The Straw Men

The Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan #12

by Paul Doherty

All the depravity and evil of man is found upon the stage.

January, 1381. Guests of the Regent, John of Gaunt, Brother Athelstan and Sir John Cranston have been attending a mystery play performed by the Straw Men, Gaunt's personal acting troupe.

The evening’s entertainment, however, is suddenly and brutally interrupted by the violent deaths of two of Gaunt's guests, their severed heads left on stage.

The Regent orders Athelstan to find out who committed such a heinous act, leading him to tackle his most baffling and disturbing case yet…

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Medieval, Historical Mystery, 14th Century, Crime, Murder Mystery

218 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 26, 2020

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

He has been published under several pseudonyms: P.C. Doherty, Celia L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas, Vanessa Alexander, Michael Clynes and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name.

Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough (North-Eastern England) in 1946. He had the usual education before studying at Durham for three years for the Catholic priesthood but decided not to proceed. He went to Liverpool University where he gained a First Class Honours Degree in History and won a state scholarship to Exeter College, Oxford, whilst there he met his wife Carla Lynn Corbitt. He continued his studies but decided that the academic world was not for him and became a secondary school teacher.

Paul worked in Ascot, Nottingham and Crawley West Sussex before being appointed as Headmaster to Trinity Catholic School in September 1981. Trinity is a large comprehensive [1700 on roll] which teaches the full ability range, ages 11-18. The school has been described as one of the leading comprehensives in the U.K. In April, 2000 H. M. Inspectorate describe it as an 'Outstanding School', and it was given Beacon status as a Centre of Excellence whilst, in the Chief Inspector’s Report to the Secretary of State for January 2001, Trinity Catholic High School was singled out for praise and received a public accolade.

Paul’s other incarnation is as a novelist. He finished his doctorate on the reign of Edward II of England and, in 1987, began to publish a series of outstanding historical mysteries set in the Middle Age, Classical, Greek, Ancient Egypt and elsewhere. These have been published in the United States by St. Martin’s Press of New York, Edhasa in Spain, and Eichborn, Heyne, Knaur and others in Germany. They have also been published in Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, Romania, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Bulgaria, Portugal and China, as well as Argentina and Mexico.

He has been published under several pseudonyms (see the bibliography): C. L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name. He recently launched a very successful series based around the life of Alexander the Great, published by Constable & Robinson in the U.K., and Carroll and Graf in the U.S.A., whilst his novels set in Ancient Egypt have won critical acclaim. Paul has also written several non-fiction titles; A Life of Isabella the She-wolf of France, Wife of Edward II of England, as well as study of the possible murder of Tutankhamun, the boy Pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, and a study on the true fate of Alexander the Great.

Paul and Carla live on the borders of London and Essex, not far from Epping Forest and six of their children have been through his own school. His wife Carla currently owns two horses and is training, for showing and dressage, a beautiful Arab filly named Polly.

Paul lectures for a number of organisations, particularly on historical mysteries, many of which later feature in his writings. A born speaker and trained lecturer Paul Doherty can hold and entertain audiences.

His one great ambition is to petition the Privy Council of England to open the Purbeck marble tomb of Edward II in Gloucester Cathedral. Paul believes the tomb does not house the body

Reviews

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in 2014, and its the 12th volume of the amazing "Brother Athelstan" Series.

The tale is set in January, in the year AD 1381, and we find Brother Athelstan and his friend Sir John Cranston guests of the Regent, John of Gaunt.

Being invited to attend a mystery play where John of Gaunt's personal acting troupe, the Straw Men, will be performing.

This mystery play performance is rudely disrupted by the sudden deaths of two of John of Gaunt's VIP guests, and their severed heads left on stage.

The Regent summons Athelstan to investigate this case, to find out who committed this heinous crime, and so close to him, John of Gaunt, personally.

What will follow is a very intriguing and thrilling mystery, in which Brother Athelstan must use all his wits and cunning to identify the person behind these killings, and after a superbly executed plot the perpetrator will be revealed and brought to justice.

Highly recommended, for this is another excellent addition to this awesome series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Fabulous Brother Athelstan Mystery"!

[Barefoot Gypsy Jimerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicely done!

Paul Doherty pulls you in to this English mystery in to the middle of snow storm. You have no idea who is doing what. Whether it's Gaunts men or The Upright Men. Lucky for us we have Athelstan to guide us along.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I was at the library and I almost had the place to myself...so I read this one in the quiet. I have said before in reviews of this series that I run hot and cold but ended up liking more of the books than not. This has quite a dramatic setting at the Tower of London as the Regent, John of Gaunt invites Athelstan and his pal, London Coroner Sir John Cranston to attend a mystery play amongst VIP guests. As usual, death makes its entrance amidst all the drama. Of course the Regent asks Athelstan to solve the murders.
It is a complex web of deceit with a very unlikely but gifted and determined murderer considering the year, 1381. Athelstan sees through the curtain.

[Jazzysmum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real twisty, turny one, this book, with people working for one faction - Gaunt or the other -The Upright men, or both or another party in London's underworld - Duke Ezra.

Some really gruesome murders and one very sad one - Huddle - Athlestan's church painter.
A dangerous time in England's past.

This kept both Sir John and the good Brother much at the Tower of London and it really took some picking apart.

I cheered when Athelstan stood up to Thibault Gaunt's Master of Spies - just lovely. I think our dear brother is becoming more sure of himself.

A fantastic edition to this series, which I am thoroughly really immersing myself in again.

[Martina Sartor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anche in questo episodio c'è un delitto in una camera chiusa, la cui soluzione è tutto sommato buona. Ma la serie inizia a dar segni di stanchezza. Incentrata soprattutto sui fatti storici che porteranno alla Peasants' Revolt (rivolta dei contadini) del 1381, per gran parte del tempo ho faticato a districarmi fra spie e controspie. Athelstan non rivela nulla se non alla fine.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

The latest addition to the Brother Athelstan series is one of Paul's best.

For those that don't know, the setting is the regency of John of Gaunt, and by the time of this book's setting, the Great Community of the Realm is rapidly approaching the boiling point that was the Peasant Revolt.

This book has murder by the bucket load. I won't spoil it by explain the whys or wherefores, but I will say the I did not pick the murderer until quite late in the piece. Even then I wasn't 100% sure that I was correct.

I believe that this book will appeal to, not just historical crime fiction fans, but general historical fiction fans. Paul Doherty doesn't gloss over the background. You can see, hear, feel, but thankfully not smell, his England of Richard II/John of Gaunt.

Let Brother Athelstan and Sir Jack Cranston into your reading life, I promise you, you won't regret it.

[Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twists and turns at The Tower of London

Brother Aethelstan and London Coroner seek clues to the murders in the white tower. The sumptuous court life, filthy winding streets, miracle plays and even the royal menagerie create a realistic portrayal of 15th century life. Highly recommend.

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another mesmerising historical mystery. I read this too close after its sequel (Candle Flame) which takes place not long after, and they are a bit too similar in style, tone and setting. I'd refer to my review of that, and most of it still applies, but I was a little less excited this stime. I get that London in the winter of 1381 was freezing cold, unsettled and rebellious, but it felt slightly repetitive. Also the body count is pretty high and the cast less sympathetic somehow.

Yet Brother Athelstan is a powerfully character and the OTT plot intricacy is all part of the deal here. I should probably rewind and try to start at the beginning of the series before I conclude that they're all this similar.

[Judith Shadford · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of similarity in Doherty's Brother Athelstan books, all the stench and disease and casual cruelty of London during Edward III. But I still like these stories. Cleverly woven history, probability, and just good detective fiction. Especially like how much respect is given to this "little monk" by those who couldn't care a fig for him. Compared to GK Chesterton's diminutive Fr Brown, (also racist, arrogant in a sly passive way), Athelstan is totally honest with himself, is humble until he takes over the investigation. This time, the Tower of London. Nice.

[Bruce Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Straw Men

Another wonderful mystery. More colorful characters. I visited the Tower of London in 1962. I enjoyed reading about some it's history. We are getting closer to the Summer revolt of 1381. People are being murdered in strange ways and Athelstan must find out who the killer is before more people die. A polar bear attack keeps the story moving. One of Athelstan's parishioners dies. There is a mystery woman living in the Tower. Who is she and why is she there? Another great story.

[Nastja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Приходят персонажи к автору и говорят: «Здрасте, мы хотим попасть к вам в книгу». Автор: «Отлично, я пишу средневековый детектив и мне нужно еще примерно десять трупов». Персонажи: «В детективах же не бывает столько тру...». Автор: «Ну ладно, пусть трупов будет восемнадцать».

[Shiela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very descriptive and knowledgable period mystery, with emphasis on the description and knowledge , not so much the mystery. The characters have become very comfortable and entrenched in their roles.

[Mr Bernard T Cronin · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I love the stories, this one contains chapters which are far too long. One chapter is over 2 hours long. My ideal chapter length would take no more than 20 to 30 minutes.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are lots of gruesome deaths in this installment but the story is well crafted and focused. There are no side stories in this one.

[The Villan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tried it but just not that much of a history buff to get past all the characters at the start and their relevance to the lead. Plus the Olde English language references hard to follow.

[Andrea Santucci · Rating 2 out of 5]

Troppi cadaveri.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I’d rather rate it a 3.5 than a plain 3. Didn’t enjoy it as much as some of the others.

[Chiara171 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ancora una volta le indagini di Fratello Athelstan ci portano nell'Inghilterra del Trecento alla corte del reggente Giovanni di Gand.
Il romanzo è storicamente accurato e molto dettagliato, ed ogni parola aggiunge colori, suoni e odori alla Londra del periodo, tanto da rendere i personaggi vivi e vocianti davanti a noi. E' incredibile la capacità dell'autore di infondere vita ad ogni sua pagina, ed è sicuramente uno dei pregi maggiori dei suoi libri.
Anche il giallo è ben orchestrato e interessante, ma, come nel precedente romanzo, solo nelle ultime pagine il sipario si solleva e si comincia a capire cosa sta succedendo sulla scena, come se il primo 80% del libro fosse di introduzione ai personaggi sul palcoscenico e nell'ultimo 20% si concentrassero l'azione e la soluzione: metodo a suo modo affascinante ma molto lento. Un peccato per un giallo storico che ha veramente tante qualità.

[Nanette Cormier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addictive!

Brother Athelstan is the 14th century Sherlock Holmes! His deductive reasoning is impeccable and the historical context is simply delicious!

[Susan in NC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another exciting outing in what has become one of my favorite historical mystery series - I hope Paul Doherty is writing fast! The Peasant's Revolt of 1381 is fast approaching, and the tension is mounting with each book, I can't wait to see how the author handles it.

The Upright Men, a band of rebels led by Wat Tyler, is doing it's best to humiliate and terrorize John of Gaunt while also stirring up revolt among the peasants. The story opens with one of our heroes, Sir John Cranston, Coroner of the City of London, waiting with a group of soldiers to escort a contingent returning from Flanders to the Tower of London; they have a closely guarded female prisoner and other mysterious valuable objects which are stolen when the group is ambushed. Cranston manages to lead the group safely out of danger and get the prisoner to the tower, but soon another attack takes place at a performance of Gaunt's personal acting troupe, The Straw Men. Two of the Regent's guests are murdered and two preserved severed heads are left behind - who would dare attack and attempt to humiliate Gaunt so blatantly? Is there a spy at court? Is the attack linked to the mysterious prisoner? Brother Athelstan and Cranston, one of my favorite dynamic duos, are ordered to find out...

This one really had me guessing - I didn't suspect the culprits until the end and Doherty did his usual outstanding job giving the reader a complex, murky but fair puzzle to work out. Where he really shines for me, though, is in his ability to immerse the reader in the frigid, filthy, desperately poor and treacherous world of London in 1381 as the coming revolt approaches and tension ratchets up with each passing day, and with the recurring cast he has created of Athelstan's parishioners and Sir John's retinue (although we didn't get to see as much of them in this book as much of the action took place at the Tower of London.) The friendship, respect and love between the grizzled old warhorse Cranston and the small, dark and relentless friar Athelstan is a treat to behold as they work together to protect the poor and bring the miscreants and traitors to justice. Highly recommended to fans of well-written historical mysteries.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I bought this book, I didn't realize that it is the latest installment in a rather substantial series. That didn't matter, however; I found myself easily able to enjoy the story on its own merits without knowing what has gone on in the past between the characters. When I finished, I knew I had a new series to enjoy and plenty of reading to catch up on.

I've read other books by Mr. Doherty in the past, particularly enjoying a series of mysteries set in Ancient Egypt, so felt pretty confident I'd found another good read. I wasn't disappointed.

The plot is complex without getting bogged down. The characters are well delineated. The best part, though, are the descriptions. You can almost see, feel, and smell 14th century London, both the luxury enjoyed by the nobility, and the squalor suffered by the peasant class. There's plenty of tension, as a series of murders are tied to what will eventually erupt as the Peasants Revolt, and a mystery surrounding a prisoner in the Tower.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Straw Men' is the 12th in the Brother Athelstan series by Paul Doherty. In this story, we see many of the undercurrents that have flowed through earlier books - most particularly the anger and resentment of the Commons towards the Regent, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster - start to blossom into full flower. Given that this story is set in January 1381, the start of the year whose summer saw the Peasant's Revolt, this is hardly surprising.

As a result of the political intrigues - spies, traitors and double agents about - this story is at times a little convoluted. It can be a little hard to keep track of who is spying on whom and why. In amongst this are woven other threads: a mysterious female prisoner, a royal scandal, and several murders of the 'locked room', 'how did they do that?' variety. All this against a richly detailed portrait of life in medieval London.

Ultimately, though all these threads are drawn together satisfactorily and it is an enjoyable read.

[Rebecca Mulligan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving closer to the Peasants Revolt.

This excellent book by Paul Doherty emphasizes the razors edge people walked as tensions built between the peasants and the ruling class personified by John of Gault. The book skips from one catastrophe to another with murders interspersed with seemingly no connection to each other. It is up to Brother Athelstan to unravel the traitors from the loyalists, connect the many crimes together and trap the perpetrator. If you are interested in medieval history with emphasis on the political and societal fissures that culminated in the Peasants Revolt of 1381, this book is for you. The one criticism I have is that Sir John Cranston, the London Coroner, does not appear very much at all in this book, other than as a silent appendage to brother Athelstan. I'm sure this is due to the complicated plot, but I missed him.

[Kathy Moberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the darkest book yet in the Athelstan & Cranston mystery series, as Doherty depicts the grim and gritty background leading up to the Peasants' Revolt. They mystery itself is excellent and the author's method of teaching his readers some of the social as well as political history of the period is, as always in this series, impressive as well as entertaining.

The series should be read in order. It has been running for so long now, I am thinking that I should pick up the first book or two again and see what I still remember, however!

I hope there will be many more books in this series -- as well as the Corbett and Egyptian series! (Paul Doherty is one astonishingly prolific author, and he has a day job and family, too!)

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of his better ones of late, but still too much listing and the long, long paragraphs are hard to track; your you eye has no rest for as much as a page. This one also tended to stay in one location (the Tower of London)and then the action goes back and forth with in that confine and the blocks of analysis while needed get a little heavy if you remember the action without the summary recall. Could have been shorter, but good. His 99th book!

[MBP · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the plot was overly complicated, and I guessed the killer before Aethelstan - but the author excels at recreating the atmosphere of the time. The sights, sounds and smells of the streets, the London underworld characters, and the tensions leading up to the Peasants' Revolt are all excellent. It's interesting to see how far this series has evolved, from being almost cozy in the early books, to very dark and noir-ish by book 12. Can't wait for the next one!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a pleasure to read these books. This one was a follow up to Midnight Man and as interesting both in it's historical theme during the times of John of gaunt but also the characters of brother athelsen and John cranford. Highly suggested

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read all the Athelstan books and enjoyed them but this one was so full of describing the setting it completely took away from the mystery. I found it difficult to follow the story at all until half way through. I also missed the interaction between cranston and athelstan. cranston seemed to have no purpose in this one. Sadly not Doherty's best.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Peasants' Revolt inches closer & Athlestan and Cranston try to chart a safe course between the Regent's men and the Upright Men. I love Athlestan, but at this point I'm wondering if I'll live long enough to see a series entry covering the events of June 12-15th published :)

[Sarah Hearn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m reading these latter stories all out of order. I’ve already read the ones around the actual Peasants’ Revolt Of later in 1381, but I’m OK with that. Doherty paints such a strong picture of the building hostilities that knowing the outcome ahead of time doesn’t affect enjoyment.