At Home with The Bakers

by Howard of Warwick

It’s yet another in the internationally best-selling Chronicles of Brother Hermitage.

5* How does Howard do it? Hilarious and brilliant.

Every good story these days begins with someone inheriting a bakery. Or a sweet shop, cake shop, that sort of thing.
Brother Hermitage’s medieval murders are no different. (Or are simply jumping on the wagon…)

When Hermitage receives a parchment with news to his advantage, he is naturally suspicious. There’s probably a murder in this somewhere. But it seems to be an honest mistake; they must have simply sent to the wrong monk.

The town of Badequelle is not far, and a short journey might be just the thing; Mistress Cwen is keen to get out of the workshop after many weeks indoors with baby Harry. The workshop is quite keen that they go away as well.

It will be a simple family trip there and back to let the bakers know they have got it wrong. A simple trip that starts with them bumping into two Normans, which is never very wise.

At least they find there really is a dead baker in town, whose bakery is now without an owner, so that much is true. The parchment forgot to mention the other dead baker. Or the suspicions that surround events. Or the very numerous masters and bakers who all have interests in the dead men.

Finding out more about baking than he ever wanted to know, Hermitage has to wade through a sticky dough of evidence to discover whether this was even a murder at all. And when he reaches a conclusion, like all bake-centred crime, he has to prove it!

Comes complete with your own medieval bread recipe so you can prove it too...

Reviews for the previous title seem
5* Good Fun
5* Always funny
5* So many lies for Hermitage to sort through, absolutely fantastic read
5* I like this book series.

315 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 31, 2026

About the author

Howard of Warwick is but a humble chronicler with the blind luck to stumble upon manuscripts which describe the goings-on of Brother Hermitage and his companion Wat the weaver.

His work has been heard, seen and read, most of it accompanied by laughter and some of it by money. His peers have even seen fit to recognize his unworthy efforts with a prize for making up stories.

There are now eighteen - make that twenty - novels of Brother Hermitage, the most medieval of detectives, loose on the world and they have found considerable success with the buying public.

The most recent outpouring from the scriptorium is The King's Investigator Part II.

Tales of Hermitage continue to flow forth with few checks for accuracy. There are even short stories available for free.

There is a dedicated web page, HowardofWarwick.com.

Messages can be left care of Howard@howardofwarwick.com and Howardofwarwick can be followed on Twitter


There is even tweeting @HowardofWarwick

Reviews

[D J Rout]

A somewhat painful and lengthy analysis of 11th century economics at least ends in a satisfying resolution, and I have to wonder whether the author isn't being affected by recent events in the primary world.

Hermitage gets a parchment saying that he has inherited a bakery from his uncle in Badequelle, somewhere west of Derby. Not only does Hermitage find the idea of using a parchment for this information somewhat wasteful, but he has no aunts or uncles. So , he, Wat and Cwen go off to Badequelle to investigate.

There is much about breadmaking in this one, even ending with a recipe for bread, and far too much time is spent on the economics of breadmaking and how it might apply to tapestry weaving. Indeed, the author gets a little preachy once the crime in Badequelle is revealed. The day is saved by Normans, of all people, but at least the mystery and its resolution are more satisfying that many of the more recent efforts—which I would name, but I can't find the specific one I wnat.

[Rex Roberts]

Marvelous Addition

And here I thought Hermitage would be gaining a side gig in this book. But no, alas, another murder to solve but this tale comes with a good educational lesson about bread in the Middle Ages. And while he is not an active participant, we do get young Harry in the midst of this one along with a couple of Ranulph de Saveloy’s minions out doing Norman stuff, but contributing to an interesting conclusion. This was a good one!

[Anji Kerr]

At Home with the Bakers

Probably the best so far. A lovely twisty bendy tale of skulduggery and general wickedness complete with some very unusual bread thrown in, that had a very special ingredient. An ingredient that could have purpose in the kitchen....
A brilliant yarn.

[Martha R.]

Another excellent addition to the Chronicles. As usual, Hermitage is correct that there is no inheritance, but rather a murder to solve. Of course, there are Normans involved. Wat and Cwen (and now baby Harry) go along and help with the investigation (from the Latin "investigare"), and eventually Hermitage gets to "ah ha". The final resolution is pretty clever. And funny.

[Frank]

Bread, bread, bread

👍 what could be better than hermmy having had hard evidence and his book knowledge being the very tool to solve the matter