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The Chronicles of Brother Hermitage #15
The Hermes Parchment
Where goes the King’s Investigator, there goes death; by murder, usually.
The author of the Best Selling The Heretics of De'Ath and other tales too numerous to be polite, does not know when to stop.
Despite his protestations that disaster is inevitable, Brother Hermitage travels to Lincoln to sort out a library. It’s the task of his dreams, even if he’s reasonably confident that someone will get murdered in the process.
And there are several candidates. One of those troublesome Norman soldiers in the tavern? The king’s tenant-in-chief, Lord Colesvain, who has just forced the whole town to build his house for him? Colesvain’s objectionable son, Picot, who has a rather unhealthy interest in “illustrated” literature?
But a library should be safe enough; apart from the librarian obsessed with books on sorcery and magic, obviously.
Delving in the bottom of a box of books delivered from a long-lost monastery, Hermitage discovers the great Hermes Parchment and the whole world goes mad.
Hermitage, Wat and Cwen become embroiled in events that were pretty embroiled to begin with.There are wise men of the woods who turn out to be no such thing, and suggestions of an evil secret hidden in the parchment’s pages just waiting to be released.
And a dead body turns up. Just as Hermitage said it would. Told you so.
It’s yet another outing for the world’s most medieval detective.
"very good indeed, brilliant," BBC Coventry and Warwick
5* Hilarious
5* Like Pratchett does 1066
5* Laugh out loud with a good mystery.
1* Stupid
The author of the Best Selling The Heretics of De'Ath and other tales too numerous to be polite, does not know when to stop.
Despite his protestations that disaster is inevitable, Brother Hermitage travels to Lincoln to sort out a library. It’s the task of his dreams, even if he’s reasonably confident that someone will get murdered in the process.
And there are several candidates. One of those troublesome Norman soldiers in the tavern? The king’s tenant-in-chief, Lord Colesvain, who has just forced the whole town to build his house for him? Colesvain’s objectionable son, Picot, who has a rather unhealthy interest in “illustrated” literature?
But a library should be safe enough; apart from the librarian obsessed with books on sorcery and magic, obviously.
Delving in the bottom of a box of books delivered from a long-lost monastery, Hermitage discovers the great Hermes Parchment and the whole world goes mad.
Hermitage, Wat and Cwen become embroiled in events that were pretty embroiled to begin with.There are wise men of the woods who turn out to be no such thing, and suggestions of an evil secret hidden in the parchment’s pages just waiting to be released.
And a dead body turns up. Just as Hermitage said it would. Told you so.
It’s yet another outing for the world’s most medieval detective.
"very good indeed, brilliant," BBC Coventry and Warwick
5* Hilarious
5* Like Pratchett does 1066
5* Laugh out loud with a good mystery.
1* Stupid
- GenresMystery
255 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 28, 2019
About the author
Howard of Warwick
54 books92 followersHoward 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
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 26, 2022
This one begins with some interesting ruminations from Brother Hermitage and Cwen on the nature of causality. Does Brother Hermitage investigate murder when he turns up, or does he cause murder by turning up?
It then moves on to Brother Hermitage being called to catalogue some books, a huge number of books, which are to be delivered to a new cathedral being built in Lincoln. Hermitage is delighted to catalogue these tomes and is becoming quite enthused with it, even going so far as to invent the cross-reference (see below) in cataloguing, when there's a murder.
The two previous books in the series, The Bayeux Embroidery and The Chester Chasuble have concentrated on the 'Aha moment', the moment where Hermitage pieces all the clues together and comes up with the murderer, so it's a bit disappointing that this book doesn't have that moment.
On the other hand, it has the second (if memory serves) instance of magic in the series, after A Murder for Brother Hermitage. While Hermitage denies the existence of magic because the Church does, there's a lot of it in this book, and it's used very much as a deus ex machina which, again, is a bit disappointing. (Still, if Maureen Jennings can solve Beware This Boy with a deathbed confession, what have I got to bitch about?)
I give it an extra star for the research into Hermes Trismegistos and the Hermetica , which I had never heard of before.
It then moves on to Brother Hermitage being called to catalogue some books, a huge number of books, which are to be delivered to a new cathedral being built in Lincoln. Hermitage is delighted to catalogue these tomes and is becoming quite enthused with it, even going so far as to invent the cross-reference (see below) in cataloguing, when there's a murder.
The two previous books in the series, The Bayeux Embroidery and The Chester Chasuble have concentrated on the 'Aha moment', the moment where Hermitage pieces all the clues together and comes up with the murderer, so it's a bit disappointing that this book doesn't have that moment.
On the other hand, it has the second (if memory serves) instance of magic in the series, after A Murder for Brother Hermitage. While Hermitage denies the existence of magic because the Church does, there's a lot of it in this book, and it's used very much as a deus ex machina which, again, is a bit disappointing. (Still, if Maureen Jennings can solve Beware This Boy with a deathbed confession, what have I got to bitch about?)
I give it an extra star for the research into Hermes Trismegistos and the Hermetica , which I had never heard of before.
October 2, 2020
I love Hermitage, Wat & Cwen!
November 30, 2020
All of the Brother Hermitage books are wonderful!
July 16, 2019
The Snark is Strong With This One.
Even in the midst of his greatest happiness, Hermitage finds himself confronted with a murder to solve. Invited to help catalog a library full of books, how could Hermitage say no. But as Cwen notes and Hermitage warns, murder does seem to follow him around. And murder obligingly occurs, this time with a distinct tinge of demons and magic. Just as obligingly, Hermitage solves the murder - with a little help from his friends. Don't miss another opportunity to revel in the Chronicles of Brother Hermitage.
Even in the midst of his greatest happiness, Hermitage finds himself confronted with a murder to solve. Invited to help catalog a library full of books, how could Hermitage say no. But as Cwen notes and Hermitage warns, murder does seem to follow him around. And murder obligingly occurs, this time with a distinct tinge of demons and magic. Just as obligingly, Hermitage solves the murder - with a little help from his friends. Don't miss another opportunity to revel in the Chronicles of Brother Hermitage.
July 3, 2019
Hermitage finally gets a shot at his dream job--cataloguing a vast library--but Cwen is convinced that whenever Hermitage is summoned, someone has been or will be murdered. So our intrepid crew sets off to Lincoln to encounter nobles, mysterious manuscripts, witches, mystics, and perhaps murder. Howard of Warwick continues to uncover tales of Hermitage's adventures, and readers are the beneficiaries! Nobody does humorous medieval mysteries better.
September 21, 2019
Wow, how does he keep the quality going.
Brilliant, laugh out loud. I'm banned from reading it unless I'm in a different room or everyone had gone out.
Good story line, characters true to form but still developing.
Can't wait for the next book.
I re read these regularly they are that good.w
Brilliant, laugh out loud. I'm banned from reading it unless I'm in a different room or everyone had gone out.
Good story line, characters true to form but still developing.
Can't wait for the next book.
I re read these regularly they are that good.w
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews