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The Dead Prince
Name of the Rose meets Basic Instinct in this old-world thriller.
13 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2007
1 person is currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Reilly
68 books6,299 followersBorn in Sydney in 1974, Matthew Reilly was not always a big fan of reading. It was only after he read To Kill A Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies in Year 10 that he realised reading could transport you to another world. Following this revelation, Matthew soon began creating stories of his own and set about writing his first novel, Contest, at the age of 19 while still at university studying law.
Following rejections from all the major publishers, Matthew self-published Contest in 1996, printing 1000 copies. He produced a big-budget-looking novel which he sold into bookshops throughout Sydney, one shop at a time.
In January 1997, a Commissioning Editor for Pan Macmillan Australia walked into Angus & Robertson's Pitt Street Mall store and bought a copy of Contest. The editor tracked Matthew down through his contact details in the front of the book. Interestingly, those original self-published editions of Contest have now become much sought after collectors' items. One recently sold on eBay for $1200!
Matthew Reilly is now the internationally bestselling author of the Scarecrow novels: Ice Station, Area 7, Scarecrow, Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves and the novella Hell Island; the Jack West novels: Seven Ancient Wonders, The Six Sacred Stones, The Five Greatest Warriors, The Four Legendary Kingdoms, and The Three Secret Cities; and the standalone novels Contest, Temple, Hover Car Racer, The Tournament, Troll Mountain, The Great Zoo of China and The Secret Runners of New York.
His books are published in over 20 languages with worldwide sales of over 7 million copies.
Since Seven Ancient Wonders in 2005, Matthew's novels have been the biggest selling new fiction title released in Australia for that year.
Matthew has also written several short stories, including Roger Ascham and the King's Lost Girl, a special free prequel to The Tournament which is available online. Other short stories include Time Tours, The Mine and the hyper-adrenalised romp, Altitude Rush.
He owns and drives a DeLorean DMC-12, the car made famous in the Back to the Future movies. He also has a life-sized Han Solo in carbonite hanging on the wall of his office! When not writing or penning a film script, Matthew can be found on the golf course.
Matthew Reilly is currently living in Los Angeles.
(source: Amazon)
Following rejections from all the major publishers, Matthew self-published Contest in 1996, printing 1000 copies. He produced a big-budget-looking novel which he sold into bookshops throughout Sydney, one shop at a time.
In January 1997, a Commissioning Editor for Pan Macmillan Australia walked into Angus & Robertson's Pitt Street Mall store and bought a copy of Contest. The editor tracked Matthew down through his contact details in the front of the book. Interestingly, those original self-published editions of Contest have now become much sought after collectors' items. One recently sold on eBay for $1200!
Matthew Reilly is now the internationally bestselling author of the Scarecrow novels: Ice Station, Area 7, Scarecrow, Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves and the novella Hell Island; the Jack West novels: Seven Ancient Wonders, The Six Sacred Stones, The Five Greatest Warriors, The Four Legendary Kingdoms, and The Three Secret Cities; and the standalone novels Contest, Temple, Hover Car Racer, The Tournament, Troll Mountain, The Great Zoo of China and The Secret Runners of New York.
His books are published in over 20 languages with worldwide sales of over 7 million copies.
Since Seven Ancient Wonders in 2005, Matthew's novels have been the biggest selling new fiction title released in Australia for that year.
Matthew has also written several short stories, including Roger Ascham and the King's Lost Girl, a special free prequel to The Tournament which is available online. Other short stories include Time Tours, The Mine and the hyper-adrenalised romp, Altitude Rush.
He owns and drives a DeLorean DMC-12, the car made famous in the Back to the Future movies. He also has a life-sized Han Solo in carbonite hanging on the wall of his office! When not writing or penning a film script, Matthew can be found on the golf course.
Matthew Reilly is currently living in Los Angeles.
(source: Amazon)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 8, 2019
A very short murder mystery about a murdered prince involved in extremely sacrilegious events. It's too short to build up a proper whodunit but for a 13 page story it's very good.
August 4, 2022
The year is 1454. The crown prince’s body is found crucified on the great wooden cross above the altar in the monastery on the island of Mont Saint Michel.
Matthew Reilly just loves the setting of Mont Saint Michel. You can tell by all the little details he mentions in this story and the fact that he uses the same setting in a later Jack West Jr book.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable historical detective murder mystery story in a fascinating setting. The plot is just a bit too straight forward because it’s such a short story.
Matthew Reilly just loves the setting of Mont Saint Michel. You can tell by all the little details he mentions in this story and the fact that he uses the same setting in a later Jack West Jr book.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable historical detective murder mystery story in a fascinating setting. The plot is just a bit too straight forward because it’s such a short story.
May 10, 2012
Maybe it's just me but a historical crime story needs development in order to be satisfyingly thrilling. Thus, a short story (even if as well written as this one) is not "appropriate". However, since the story and the characters have such potential I did enjoy the 13 pages.
August 18, 2020
Short, but entertaining.
July 4, 2017
A quick read. Feels more like a story outline than a full-fleshed story. It will take maybe 10 minutes to read and is typical of his other books - you don't stay in one place very long as the story moves along quite quickly.
September 18, 2023
A brilliant little whodunit mystery that was a fantastic read with a great reveal. My only complaint was that I wish it was longer.
March 13, 2017
A tad disappointing for a Matthew Reilly novel. Not a lot really happened. Short stories must grab your attention from the very start (it did) and then go somewhere from there. I can't really say that it twisted much.
July 22, 2013
Another short story. The Dauphine is murdered in a monastry.
The royal builder investigates. What he finds horrifies him.
When the King is advised of the details he pardons the killer.
Read it I don't want to spoil it for you.
The royal builder investigates. What he finds horrifies him.
When the King is advised of the details he pardons the killer.
Read it I don't want to spoil it for you.
June 27, 2024
Second read through and I enjoyed it. Would like to see more stories with this main character.
Not a bad story, twists and turns with a little bit of Tournament about it... Not the usual fare...
Not a bad story, twists and turns with a little bit of Tournament about it... Not the usual fare...
September 26, 2011
A short detective type story set in a rather sexually active monastery in medieval France. A cliched, obvious ending it was ok for a quick read.
March 17, 2012
A short but really cool historical mystery.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews