The Devil's Priest

by Kate Ellis

In 1539 King Henry VIII is completing his destruction of England's monasteries & the ripples of change are felt even in Liverpool. A pregnant novice nun, Agnes Moore, ejected from her convent & staying with relatives, claims to have been attacked by Satan. Her former abbess comes to her aid but Agnes refuses to identify her attacker.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Historical, Crime

253 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Kate Ellis was born and brought up in Liverpool and she studied drama in Manchester. She worked in teaching, marketing and accountancy before first enjoying writing success as a winner of the North West Playwrights competition. Crime and mystery stories have always fascinated her, as have medieval history and archaeology which she likes to incorporate in her books. She is married with two grown up sons and she lives in North Cheshire, England, with her husband. Kate was awarded the CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY award in 2019

Reviews

[Mary Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 ⭐ rounded up

[Alma (retirement at last) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read and the story wasn’t hard to follow. The characters were easily identifiable and the main protagonist was a likeable.
As this was Kate Ellis’s first foray into historical novels she did well to choose a subject matter (the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII) that gave her plenty of ideas for characters and locations.
I will certainly read more of this genre by Ellis as I do like her style of writing.

[Rosemary]

I couldn't get into this and didn't finish it. I don't have much time for reading just now and I just didn't seem to be in the mood for this one.

[Sharon Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! She is such a good mystery writer. This one is an historical novel, set in Liverpool in 1539, just after Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries. Monks and nuns now have to make their own way in the world, with varying degrees of success, not to mention honesty and integrity!

Lady Katheryn Bulkeley, a former Abbess, hears of the plight of one of her novices, the innocent and naive Agnes, and wants to help her. Agnes has been taken in by her relative, Margery Moore, but Agnes is a poor relation and Moore hates her and only provides for her under sufference. Recently, Agnes has fallen pregnant and has been traumatised by an experience in which she thought she saw the devil himself! After seeing her and helping as much as she can, Lady Katheryn hears of her death and suspects Agnes has been murdered.

This starts an almost labyrinthine process of detection, involving a juggler, a beggar who does his best to stay out of sight and the denizens of a nearby castle, who are intent on taking advantage of the changed situation to their benefit. Katheryn has the help of an apothecary, Valentine, and a stalwart boatman, Bartholomew, in her quest for the perpetrator of various evils that come to light in the search for Agnes’s killer – and, perhaps, for the devil himself!

I greatly admire Ellis’s grasp of the historical detail in what must have been a ghastly time for the dispossessed inhabitants of the monasteries. Ellis navigates the religious territory adroitly so that you feel sympathetic as the various religious find ways to cope with their new lives. Some have pensions, some work as priests in churches, some are paid by folk to say prayers for them. Some, however, are clearly up to no good and some are being held to ransom by stronger types, one of whom is gradually tracked down and revealed.

[Patricia Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing

Sadly, I had to force myself to finish this book - unusual for me because, if I’m not engaged during the first few chapters, I normally give up. However, I kept hoping the story would grab me, and soldiered on to the end. I was confused by some of the characters, but to be fair, this may have been because my attention was wandering. The depiction of life in Tudor times was well presented and that may well have helped me to persevere. A little proof-reading would not come amiss, but the errors were not so bad or so many as to spoil the flow of the narrative.

[Sandra Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Set during the reign of Henry Viii it follows several characters whose lives have been disrupted by the dissolution of the monasteries. Our heroine the very strong Lady Katheryn was an abbess she forms an alliance with Liverpool based apothecary Valentine to investigate several crimes. Many of the characters actually lived although their stories are obviously fictionalised. Also the small town of Liverpool (who knew) features strongly with real places described in detail. Quite a few plot twists and a satisfactory ending that leaves the door open for a sequel.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely excellent storytelling. The time frame came to life. The protagonist, Katheryn, is one of my favorites of recent reading. This is the second book I've read by Kate Ellis and I am sold. Wonderful books, I will be reading more.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know. This could have been so much better.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living locally to Norton priory which is now a museum. This was a wonderful insight into the history of the area.

[August · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read. Great narration by Anne Dover. Historical, woman sleuth.

[Bernadette Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave it a 3.5 stars rather than just a 3. I like a book that teaches you something you didn't know before and as part of this story revolved around Liverpool castle. I learned that Liverpool used to have its own castle.

The story moves along at a reasonable pace. It's nice to see a female taking the lead as the sleuth for a change as the majority of crime books tend to have a male main character. I must admit to having a very vague knowledge of history in the time surrounding Henry the VIIIth and it did make for quite interesting reading. I felt that the Author had done some research before writing this story and used some real life characters (Lady Katherine Bulkeley being one of them)and woven them into a fictional story.

I will look out for more books by this Author as it was the first one of her books that I've read. I would recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of historical novels.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a stand alone book from the author of the Wesley Petersen crime novels. This is set in Liverpool just after the dissolution of the monasteries and it follows the former Abbess Lady Katherine Bulkely who is contacted by one of her former novice nuns - the girl is in danger and has no one else to turn to.

Lady Katherine is then faced with several murders, plenty of suspects and an abundance of motives and opportunities. In the meantime there are devious dealings with traders and merchants, soldiers with no morals and an alluring apothecary!

Needless to say she gets the culprit in the end - but as she rides off back to her lands I felt sad that there are no further accounts of the intriguing Lady Katherine.

[Hilde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Kate Ellis' The Bone Garden I had high hopes for this book and I'm happy to say that it didn't disappoint at all. I'm quite fond of historical fiction and this novel is set in Tudor times during the reign of Henry VIII a few years after he disbanded all Roman Catholic monestaries. I found myself engrossed in the life of an ex-abbess who tries to solve the murder of one of her former sisters in Liverpool.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ill bk this seems to be the only book in this series
Ellis has another series also but I like the historical novel about a former nun in 1540 while Henry the 8th is on the throne
I would like to how Lady Katheryn Bulkeley Mysterys continue with her going back to civilain live since the abbey has been shut down

[Mickey Hoffman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I liked the time period and setting, there was too much repetitive questioning, the main character going back and forth time and again. I also must confess I don't feel much pity for the displaced clergy who lived off those who could hardly feed themselves.

[Khanson919 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The ending wasn't predictable and I really liked the main characters. I wish you would write another book and continue their story.

[Theresa Conte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical of Kate Ellis, the exposition is very slow, almost plodding, but as the mystery unravels the pace and excitement build to a very satisfactory conclusion.

[Trawets · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dirty deeds amongst monks and nuns following Henry VIII's dissolution of the monastries. If you like who-dunnits and you also like historical fiction then Kate Ellis is an author to follow.

[Maxine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a great fan of Kate Ellis and I'm happily absorbing everything that she has written. I am afraid this one was a little disappointing - I just found it a bit dull!

[Kristal]

Liked it

Enjoyed the story and the colorful characters. I did find it a little hard to keep up with at times due to all the priests and fathers involved in this mystery.

[JenniferB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and very readable, although sometimes too much focus on baser aspects of life. Her first completely historical novel.