Murder In Maastricht

Master Mercurius Mysteries #7

by Graham Brack

Another darkly humorous murder mystery featuring Master Mercurius! Perfect for fans of Andrew Taylor, C J Sansom, S J Parris and Ken Follett.

Are the sins of the past threatening the present…?

1686, The Netherlands

After getting Master Mercurius jailed and nearly put to death with one of his schemes, the Stadhouder, William of Orange, has finally left Mercurius in peace.

But Mercurius is not able to remain in Leiden for long. A friendly debate on the sin of witchcraft has been proposed between the University of Leiden and the University of Leuven. And the scholars are to meet part-way in the city of Maastricht.

When researching the local witch trials from 70 years ago, Mercurius comes across astonishing charges that could not possibly be true.

But the opposing side brings forth a witch-finder as a witness who is adamant that the women he charges bear the signs of the devil.

Before the debate can continue, the witch-finder is found brutally murdered. His body was left inside the library, locked from the inside with no other available exit.

Could this be the work of Satan? His wrath provoked by the investigation into local witch trials?

Or is the culprit someone grounded much more in reality…?

Murder in Maastricht is the seventh historical murder investigation in the Master Mercurius Mystery series: atmospheric crime thrillers set in seventeenth-century Europe.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Humor, Fiction, Crime, Ebooks, Historical Mystery

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 18, 2023

About the author

Graham Brack trained as a pharmacist but now writes crime fiction. He has been shortlisted three times for the Crime Writers Association's Debut Dagger (2011, 2014 and 2016) without ever winning it. Those three entries involved three different detectives.

The 2011 entry has been published as Lying and Dying by Sapere Books, and has been followed by seven more books about Josef Slonský, a Prague policeman, and his team.

The 2014 offering has been published as Death in Delft and features Master Mercurius, a seventeenth century university lecturer. The second Mercurius mystery, Untrue till Death followed in August 2020 and the third in the series Dishonour and Obey in October 2020. The fourth, The Noose's Shadow arrived in December 2020 and The Vanishing Children in 2021. The sixth book was The Lying Dutchman (2022) and the seventh was Murder in Maastricht (2023). The latest is The Moers Murders . The ninth in the series, Nun Shall Sleep, will be published in January 2026.

Graham is married to Gillian and has two adult children and three granddaughters. He lives in a small village in Northamptonshire.

Reviews

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5★
“I apologise, of course, to any relatives of his who might be reading this. It must be painful to discover that you are descended from such a repulsive character.”

The book opens with middle-aged Mercurius regarding the bloody body of a man who was so disliked that limiting the search for the perpetrator to his enemies was almost no limit at all.

Doctor (formerly Master) Mercurius is 83, dictating stories from his history to his clerk, Van der Meer, who annoys Mercurius with snorts and barely disguised chuckles as he writes. This prompts many asides, interrupting the story.

“I’ve half a mind to add a bit to my will instructing that my gold is to be fed to a bull, then Van der Meer can have the fun of following it around with a bucket and spade collecting his legacy as it reappears.”

But I digress. This story takes place in 1686 in the Netherlands. Through the previous six episodes, Mercurius has grown from a shy young Dutch cleric to a more experienced Leiden University professor, nearing fifty, whose love of learning and libraries is what makes him happiest. It’s the ignorant, bored undergraduate students he complains about, often.

So when he is invited to take part in a debate at the far end of the country, almost in Belgium, he likes the idea of a break. The topic is witchcraft and witches – real or not. Fortunately, he and his Rector can argue not.

Along the way, they stop in Roermond.

“I was assailed by a tinker who offered me a candle shaped like a witch tied to a stake which, he assured me, would effectively mimic the burning of a witch when lit. When I pointed out that witches are usually burned from the feet upwards rather than from the head down, he hurriedly put the wretched object away and attempted to interest me in a lucky rabbit’s foot, to which I replied that since the rabbit had presumably had four of these but did not appear to have profited from them, I doubted their efficacy, at which the tinker used a filthy epithet and stalked away muttering about the clergy.”

On to Maastricht and the Catholic university where the debate will be held. Mercurius teaches at a Protestant university, but he has been secretly ordained as both a Protestant minister and a Catholic priest. Don’t ask – it’s all explained, but he has to watch his step here.

Fortunately we are not subjected to the EIGHT HOURS that each debater is allocated to speak! Finally, at the halfway point in the book, after learning more about identifying and killing witches, we get to the murder.

Mercurius has unwittingly made a name for himself as an investigator. When the murder is discovered, the Prior suggests keeping the situation inhouse.

“The Prior seemed uneasy. ‘Since this is church property, Your Grace, and it seems likely that the perpetrator is here among us, I should prefer Dr Mercurius to make such an inquiry. Relationships with the civic authorities are not always harmonious and if we open the gates to allow outsiders to enter we risk the escape of the man responsible.’”

I mentioned before that the victim was deeply unpopular. But at least they know the killer is in their midst. And that is all they know.

I enjoyed the investigation and the result. There were rather a lot of religious references, which I admit wear a bit thin with me (he is doubly ordained, so I should expect those), but the history is interesting and the witch stories are terrifically awful.

Fans will enjoy the humour and the language, which is written in a style that manages to sound old while mixing modern terms (“in the bag”) with the professor’s Latin.

I didn’t have quite the same sense of his being a part of history here, compared to his previous dealings with the artist Vermeer and working for the Dutch royalty who became English royalty, William of Orange and his clever wife, Mary, whom Mercurius greatly admires. But I guess it’s unrealistic to hope Mercurius will enjoy such exalted company very often.

I will stand by for his next adventure! I recommend reading these in order.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for the copy for review.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder in Maastricht is perfect for fans of historical mysteries with a large touch of humor. It takes place in 1686 Holland. It’s the 7th in the Master Mercurius series but can easily be read as a stand-alone. This time, Mercurius is not caught up in the Stradhoulder’s business. Instead, he is off to be part of a debate on whether witches exist. He is arguing against their existence. The Catholic side calls a witch finder as a witness. The next day, the witch finder is found dead in a locked room. Given the lack of a weapon left behind and no way for the murderer to escape, many are of the belief that a demon is responsible. And Mercurius is asked to investigate the crime. “Armand had not been much of a witness when alive, but dead he spoke potently about the power of witchcraft.”
As with the prior books in the series, this one is smart and fun. A lot of recent books have covered the subject of witchcraft, but this one does it in a much lighter fashion while still managing to make the point that it was mostly men going after helpless women.
The ending was well thought out and kept me guessing until the reveal.
My thanks to Netgalley and Sapere Books for an advance copy of this book.

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The seventh book in the Master Mercurius Mysteries in which Mercurius tells of the time he was required to participate in a debate between Universities about witchcraft. Unfortunately one of the witnesses to the debate was murdered and it was up to him to solve the mystery.

I really enjoy the way Graham Brack writes this series. Mercurius has a wonderful dry wit which makes me smile, and his asides about his secretary are hilarious. There is also a lot to learn about life in the seventeenth century and, in this book, about witches and witchcraft as it was believed at that time.

I look forward to each of these books as they come out and hope there will be more!

[Jannelies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since the first book describing the 'adventures' of Master Mercurius, I felt a deep connection with the books of Graham Brack.

Leiden, the city where I was born and raised, looks the same and yet so completely different. Well, there are a couple of hundred years between Master Mercurius and myself but the university buildings, the market and the canals are still there. Graham Brack thoroughly researched the settings for his books, not only Leiden, but also Delft, Utrecht and now Maastricht.
In the first book there's a girl with 'my' name (completely coincidental!) and after some corresponding Graham Brack even dedicated one of his books to my father, who knew just about everything there was to know about Leiden.

But, enough of me, it will be clear now that I enjoy Master Mercurius' adventures immensely, although he himself does often not. He prefers to sit calmly in his library, reading a good book or just gazing at his precious volumes. Need I say that I feel often just the same? The world is racing by, even in Mercurius' time, and its important to find some peace and quiet sometimes (or any time, as Mercurius would think).

Rector Senguerdius thinks it a wonderful idea to order (disguised as a polite request) Mercurius to accompany him to Maastricht for a 'friendly debate' with representatives of the University of Leuven.
For several cultural, religious and political reasons, this debate is to be held in Maastricht, a couple of days travelling by barge and by foot away.

So far as I could make out, he took his Doctorate in Philosophy at the age of 21 and became a fellow lecturer in philosophy. I cannot say that we were close; he did not socialize, preferring to spend his time writing impenetrable theses. By the age of 30 he was Professor of Natural Philosophy and, as if that were not enough, he picked up a Doctorate in Law from the University of Utrecht. The one thing he seemed not to have collected along the way was a sense of humour.

Senguardius is not joking. He's very serious and therefore Mercurius finds himself in Maastricht a couple of days later. The whole debate, regarding witchcraft, is to take a week. Each representative is going to state his thought, although he may not exceed eight hours of speaking. Eight hours...

Needless to say this story is full of interesting characters, lovely observations from Mercurius and of course a body. A body in a locked room!

This book is full of observations, and some are really worth thinking about, not just the ones that make you giggle because they are so funny and clever.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graham Brack's Master Mercurius mystery series is an absolute delight—and I'm always eager for a new volume. These novels balance mystery with humor. Set in Europe during the late 17th Century, the novels make excellent use of the religious tensions of the time—and Mercurius is in the middle of them. He's a fellow at the Univeristy of Leiden, which requires he be ordained as a protestant priest, but he's also a secret convert to Catholicism and is an ordained priest as well. This makes for complications that are simultaneously serious and ridiculous.

Brack's writing is the sort that has readers bursting into laughter and demanding to read passages to anyone else present. Much of this can be attributed to the character Mercurius as Brack has created them. Mercurius is both proper and iconoclastic, both serious in his faith and honest in the ways he finds temptation, both insecure and egotistical—and always ready to offer critiques at the expense of others (though only in the nicest of ways, of course).

In this volume, Mercurius is off with his university's rector to engage in a scholarly debate on whether witchcraft should be considered a form of idolatry. They're facing scholars from the Catholic University of Leuven and appearing before a group of judges drawn from religious figures on both sides of the Catholic-Protestant divide. The mystery doesn't really emerge until well into the book, when the first witness called in the debate is found bludgeoned to death in the library of the monestary at which the debate is being held. But the time before the murder is not time wasted as it is packed with historical detail and Brack's exceptionally high-quality humor.

If you aren't familiar with this series, I urge you to become so as soon as possible. The books can be read in any order, and are all delightful. I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5★s
“It seems to me that the world is run largely for the convenience and benefit of men. Put simply, men have a better life than any woman can. In almost every respect women are treated as inferiors and denied rights that men can freely exercise. So, I ask myself, if women have these terrifying occult powers, why haven’t they used them to put men in their place?”

Murder In Maastricht is the seventh book in the Master Mercurius Mysteries series by British author, Graham Brack. All Master Mercurius, or now, Doctor Mercurius, really wants to do is read, research and enjoy a quiet ale at Steen’s Inn and, if he must, teach his undergraduates. But now the Rector of his Leiden University college, Wolferdus Senguerdius has accepted the challenge from Catholic Leuven University to debate the question of whether the sin of witchcraft imputes to idolatry. And the second speaker is to be Mercurius himself: an eight-hour argument refuting the first opposing speaker’s case.

With a topic like that, the venue is critical to their reception. Mercurius doesn’t subscribe to the hysteria surrounding witches, convinced that witches don’t exist, but defending that position in a Catholic community might identify him as a witch sympathiser, and be dangerous to life and limb.

Resignedly, he’s packing for a trip of several days to the Basilica of Saint Servatius in Maastricht, four days of debate, several more of judging, then a return journey, altogether far too long away from his beloved town. His dilemma at this stage is how many books to bring along.

He's a little concerned that Senguerdius seems to be rather cavalier about their task, then dismayed when he learns of the tactics his Rector intends to employ in order to win. Being away from home does turn out to have one or two compensations, though: any food they are served will be better than what Albrecht dishes up in Leiden; and one of the judges is the very lovely and highly intelligent Abbess Mathilde, Prophetess of Hope, whose company is a true delight.

However, before Mercurius gets to utter a word of debate, there’s a murder. It’s a very puzzling case: the victim’s body in a room locked from the inside, no sign of a murder weapon and no clues as to the perpetrator. His reputation for solving crimes sees Senguerdius recommending that the Prior let Mercurius handle the case. The gates remain locked: the murderer should be within. But is it one of the debaters, one of the judges, the presiding bishop, or one of the resident brothers?

As he ponders over means, motive and opportunity, as well as the timing, and is getting nowhere, he has to concede that is Rector does make some very valid points. But it takes quite some time, a lot of logistical rumination and a trip down a well before Mercurius finally settles on the culprit. And then comes the part he hates, the punishment to be meted out. The Prior’s words at this time may bring a lump to the throat.

Both Mercurius and Abbess Mathilde show great pleasure at discovering a library at Saint Servatius, and when he is so engrossed in a book he finds there that he’s late to proceedings, the Abbess expresses a wish to read it too. “Confound it, they only had one copy, and now I would not get to finish reading it.” It reminds the reader that this is the seventeenth Century, that books are rare and highly valued and there’s no Amazon to provide a second copy.

When Mercurius muses on women: “my limited experience of women is that many of the kindly acts men show towards them are regarded as evidence of male condescension— which they often are, women being, for the most part, good judges of men’s motives and character— and therefore they fail to soften the womanly heart” or on guilt: “I had known a few poor individuals who had died by their own hands in the belief that they were not fit to live for some reason or other. This is where Catholics have a bit of a head start. Of course, Catholics are very good at feeling guilty. They are encouraged to do so from a young age” he demonstrates just how enlightened a man he is for his time.

As a lecturer in philosophy, it’s to be expected that Mercurius will share some of his philosophical opinions and conclusions, and he does get a bit wordy sometimes, but the mood is regularly lightened by his margin notes about his scribe, and his comments about the Leiden cook and his undergraduates. More of Mercurius and his unique take on life will be most welcome.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful, witty, well written, well plotted,the usual Brack.

[Abibliofob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only got this book two days ago and suddenly it is available to all the old fans of Master Mercurius as well as those that for some strange reason never read one of the now seven masterpieces by Graham Brack. Murder in Maastricht is in my opinion the best story in this series and also the most fun to read. I have giggled, snorted and even laughed out loud. This despite the topic witch the book deals in. I have apparently been a fan of mr. Brack for more than fifteen years now. It is amazing how time flies when you are having fun. This adventure with master Mercurius starts out as a friendly debate between protestant and catholic scholars in the Netherlands in the 1680s but soon it turns into a mystery that falls on our reluctant sleuths shoulders. The story is as always told by a now over 80 years old man to his trustworthy helper who puts all his recollections down on paper. It is astounding the amount of research that must be behind these historical mysteries and the author has never let me down once in his writings. The book is out in stores now, buy it, read it and enjoy. I also must thank Sapere Books and Netgalley for letting me read this one.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining entry in this wonderfully complex yet humorous series. Thank you, Graham Brack, for continuing this wonderful series of books. Religious history is threaded throughout along with the humorous interaction between Master Mercurius and those who rely on him to solve the mystery of murder amidst the scholars attending a conference on witchcraft. He does seem to have his eye on one of the opposite sex in this book, oh my!

Kindle Unlimited - a favorite from this selection!

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

In volume 7, Mercurius, having passed his doctorate and now in theory Doctor Mercurius, hopes for a quiet life at Leiden university, with undergraduates' foibles his most trying daily challenge. Once again, however, Senguerdius, the current rector of the university has a mission for him: the rector has accepted the invitation to debate the topic of 'is the sin in witchcraft that of idolatry' at a rival university and he wants Mercurius to be his junior partner. The debate is to be held at Maastricht, a neutral town partway between the two university locations, and a priory is chosen as the venue.

At first, all Mercurius has to worry about is what he will say when it comes his turn as the last speaker when he will be expected to fill eight hours on the topic. Being a compassionate man, his sympathies lie with those accused of witchcraft who he is sure were innocent people wrongfully accused, especially since he believes that misfortunes have natural causes rather than supernatural ones. Even his superior doubts the existence of witchcraft though both are prepared to believe in the devil especially when one of the witnesses called to the debate comes to grief. Once again, Mercurius is expected to solve the crime against a deadline, imposed this time by the bishop who was overseeing the debate. This time a locked room mystery must be solved, and I'm pleased to say the solution occurred to me at the precise point where Mercurius found the answer.

This time the crime took place quite a way into the story, and I found the build up to the debate and Mercurius' research into witchcraft trials in the vicinity fascinating. There was also the usual dry wit, some of it as asides about his scribe, since the now-elderly Mercurius is again dictating his memoirs. Some readers might find it reduces suspense to know that the main character survives, but I've never found that with these books. I actually enjoy them more for knowing that whatever happens to Mercurius he lives to appear in another story - and as other books have shown, his friends are not immune to disaster. I liked the friendship he formed this time with an abbess and his sympathy for women. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would award it the full 5 stars.

[Adrian Dooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining and funny addition to the Master Mercurius series, here we find him roped into travelling to Maastricht by his superior at Leiden University to debate whether the existence of witches are real!

Oh yeah these books are set in the 17th century so the said witch debate is about the witch trials and burning of women accused of being witches at the time.

When one of the parties is found murdered, it is again up to Mercurius to use his deduction skills to try and find the killer amongst them.

I’ve read all of the series and enjoyed most if not all of them. This one is a really solid addition it’s a relatively short book, even for this series and to be honest it’s the better for it.
It’s a fairly straight forward story and quite serene compared to previous books but it’s splattered with the usual humour throughout and well it’s just a really fun book to read.

If you haven’t read any of this series I’d highly recommend doing so. It’s flown somewhat under the radar and it’s a witty and smart collection that deserves more audience.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The latest in this delightful series about Master (now Doctor) Mercurius of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Leiden in the 17th century.

The story is, as previously, told by Mercurius as he dictates events from his life to his clerk Van der Meer who sometimes finds it hard to conceal his amusement at some of his Master's claims.

It is a story about events during a debate with another University at neutral location, Maastricht.
Although I felt that much of the first half dragged a bit as the stage was set, it was lightened by the amusing musings of Mercurius on a great variety of subjects from the chuches in general to the daily burnt offerings of the Faculty chef and the stupidity of its students.

As the title suggests there is a murder which because of his reputation Mercurius is called upon to solve.
I didn't solve it first but in this story that didn't much matter and because of the almost Christiesque style of introducing a key fact late on, I doubt anyone could have beaten Mercurius to it.

Nevertheless another enjoyable read from this skillful author.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laugh-out-loud humor, intriguing plot, fascinating history
In 1686, University of Leiden philosophy professor Master Mercurius and his colleague Rector Senguerdius have been chosen to represent their university in a debate with a University of Leuven team on the subject of whether witchcraft is an example of the sin of idolatry. The debate between the two universities becomes more complex given that Leiden is a Reformed institution whereas Leuven is Roman Catholic. This has special significance for Mercurius, because he is secretly a Catholic priest, despite also being a Reformed minister, as required by his university position.
If this intro does not sound like material for a stimulating read, rest assured. Fans of Master Mercurius will not be disappointed in his latest adventure. Partway through the debate a witch hunter is found murdered after testifying for Leuven, and Mercurius is asked to investigate and find the murderer. Since the body is found in a locked room with the key inside, the puzzle is especially difficult.
The locked room murder theme is done well, but the feature that has made this one of my favorite series is the humor. Mercurius narrates the story as part of a memoir he is writing almost 60 years later, and his acerbic wit gave me a laugh or at least a smile on practically every page. For example, after Mercurius has a frustrating day trying to solve the murder, “I went outside … and knelt down, saying a prayer before raising my head. A passing pigeon spattered me. That seemed a fitting summary of my day.”
The unique setting also makes this an excellent choice if you enjoy learning something while you are being entertained. Europe in the 1600s is not a period heavily covered in history class, especially in the US, and it is fun to read about such an interesting era. Brack weaves real historical figures into the book, although you may have to look some of the names up to realize that, such as philosopher Aadrian Heerevoord. It is also interesting for modern people who generally live in a heavily secular age to see how those in a much more religious era think, such as the widespread acceptance of witchcraft as a genuine , albeit strongly sinful, phenomenon.
You. can enjoy this book without reading the earlier ones, and I am confident that after you do you will want to read the previous six.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a pleasure to read Graham Brack's novels! This one is no exception: an interesting plot (this time about witches), excellent characterisation, and what I particularly enjoy in his novels, the brilliant and clever writing ! Such a sense of good humour (irony for the reader?), I love Master Mercurious and his way of seeing life, people and situations. A unique character, maybe my favourite one as far as mystery novels are concerned! Highly recommended!
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

[Jo-anne Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The University of Leiden is invited to a debate competition against the University of Leuven and Mercurius is called up to represent the side speaking against witchcraft. His Rector is confident of a victory, even though the debate is taking place in front of a mainly Catholic jury. However after the first day a witness is found murdered and the debate is sidelined as Mercurius is invited to investigate.
I really enjoy Brack's stories set in the 17th century Dutch Republic as they give a great insight in the time and the place but also offer a great depricating sense of humour. Here there is little mention of the Stadhouder, William of Orange, but the story looks into the witch trials mania of the late 16th and early 17th century. Altogether a very satisfying read.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witty history and sleuthing

I have been looking forward to the next in this series. This one involves a "locked room" murder. We know very early of the discovery of the body but don't actually come across it until half way through the novel. The narration is interesting as Mercurius is recounting his memoirs.
I enjoy the lively style and the mixing of historical fact with murder mystery.

[krysti bush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth the wait!

Graham Brack tells great stories with more than a modicum of wit, and meets the challenges of portraying 17th century life exceedingly well.
Mercurius' adventure whilst debating another university, at a monastery Church, are, as in the whole series are interesting and keeps our interest very easily. The denouement
was not apparent until the very end.
I highly recommend this novel, and the whole series - bravo, Mr Brack!

[Hermien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light entertainment but I just visited Maastricht and Leuven so it seemed the right time to read it.

[Josher71 · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always I love these books and I love Mercurius as a character. My only criticism is that 14 Albrecht mentions were around 12 too many.

[Joshkun Mehmet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first novel by this author which came via a Goodreads recommendation. As someone who enjoys historical murder mysteries this book ticked all the boxes. However what set it apart from other historical crime fiction is the setting in the Netherlands and the humour.

The main protagonist, Master Mercurius, who is a university professor and an occasional detective, is a wonderful character. His witty remarks and cynical comments, mainly about his undergraduates and his scribe Van der Meer, are simply hilarious.

I’m delighted that Murder in Maastricht is one of a series of books by this talented author and I’m looking forward to enjoying more of Master Mercurius’ amusing reflections as he, no doubt, gets drawn into challenging situations.

I would highly recommend for fans of historical fiction.

[spencer wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who studies this historical time period, I felt that gave a good backdrop to the events of this mystery. That said, I feel it's readable enough for anyone to give it a go and enjoy a good mystery.

[Charlotte Pawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Master Mercurius is part of his University of Leiden team in a debate with another University about the local witch trials in the 1600’s.
Mercurius is a reluctant participant, but his skills of investigation will be put to good use in a locked room murder.
Mercurius is dictating his memoirs to his assistant later in life and there are many amusing anecdotes brought to life.
The characters in this series are well fleshed out and really draw you in to that timeline.
A good addition l would recommend seeking out the other books in the series.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

[Daphne Sharpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The year is 1686, and Master Mercurius has been invited/ volunteered to represent his University of Leiden in a debate about Witchcraft. The question centres upon trials held in Roermond in 1613, were they based upon superstition and a fear of wise women using their skills of midwifery and knowledge of herbal remedies, or are Witches real and in league with Satan? Mercurius believes these women were unjustly accused and should be considered as innocent beings.
The opposing University of Leuven has stolen a march on Leiden by inviting an actual Witchfinder to attend the debate and give all the benefit of his experience, but before the debate is underway, the Witchfinder is found dead, in the library with the door locked from the inside.
A lovely 17th century locked door murder mystery, involving many philosophical discussions, which are interesting and thought provoking. The fact there is a mixture of University lecturers and religious persons present mean that the investigation is complicated, so many of the religious brethren are not so worldly wise, and many scholars are simply full of bluster and a sense of self importance! The presence of a female on the scene is also hilarious. The Abbess Mathilde is an unknown quality to the males, she is well educated and has an opinion that she freely gives, and the men are not sure how to treat her, being both a Woman and a well respected member of a religious order, this makes them nervous.
My absolute favourite has to be the scribe, Van de Meer, who we have met several times now, taking notes from Mercurius, as he reflects upon his life and composing his memoirs. There are witty asides that are real gems, but this time he is not quite so prominent with his remarks, we need more, more and more!
This is the seventh novel in this series, and the stories continue to delight and amuse in equal measures, they always hold this readers interest.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Sapere books for my advance digital read, freely given in return for my honest and unbiased review.
A five star read. I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon UK.

[Rich Ware · Rating 3 out of 5]

A COMEDY OF TRAGEDIES?

Since i came into this in the fourth volume, I did not know this was an established character. The voice intrigued me from the first, and that voice carried me through. About the end of the fifth chapter, my immersion was ruined by the insertion of modern political movements which I find it hard to believe that a twice ordained person (minister and priest) would have had cross their mind, and such a man would never think that a _witch_ should use her powers to "put men in their place." This in the context of someone researching witch trials in 1686 on the way to a debate on the subject of witches.

In the beginning of the next chapter, it seems that the character's use of language is inconsistent with the verisimilitude created in the earlier chapters. Fortunately, the characterization pulled me through.

It isn't until halfway through the book that the titular even takes place, and by that point, the persnickety albeit able character becomes a priestly/reverendly(?) Mr. Magoo. I wasn't sure if the novel was intended to be a serious work—and, quite frankly I'm still not—or a comedy. The protagonist has a series of unfortunate events, and though he is ostensibly a respected professor and has had experience solving crimes, fumbles his way to a conclusion. It also felt like the conclusion was contrived when it was time for an ending. I didn't see any clue, until the sudden introduction of a character almost 4/5 of the way through makes an appearance and accusation that other characters—who were supposedly trying to help the protagonist—should've revealed to him earlier.

[Ellie Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I look forward to a new Master Mercurius story with all the anticipation of meeting up with an old friend. As always, within a couple of paragraphs, I was in fits of laughter at the off-stage interchanges between Mercurius and his secretary Van der Meer, which Mercurius pretends to deplore but they both secretly live for.

The established framework of the elderly Mercurius dictating his past adventures to his secretary works as perfectly as ever in terms of storytelling allowing for digressions that are as informative as they are often hilarious.

In this story, rather than being dragged on some dangerous wild goose chase by Stadhouder William, Mercurius is expected to accompany the university rector to Maastricht for a prestigious debate on witchcraft. Of course, while they are there, a murder occurs and it's up to Mercurius to find the culprit within 3 days before the delegates are due to return home. So no pressure then!

The historical detail is completely immersive and the characters are vivid and engaging. I eagerly followed the twists and turns of the plot until Mercurius' infallible logic solves the mystery (despite his self-doubt). But what makes these stories so compelling is Mercurius' rich depth of characterisation and most of all, his deeply rooted sense of humanity. Can't wait for the next story already!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Master Mercurius, an academic in theology at the University of Leiden is back in another murder mystery. It's 1686 and a few years since William of Orange, the Stathouder has required his services. However, his Rector requires him to take part in a debate on the sin of witchcraft with the University of Leuven in Maastricht so he once again has to leave his comfortable lodgings and travel.

Mercurius and the rector are to be arguing the negative side, that charges of witchcraft have never been proven, while the opposition propose to show that witchcraft does exist and have brought along a witchfinder to help prove their case. When the witchfinder is found murdered in a locked library, with no visible weapon or means of escape, Mercurius has a locked room mystery he must solve before everyone returns home in three days.

Written with a good vein of humour as Mercurius recalls what happened for his memoirs written by his disrespectful clerk Van der Meer, this is another entertaining historical cosy mystery in this series. Along the way he muses on the nature of women, especially the handsome Abbess Mathilde who he meets and shares many of the same literary interests as him as well as the poor women who were convicted of witchcraft without any concrete evidence during the witch trials seventy years earlier. Lacking the historical and political perspective of the earlier books when Mercurius was sent o carry out deeds for William, this had a lighter feel about it, so it would be good to see him once again thrust into political intrigue in the future.

With thanks to Sapere Books via Netagalley for a copy to read

[Venetia Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I've encountered Master Mercurius. Logical me, I start with Book 7. I'll almost certainly go back into Mercurius's past and read an earlier book or two on the strength of Murder in Maastricht. I loved the humour of Mercurius's first person narration. The green-ointment-on-Mercurius's-face incident was definitely my favourite for laugh aloud humour. I was also impressed by the depth of historical knowledge and vivid depiction of the setting which, for the most part, didn't distract from the story itself.

That said, I do think it's a flaw that the titular murder does not occur until halfway through the book. The author seems aware this is a problem and gives us a little glimpse of the body early in the book, but then backtracks in time to detail the circumstances in which the man was murdered. As mentioned, this set-up for murder takes fully half the book. Then, even when the body is discovered and Mercurius gets the job of deciphering the mystery, he bumbles around without doing or achieving much at all for a good stretch of pages. This is not a page turner! But maybe this is the point. Maybe Brack's earlier installations have established Mercurius as a rather ineffectual but amusing sleuth.

Obviously, I wasn't so put off by the late arrival of the body or sleuthly bumbling that I stopped reading. I really enjoyed Murder in Maastricht for the aforesaid humour and the historical depth. I just think it could have been even better with more pace.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner from Graham Brack, Mercurius is back, and with a vengeance. This time he is charged to solve what is ultimately a locked room mystery at a symposium on witch trials.

The story is entertaining but does suffer from being a bit sluggardly in pace, going on and on but getting nowhere for chapter after chapter. The characterisation is perfect as always and all characters are fleshed out and well-developed. However, one does beg leave to doubt whether a female religieuse such as Abbess Mathilde would have been afforded so elevated a place on the panel of such a symposium in those days (indeed, if she would have had a place at all), but this is a subtle point.

A reluctant detective, Mercurius bumbles his way to a successful conclusion, but one might wish that he was not quite so self-effacing and that he might stand up for himself a bit more against the odious Senguerdius. Another bone of contention is the nebulous character van der Meer. Many seem to enjoy his appearances but I find them an unnecessary distraction, and somewhat too frequent to be a success.

[Paul T Rowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cracking yarn from Graham. Having read all the books he has written so far, I must admit that I thoroughly enjoy the mental asides his main characters employ to make you feel the story is being told to you. His poking fun at the Catholic Church is highly amusing, pointing out their predilection for garnering money at every opportunity. Well researched and full of detail, the Mercurius series are excellent whodunnits written with humour.

One of the best asides in this episode was;

All too often I found myself pondering on the etymology of the words “Rector” and “rectum” and wondering if there was a connection.

Clearly Graham has a sense of humour that chimes with mine - how I chortled at this one.

[PR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical Wonderful Bumbling and Loveable Mercurious!

Have read all of these. Laugh out loud funny at times, silly at times, full of Christian thought and references to Biblical verses and ideas...they are often inclusive of other thoughts and ideas that find their way into there stories of a philosophy and ethics' professor's thoughts and actions...They are a vacation from theworries of the world though they are often quite the same worries we have every day now... just pondered by our main man, Mercurius. I recommend these to folks who are interested in the 1600's and the events in the Low Countries , the Netherlands, Holland of the period. Just another perspective on the history of that time period.