though Corbett falls in love or is pining over a lost love in every novel. 

I liked the twists and turns this novel has and consider it the best of the series so far.  

Book review - "A Spy in Chancery" by P. C. Doherty

When I started reading this series, I thought Doherty had discontinued his Hugh Corbett mysteries, but I found out he’s still going strong.  These books are great short reads, and they are exciting enough to keep the reader interested.  Hugh is also a character that the reader can sympathize with and cheer for.

A Spy in Chancery takes place some four years after the events in The Crown in Darkness.  Hugh is still mourning his late wife and daughter, and Alice, the conspirator who was burned as a traitor.  Edward I is also still faced with enemies all around, and has realized there is a spy in his chancery. 

Corbett’s boss Royal Chancellor Robert Burrell has passed away so Hugh is feeling a little lost.  Edward I sends Corbett to Wales, unfriendly territory, to find out what their plans are.  Are they plotting war?  Are they siding with the French? Do they know who the spy is in Edward’s chancery?

As with the previous two novels, Corbett’s life is in danger and it appears that everyone around him want him dead.  Fortunately, he escapes all the assassination attempts, even the ones in France, where Edward sends him next.

This book dragged a little because while Hugh is in Wales, he makes little progress so reading became slightly tedious.  Once he makes his escape from Wales, the novel picks back up.  It is a satisfying read and, of course, the surprise ending is worth the wait.

Book review - "The Crown in Darkness" by P. C. Doherty

The Crown in Darkness is a satisfying follow-up to P.C. Doherty’s first Hugh Corbett novel, Satan in St. Mary’s.  Where the first one was more of intrigue and action, the second was whodunit and action.  In The Crown in Darkness, Corbett is sent by the Royal Chancellor Robert Burrell to the Scottish capitol Edinburgh.  The Scottish king Alexander III has just died under mysterious circumstances and Burrell wants to know what exactly happened.  Was the king murdered or did he die in an unfortunate accident?  With Alexander dead and no heir, the throne appears to be up for grabs and powerful families are beginning to jockey for position.

Corbett is sent to find out what will all of this mean for England and King Edward I.  He starts asking questions as soon as he arrives and subsequently, attempts are made to kill him.  In the previous novel, Doherty gives Corbett a sensitivity and vulnerability by falling in love with a femme fatale, but there is no such depth in this one. 

Corbett is all business and realizes there is more to his mission than Burrell has let on. 

I enjoyed this story much more than the first one, but the formatting in my hardback version of The Crown in Darkness was non-existent.  Usually, there is a new paragraph each time the speaker changes but in this version, the publishers or whoever did not believe in hitting the ’return’ button.  I had to re-read many passages to realize who was talking.

The story was great but the formatting took away from the enjoyment. 

Book review - "Satan in St. Mary's" by P. C. Doherty

I decided to read P.C. Doherty’s medieval mystery series featuring Hugh Corbett, starting with the first novel, Satan in St. Mary’s, and read almost all of it on a plane ride.  I enjoyed the story but it does address some disturbing topics.

Hugh Corbett is a clerk in the employee of King Edward I, in the mid-thirteen hundreds.  Some thirty years prior to the story, Edward I had to battle Robert de Montfort for the crown and eventually won.  

De Montfort was hacked to death.  Apparently, de Montfort was a devil-worshipper and was a member of a large group of such vile people.  Despite de Montfort’s death, his fellows carry on their religion and plot the assassination of Edward I.

The Royal Chancellor assigns clerk Hugh Corbett to look into the suicide of the Chancellor’s spy.  Corbett quickly discovers the man was murdered and sets out to find the people responsible.  During his investigation,, he becomes the target of the devil-worshippers and falls for a beautiful woman, known to be very dangerous.  That part of the story is rather predictable.

Although the final solution is not a big surprise, the story is exciting and a fast read.  Doherty gives Hugh intelligence and tenacity, but also a soft side.

Book review - "The Siren Queen" by Fiona Buckley

After the events of The Fugitive Queen, Ursula Blanchard de la Roche Stannard is still caught up in the conspiracies to put Mary Stuart on the throne of Scotland and eventually that of England as well. In The Siren Queen, Ursula and her current husband are contacted by the duke of Norfolk, wanting to betroth a young man in his employee to Ursula’s daughter Meg, who is not yet fourteen.  Ursula and Hugh decide to see what the duke has to offer. 

Ursula immediately dislikes the young man and plans to depart, but a messenger of the duke is stabbed as he is trying to deliver documents to the north.  Then another young man, a servant, is brutally murdered and hung up on a meat hook.  Like it nor not, Ursula is urged by Elizabeth’s Secretary of State Cecil Williams to find out why the men were killed.  She uncovers coded messages being passed between Norfolk and the conspirators with Mary. 

Thrown into this mix is Ursula’s woman Gladys, who, despite Ursula’s efforts to keep her clean and groomed, still manages to get accused of witchcraft.  Meg, being the sulky teenager, is in love with Edward Dean, the man Norfolk wants to betroth her to. 

As usual, Ursula engages in a lot of spying, eavesdropping and intercepting encoded messages to help Cecil get back in Elizabeth’s good graces.  She even has to speak to the Earl of Leicester, Robert Dudley, one of the queen’s favorites.

The ending is a little predictable but it does have some exciting moments.  It isn’t on the level as The Fugitive Queen as intrigue, but The Siren Queen does have more of the whodunit element.