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The Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan #16
The Great Revolt
Sleuthing monk Brother Athelstan discovers that past crimes can cause new murder in the latest intriguing medieval mystery"
June, 1381. The rebel armies are massed outside London, determined to overturn both Crown and Church. The Regent, John of Gaunt, has headed north, leaving his nephew, the boy-king Richard II, unprotected.
Brother Athelstan meanwhile has been summoned to the monastery at Blackfriars, tasked with solving the murder of his fellow priest, Brother Alberic, found stabbed to death in his locked chamber. Athelstan would rather be protecting his parishioners at St Erconwald s. Instead, he finds himself investigating a royal murder that took place fifty-four years earlier whilst the rebel leaders plot the present king s destruction.
What does the fate of the king s great-grandfather, Edward II, have to do with the murder of Brother Alberic more than fifty years later? When he finds his own life under threat, Athelstan discovers that exposing past secrets can lead to present danger.
June, 1381. The rebel armies are massed outside London, determined to overturn both Crown and Church. The Regent, John of Gaunt, has headed north, leaving his nephew, the boy-king Richard II, unprotected.
Brother Athelstan meanwhile has been summoned to the monastery at Blackfriars, tasked with solving the murder of his fellow priest, Brother Alberic, found stabbed to death in his locked chamber. Athelstan would rather be protecting his parishioners at St Erconwald s. Instead, he finds himself investigating a royal murder that took place fifty-four years earlier whilst the rebel leaders plot the present king s destruction.
What does the fate of the king s great-grandfather, Edward II, have to do with the murder of Brother Alberic more than fifty years later? When he finds his own life under threat, Athelstan discovers that exposing past secrets can lead to present danger.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2016
57 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
About the author
Paul Doherty
236 books607 followersLibrarian 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
June 13, 2016
It has finally come... the Peasant's Revolt has reached London. John of Gaunt has gone north ostensibly to go to war against Scotland, leaving London and Richard II undefended. Sir Jack Cranston is at the young king's side, and Athelstan is in the midst of turmoil again.
This time someone has murdered a member of the community at the Dominican house at Blackfriars. Athelstan is called back to Blackfrairs to find the killer and to act as Devil's Advocate in the matter of the possible beatification/cannonisation of Edward II. Meanwhile, London is burning around them, and someone has abducted the men of the parish of St Erconwalds!
"The Great Revolt" is the culmination of the massive story arc that Paul has been writing for damn near 20 years.
I have read a lot of books about the Peasant's Revolt. Both fiction and non fiction. But this book is the only one that has made me see the destruction, and feel the misery and terror welling around it. As Athelstan, Jack Cranston, and Benedicta venture around both the City and Southwark, you get to see through their eyes the devastation, and murder, that was visited on the people.
If you read one novel about the Peasant's Revolt this year, make it this one. The intensity and depth are incredible.
Highly recommended.
This time someone has murdered a member of the community at the Dominican house at Blackfriars. Athelstan is called back to Blackfrairs to find the killer and to act as Devil's Advocate in the matter of the possible beatification/cannonisation of Edward II. Meanwhile, London is burning around them, and someone has abducted the men of the parish of St Erconwalds!
"The Great Revolt" is the culmination of the massive story arc that Paul has been writing for damn near 20 years.
I have read a lot of books about the Peasant's Revolt. Both fiction and non fiction. But this book is the only one that has made me see the destruction, and feel the misery and terror welling around it. As Athelstan, Jack Cranston, and Benedicta venture around both the City and Southwark, you get to see through their eyes the devastation, and murder, that was visited on the people.
If you read one novel about the Peasant's Revolt this year, make it this one. The intensity and depth are incredible.
Highly recommended.
July 19, 2016
This series of books which take place around the time of the Peasant Revolt in England in 1381 is one of the most interesting series of books I have read. Being a history buff, I have read about this time from the purely factual side and found that Doherty captured the mood of the times with his main character Athelstan not only deep into the intrigue of a murder, but also observant of what the social situation was and how the noble class and clergy dealt with this.
This book deals with several deaths that occur as an Italian group of priests come to England with the purpose of canonizing the late King Edward II. Athelstan has to reopen the circumstances of that time, while witnessing the tumult of the present King Richard's face off with the leaders of the Peasant's Revolt.
It was highly entertaining and factually interesting. I highly recommend it.
This book deals with several deaths that occur as an Italian group of priests come to England with the purpose of canonizing the late King Edward II. Athelstan has to reopen the circumstances of that time, while witnessing the tumult of the present King Richard's face off with the leaders of the Peasant's Revolt.
It was highly entertaining and factually interesting. I highly recommend it.
January 14, 2021
Excellent read.
December 29, 2018
This exciting medieval murder mystery is the 16th volume of the wonderful and thrilling "Brother Athelstan" series, this being also one of my favourite series along with the "Hugh Corbett" series.
The historical details are as ever very well explained within the historical note at the beginning of the book, while at the end you'll find a well documented author's note concerning this story.
Story-telling is as always of a top-notch quality, for the author keeps you spellbound from beginning till the end with his excellent and entertaining way in picturing the scenes and brutalities in London at this particular time of history.
All the characters involved within this tale come vividly to life, whether they are real or fictional, especially besides the main character Brother Athelstan the famous Sir John (Jack) Cranston, who's the King's Lord Coroner of London, as well as the parishioners of St Erconwald's in Southwark, and not to forget Prior Anselm of the Monastery of Blackfriars.
The story itself begins in June, AD 1381, when the Regent, John of Gaunt, has left London and gone to the Scottish Marches under the pretence of fighting the Scots, and so leaving his nephew, the boy-King Richard II, unprotected against the gathering rebel armies of peasants.
At the same time Brother Athelstan is summoned to the Monastery of Blackfriars to investigate and solve the murder of Brother Alberic, who was found stabbed to death in his locked chamber, because this murder is somehow connected with an occurrence that happened fifty-four years earlier.
What will follow is an intriguing murder mystery where the murder of Brother Alberic and the fate of the King's great-grandfather, King Edward II, are intertwined with each other, and while Brother Athelstan, with the help of Sir John Cranston, digs deeper into this murky world of deceit and death that his life will also come under threat while trying to unravel and expose those past secrets and combining these with the present dangers.
Highly recommended, for this is certainly "Another Great Brother Athelstan Medieval Mystery"!
The historical details are as ever very well explained within the historical note at the beginning of the book, while at the end you'll find a well documented author's note concerning this story.
Story-telling is as always of a top-notch quality, for the author keeps you spellbound from beginning till the end with his excellent and entertaining way in picturing the scenes and brutalities in London at this particular time of history.
All the characters involved within this tale come vividly to life, whether they are real or fictional, especially besides the main character Brother Athelstan the famous Sir John (Jack) Cranston, who's the King's Lord Coroner of London, as well as the parishioners of St Erconwald's in Southwark, and not to forget Prior Anselm of the Monastery of Blackfriars.
The story itself begins in June, AD 1381, when the Regent, John of Gaunt, has left London and gone to the Scottish Marches under the pretence of fighting the Scots, and so leaving his nephew, the boy-King Richard II, unprotected against the gathering rebel armies of peasants.
At the same time Brother Athelstan is summoned to the Monastery of Blackfriars to investigate and solve the murder of Brother Alberic, who was found stabbed to death in his locked chamber, because this murder is somehow connected with an occurrence that happened fifty-four years earlier.
What will follow is an intriguing murder mystery where the murder of Brother Alberic and the fate of the King's great-grandfather, King Edward II, are intertwined with each other, and while Brother Athelstan, with the help of Sir John Cranston, digs deeper into this murky world of deceit and death that his life will also come under threat while trying to unravel and expose those past secrets and combining these with the present dangers.
Highly recommended, for this is certainly "Another Great Brother Athelstan Medieval Mystery"!
July 20, 2016
Death, disorder and disappointments!
'The Great Slaughter', that's how Athelstan refers to the Peasants Revolt of 1831. Wat Tyler, John Bull, the Upright men, the Earthworms, plots and counterplots, all are grist for the mill in this latest mystery that sets Athelstan's brain afire and heart pounding.
Brother Athelstan has been called away from his flock at an untimely hour to Blackfriars Monastry to solve a murder. Athelstan fears for his parishioners of St Erconwald's. Many are deeply mired in the revolt and Athelstan wants to protect them.
At Grefriars he finds a slain brother, Alberic, who has been investigating the possible canonization of Edward II, the current king's great grandfather. Secrets of this past are trespassers upon the plots of now.
Aspects of the revolt Brother Athelstan describes recall scenes from Dantes Inferno or the pictures of Hironymous Bosch. The revolt is vivid and brutal. The atmosphere is taught. Men and women are dying cruelly as neighbour turns on neighbour. All is chaos and anarchy.
Brother Athelstan is in the thick of things. More murders are occurring inside the walls of the monastry, targets are those investigating Edward II.
But then Athelstan receives more disturbing news. His parishioners have disappeared.
His old friend Sir John Cranston is by his side, assisting Athelstan whilst ever conscious of his duty to his King and London, both he is sworn to protect.
Athelstan is troubled on many fronts. The Revolt, the safety of his parishioners; in particular one old fleming woman who's meanderings take on new meaning. Devilish murders and old treacheries collide as those deaths reach back into the past effecting the now and future.
Once more, an 'oh so' descriptive and fabulously masterful read, steeped in history, from Dougherty!
A NetGalley ARC
'The Great Slaughter', that's how Athelstan refers to the Peasants Revolt of 1831. Wat Tyler, John Bull, the Upright men, the Earthworms, plots and counterplots, all are grist for the mill in this latest mystery that sets Athelstan's brain afire and heart pounding.
Brother Athelstan has been called away from his flock at an untimely hour to Blackfriars Monastry to solve a murder. Athelstan fears for his parishioners of St Erconwald's. Many are deeply mired in the revolt and Athelstan wants to protect them.
At Grefriars he finds a slain brother, Alberic, who has been investigating the possible canonization of Edward II, the current king's great grandfather. Secrets of this past are trespassers upon the plots of now.
Aspects of the revolt Brother Athelstan describes recall scenes from Dantes Inferno or the pictures of Hironymous Bosch. The revolt is vivid and brutal. The atmosphere is taught. Men and women are dying cruelly as neighbour turns on neighbour. All is chaos and anarchy.
Brother Athelstan is in the thick of things. More murders are occurring inside the walls of the monastry, targets are those investigating Edward II.
But then Athelstan receives more disturbing news. His parishioners have disappeared.
His old friend Sir John Cranston is by his side, assisting Athelstan whilst ever conscious of his duty to his King and London, both he is sworn to protect.
Athelstan is troubled on many fronts. The Revolt, the safety of his parishioners; in particular one old fleming woman who's meanderings take on new meaning. Devilish murders and old treacheries collide as those deaths reach back into the past effecting the now and future.
Once more, an 'oh so' descriptive and fabulously masterful read, steeped in history, from Dougherty!
A NetGalley ARC
December 8, 2022
A reread for me.
A great take on an important event in English History.
It shows, us much depends on, who is telling the story in a historical retelling.
Doherty did a wonderful job and my sympathies did lay with those poor people who rose up only to die or have life much harder.
Interesting side story to do with the death of Edward II, who history does not remember kindly.
On my first reading I also read Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II, by Paul Doherty, which provides a great complement.
A master story teller at work again.
Well written and researched.
A great take on an important event in English History.
It shows, us much depends on, who is telling the story in a historical retelling.
Doherty did a wonderful job and my sympathies did lay with those poor people who rose up only to die or have life much harder.
Interesting side story to do with the death of Edward II, who history does not remember kindly.
On my first reading I also read Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II, by Paul Doherty, which provides a great complement.
A master story teller at work again.
Well written and researched.
March 3, 2023
This has all the usual Brother Athelstan tropes but turned up to 11. There is a locked room murder in a tense, violent, smelly London awash with fear and treasonous plots, court intrigue and eccentric parishioners. (The lovely widow Benedicta gets a larger part this time, though she and A are as chaste as ever). For the last few books we've seen London grow closer and closer to boiling point and the compassionate and wise Athelstan has grown increasingly anxious about the impending popular revolt. Now it all comes to a violent, messy, and historically accurate consummation, exacerbated by a nasty minded murderer killing Dominicans and obsessed with the fate of a long dead king.
Very good, but absolutely not the book to start the series with.
Very good, but absolutely not the book to start the series with.
April 30, 2020
Love this series,brilliant historical murder mystery
December 16, 2022
Did not like book. I didn't like any of the characters and the ending was unrealistc
June 9, 2016
I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Severn House, Crème de la Crime.
FINALLY, finally, finally -- the great peasant revolt of 1381 has happened. How many books has it taken for this incredibly short time of social upheaval to now be in our rearview mirror as readers of the Brother Athelstan novels? I was beginning to wonder if author Paul Doherty was going to make me wade through this historic even one day per book. But, no, it has come in this novel and is over all except for the future references to it as an event in the past in the lives of all the residents of Southwark in particular.
So, these novels are mysteries, right? And mysteries usually involve a murder which the main character has to solve. Okay, but why in the world was Brother Athelstan made (by the author) to "solve" a mystery from fifty years in the past instead of something which had just happened? It felt as if the book was two novels with distinctly different plots; one regarding the revolt and one regarding Edward II. A delegation had arrived in London just as it was about to erupt into flames and rampaging revolution (I would be asking my travel agent for a refund on my bookings, I can tell you!) to investigate the circumstances around the death of Edward II which will clear the way for the formal opening process of his beatification and canonization. As this process gets underway there is the murder of one of the Brothers in the delegation. By resolving the questions surrounding Edward II this and other deaths are explained. However, don't think that the solution presented here is the only accepted accounting. The author states in his Author's Note that this version of a solution is based on his own non-fiction novel and the research he did for that book.
The exposition for the Edward II question was the longest I have ever read, between 20% and 25% of the novel. If I had not already been almost positive before this exposition began, my idea was proven correct within the first few sentences when Brother Athelstan began to explain his investigations. And then it just went on and one and on and culminated with a very unsatisfactory punishment description.
I like the Brother Athelstan novels when he is dealing with his own parishioners and involved in his priestly duties around Southwark and St. Erconwald church with forays outside this vicinity to work with Sir John Cranston, Lord High Coroner of the City, to solve murders. I can only hope that is the direction these novels will once more take. If not, I may have just read my last novel in this series.
FINALLY, finally, finally -- the great peasant revolt of 1381 has happened. How many books has it taken for this incredibly short time of social upheaval to now be in our rearview mirror as readers of the Brother Athelstan novels? I was beginning to wonder if author Paul Doherty was going to make me wade through this historic even one day per book. But, no, it has come in this novel and is over all except for the future references to it as an event in the past in the lives of all the residents of Southwark in particular.
So, these novels are mysteries, right? And mysteries usually involve a murder which the main character has to solve. Okay, but why in the world was Brother Athelstan made (by the author) to "solve" a mystery from fifty years in the past instead of something which had just happened? It felt as if the book was two novels with distinctly different plots; one regarding the revolt and one regarding Edward II. A delegation had arrived in London just as it was about to erupt into flames and rampaging revolution (I would be asking my travel agent for a refund on my bookings, I can tell you!) to investigate the circumstances around the death of Edward II which will clear the way for the formal opening process of his beatification and canonization. As this process gets underway there is the murder of one of the Brothers in the delegation. By resolving the questions surrounding Edward II this and other deaths are explained. However, don't think that the solution presented here is the only accepted accounting. The author states in his Author's Note that this version of a solution is based on his own non-fiction novel and the research he did for that book.
The exposition for the Edward II question was the longest I have ever read, between 20% and 25% of the novel. If I had not already been almost positive before this exposition began, my idea was proven correct within the first few sentences when Brother Athelstan began to explain his investigations. And then it just went on and one and on and culminated with a very unsatisfactory punishment description.
I like the Brother Athelstan novels when he is dealing with his own parishioners and involved in his priestly duties around Southwark and St. Erconwald church with forays outside this vicinity to work with Sir John Cranston, Lord High Coroner of the City, to solve murders. I can only hope that is the direction these novels will once more take. If not, I may have just read my last novel in this series.
October 10, 2016
How Wat Tyler finally meets his comeuppance!!
This is the sixteenth in a series of medieval mysteries involving the unwilling sleuth, Brother Athelstan. It involves one of the great events of the 14th century when King Richard the Second finally confronts the leadership of The Great Community of the Realm and Wat Tyler. History has told us how the rebels are defeated but what is not common knowledge is Richard’s wish to make his great grandfather Edward the Second a saint and to that end, Matteo Freschi and his cohorts have been sent from The Pope to investigate and begin proceedings for the deification, 54 years after the King’s murder.
Athestan is asked to come to Blackfriars when a fellow Brother Alberic is found stabbed to death in a locked chamber. As he begins to investigate more murders happen and the mystery of Richard The Second’s death is uncovered. Did he really get murdered and buried in Berkely Castle or did he escape? The answer to these questions could also impact on whether Richard was a suitable person for canonisation and could lead to further problems involving the current Pope and a rival wishing to become the Pope.
Athelstan himself becomes a possible victim and needs to unravel the murders and why they are happening in order to preserve his own life.
I quite enjoyed reading this book but, as is often the case found it difficult to really get into the characters as I had no prior knowledge of the previous novels. I had never heard of the possibility that Richard had escaped and not been murdered which was quite an interesting concept but the actual story involving Athelstan did not really interest me and from my point of view I found the actual parts relating to English history more enjoyable.
Dexter
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
This is the sixteenth in a series of medieval mysteries involving the unwilling sleuth, Brother Athelstan. It involves one of the great events of the 14th century when King Richard the Second finally confronts the leadership of The Great Community of the Realm and Wat Tyler. History has told us how the rebels are defeated but what is not common knowledge is Richard’s wish to make his great grandfather Edward the Second a saint and to that end, Matteo Freschi and his cohorts have been sent from The Pope to investigate and begin proceedings for the deification, 54 years after the King’s murder.
Athestan is asked to come to Blackfriars when a fellow Brother Alberic is found stabbed to death in a locked chamber. As he begins to investigate more murders happen and the mystery of Richard The Second’s death is uncovered. Did he really get murdered and buried in Berkely Castle or did he escape? The answer to these questions could also impact on whether Richard was a suitable person for canonisation and could lead to further problems involving the current Pope and a rival wishing to become the Pope.
Athelstan himself becomes a possible victim and needs to unravel the murders and why they are happening in order to preserve his own life.
I quite enjoyed reading this book but, as is often the case found it difficult to really get into the characters as I had no prior knowledge of the previous novels. I had never heard of the possibility that Richard had escaped and not been murdered which was quite an interesting concept but the actual story involving Athelstan did not really interest me and from my point of view I found the actual parts relating to English history more enjoyable.
Dexter
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
April 15, 2016
I am a huge fan of this series and have read (and in some cases reread) every Brother Athelstan mystery; most I have enjoyed immensely, but a few entries have suffered from slow or uneven plotting and repetitive dialogue. I'm afraid I found this to be one of those books.
Perhaps the buildup to the Peasant Revolt of 1381 went on too long and Doherty wasn't sure how to deliver; I don't know how else to account for the tenuous and rather unsatisfactory connection between the Revolt and the murder of Edward II. The author even references his own non-fiction book on the subject, which I have read as I am a history buff and a fan of Doherty's. I would have thought the exciting and terrifying days of the Revolt would have lent themselves to plenty of plot devices, so I don't know why Doherty decided to reach back to Edward II's mysterious death; I would've thought it would hardly be a priority or concern in the middle of a bloody revolt with London burning!
The plot picked up and became exciting when Athelstan and the great Sir Jack Cranston were fighting their way around London and dealing with the Earthworms and Wat Tyler and trying to protect the young King Richard and his party, and then slowed to a glacial pace again as they sat around Blackfriars Priory discussing a fifty-year old mystery. It was jarring and strange, and I actually spotted the murderers about halfway through, when Athelstan himself says he is beginning to get a glimmer of an idea - and I was right! Not very satisfying, though, when several murders are treated as almost an afterthought.
Ah, well, I still usually love Doherty's writing and his ability to draw me into the long-disappeared world of medieval London, so I eagerly await his upcoming books in this and the Hugh Corbett series.
Perhaps the buildup to the Peasant Revolt of 1381 went on too long and Doherty wasn't sure how to deliver; I don't know how else to account for the tenuous and rather unsatisfactory connection between the Revolt and the murder of Edward II. The author even references his own non-fiction book on the subject, which I have read as I am a history buff and a fan of Doherty's. I would have thought the exciting and terrifying days of the Revolt would have lent themselves to plenty of plot devices, so I don't know why Doherty decided to reach back to Edward II's mysterious death; I would've thought it would hardly be a priority or concern in the middle of a bloody revolt with London burning!
The plot picked up and became exciting when Athelstan and the great Sir Jack Cranston were fighting their way around London and dealing with the Earthworms and Wat Tyler and trying to protect the young King Richard and his party, and then slowed to a glacial pace again as they sat around Blackfriars Priory discussing a fifty-year old mystery. It was jarring and strange, and I actually spotted the murderers about halfway through, when Athelstan himself says he is beginning to get a glimmer of an idea - and I was right! Not very satisfying, though, when several murders are treated as almost an afterthought.
Ah, well, I still usually love Doherty's writing and his ability to draw me into the long-disappeared world of medieval London, so I eagerly await his upcoming books in this and the Hugh Corbett series.
October 4, 2021
Murder to its fullest!!!
Change, hate, uncontrolled rage, how do people control all this rage in their minds. They can't, they live, breath an walk this paths for days, months and years tell it takes control of your while being. You bring others in to this world that you see. So now you want to destroy all those with the control of your life.. But remember when you go after your foe with such hate it's not only them that will suffer. Family an friends with there wife's and children are in danger as well. So wrongs need to be righted an some can't be righted at all. So violence is the only way you see an feel that will fix all. It may not work out like you want, you turn on each other as well. You kill an murder in the most vile way you know how, a eye for a eye!!!!! All this evil is happening beyond the walls of the Blackfriars walls. The Earthworms an the Upright Men are going after the rich nobles an the crown. But Athelstan has his hands full digging in to the past of Edward|| weather he was killed in prison or was he rescued. But then the Brother's are being murdered one by one at a time. When Jack Cranston returns after he ends the violence with the young king he helps Athelstan come to the conclusion of the mystery at Blackfriars. A Damn fine exciting read.
Change, hate, uncontrolled rage, how do people control all this rage in their minds. They can't, they live, breath an walk this paths for days, months and years tell it takes control of your while being. You bring others in to this world that you see. So now you want to destroy all those with the control of your life.. But remember when you go after your foe with such hate it's not only them that will suffer. Family an friends with there wife's and children are in danger as well. So wrongs need to be righted an some can't be righted at all. So violence is the only way you see an feel that will fix all. It may not work out like you want, you turn on each other as well. You kill an murder in the most vile way you know how, a eye for a eye!!!!! All this evil is happening beyond the walls of the Blackfriars walls. The Earthworms an the Upright Men are going after the rich nobles an the crown. But Athelstan has his hands full digging in to the past of Edward|| weather he was killed in prison or was he rescued. But then the Brother's are being murdered one by one at a time. When Jack Cranston returns after he ends the violence with the young king he helps Athelstan come to the conclusion of the mystery at Blackfriars. A Damn fine exciting read.
May 31, 2016
I received a free copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Full disclosure: this is the first Athelstan mystery I've read, so I'm not approaching this book as an avowed fan.
This is a well-written historical crime novel with perhaps an unusual amount of actual history spicing up the murder mystery, due to the fact that the author is also a semi-professional popular historian of the time in which the novel takes place. As is often the case with amateur scholars writing about this period, Doherty buys into Shakespeare's history plays a little too much; the peasants of the Peasants' Revolt may not have ALL been evil louts seeking to overturn the monarchy for their own brutal amusement. They may in fact have had real reason to feel like, you know, feudalism wasn't quite treating 90% of the country right. Just a thought.
But the plot is revealed at a good pace, and the historical mystery of Edward II is a genuinely good one, even though perhaps Doherty's "solution" is a little batty.
Full disclosure: this is the first Athelstan mystery I've read, so I'm not approaching this book as an avowed fan.
This is a well-written historical crime novel with perhaps an unusual amount of actual history spicing up the murder mystery, due to the fact that the author is also a semi-professional popular historian of the time in which the novel takes place. As is often the case with amateur scholars writing about this period, Doherty buys into Shakespeare's history plays a little too much; the peasants of the Peasants' Revolt may not have ALL been evil louts seeking to overturn the monarchy for their own brutal amusement. They may in fact have had real reason to feel like, you know, feudalism wasn't quite treating 90% of the country right. Just a thought.
But the plot is revealed at a good pace, and the historical mystery of Edward II is a genuinely good one, even though perhaps Doherty's "solution" is a little batty.
May 24, 2017
The Great Revolt is the 16th Brother Athelstan novel. The story revolves around the Peasants Revolt which has been building up for a while. The second plot surrounds the mysterious death of Edward II. As usual Doherty weaves such a evocative mediaeval tale. A story full of intrigue, Doherty just makes the period come alive on the page. For the keen eyed or astute reader there's even a chance the solve the mystery yourself all the clues are as usual in plain sight. A very clever whodunit and a great way the enjoy a few hours in 14th century!
July 3, 2018
Barbara Tuchman called the 14th century “calamitous” and this book certainly presents that view of London during the peasants’ revolt of 1381 led by Wat Tyler. This is not the revolt that inspired Shakespeare’s quote about killing all the lawyers, but lots of foreigners and lawyers are brutally murdered as it explodes. Brother Athelstan, however, is charged with solving the locked-room murder of a fellow brother, who is involved with an investigation instigated by the king, Richard II, into the possible sainthood of his ancestor, Edward II. Anyone familiar with Shakespeare and Marlowe knows that neither of these kings were viewed as saintly or even very intelligent. Authentically and gruesomely medieval.
November 24, 2024
the issue that I have here is that a similar issue and solution was rendered as per earlier series which basically sets things back i.e. I dislike it.
Secondly, I wished that Sir John would play a bigger role in solving the mystery - after all isn't he a coroner? Must he always be the one to take for granted that out dear Brother will solve the issue?
So why the rating of 4? coz the historical facts are there and Doherty cleverly described for us in a way that wasn't boring. In fact, everything is interesting save what I mentioned about the problem and solution.
Oh well, onto the next book
Secondly, I wished that Sir John would play a bigger role in solving the mystery - after all isn't he a coroner? Must he always be the one to take for granted that out dear Brother will solve the issue?
So why the rating of 4? coz the historical facts are there and Doherty cleverly described for us in a way that wasn't boring. In fact, everything is interesting save what I mentioned about the problem and solution.
Oh well, onto the next book
May 17, 2025
The Great Revolt
The Peasant revolt, Wat Tyler's rebellion or the Summer of Blood has been discussed in other histories. This story revolves around the death of Edward II. Dominican priests and a few others die in mysterious and deadly circumstances. While the streets of London burn and hundreds of people are murdered, Athelstan must solve the murders in Blackfriars and survive attempts on his life. I enjoyed the story as it takes place during a time of danger and death.
The Peasant revolt, Wat Tyler's rebellion or the Summer of Blood has been discussed in other histories. This story revolves around the death of Edward II. Dominican priests and a few others die in mysterious and deadly circumstances. While the streets of London burn and hundreds of people are murdered, Athelstan must solve the murders in Blackfriars and survive attempts on his life. I enjoyed the story as it takes place during a time of danger and death.
December 23, 2018
Ce livre m'a laissée mitigée. Je lui ai trouvé des longueurs par moment et je pensais qu'il allait y avoir une enquête à l'intérieur de la ville de Londres, tel que le quatrième de couverture avait été rédigé (et non dans l'abbaye). J'ai aussi trouvé que les descriptions manquaient parfois de corps.
June 15, 2019
Fabulous
I know that when I pick up a book, or on my kindle, and the author is Paul Doherty, that I am in for a treat, he never fails to keep it so very interesting, on many levels,a thoroughly good read
I know that when I pick up a book, or on my kindle, and the author is Paul Doherty, that I am in for a treat, he never fails to keep it so very interesting, on many levels,a thoroughly good read
March 18, 2022
Historical fiction
I truly love reading historical fiction/mysteries. The facts are present but submerged in fiction. The Brother Athelstan Medieval Mystery series is a great read and I recommend it fully 😃
Enjoy!
I truly love reading historical fiction/mysteries. The facts are present but submerged in fiction. The Brother Athelstan Medieval Mystery series is a great read and I recommend it fully 😃
Enjoy!
February 5, 2023
Would have been better if had started with the first of the series. Took a while to get into the period and all the characters. The relationship between Athelstan's regular sidekicks was not clear -- at first anyway.
November 12, 2023
Excellent mystery set in a horrifying time
Fascinating read but deeply disturbing. I would have preferred far less repetition of the misery, but maybe we all need to be reminded about what life was really like so we can spend a few more moments being grateful.
Fascinating read but deeply disturbing. I would have preferred far less repetition of the misery, but maybe we all need to be reminded about what life was really like so we can spend a few more moments being grateful.
February 18, 2017
about as bad a mystery as I would actually finish. Poorly plotted etc.
August 25, 2018
Edward || Mystery
I Love this story. I’ve always been intrigued by the mystery surrounding the death of Edward II and this tale is fascinating
I Love this story. I’ve always been intrigued by the mystery surrounding the death of Edward II and this tale is fascinating
May 9, 2019
Always good, although this one was quite grizzly.
December 23, 2020
Fiction vs. History
I love history in fiction and admire the talent that can join them. Athelstan and Cranston are a believable duo.
I love history in fiction and admire the talent that can join them. Athelstan and Cranston are a believable duo.
December 16, 2022
The melding of the mystery with the revolt didn't quite do it for me, but I might try another of these at some point.
October 16, 2023
Twisting and turning whirlwind of events that take the breath away. And then to find that much of the outlying story is based on fact is truly mind bending!
March 13, 2024
We find Brother Athelstan alive and well during the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 but sequestered - more or less - behind the Priory of the Blackfriars as the city is ravaged. The story is full of the classic locked room mysteries as well as questions about what really happened 50+ years before at the abdication and purported death of Edward II. The young King Richard II wants a saint in his family so is agitating for the canonization of his great-grandfather, E II. Rome has sent some Dominicans to seek out the truth of what happened at Berkeley Castle in 1327: did Edward escape or was he killed and then buried with great pomp in Gloucester Cathedral? All the death and mayhem takes place against the backdrop of actual historical events to which, Doherty has made Athelstan and Sir John witness. His descriptions of the violent and bloody deaths of Hailes, Sudbury, Leggett and others are vivid and disturbing but well within Doherty’s usual no-holds-barred descriptions of the filth and degradation of the people living in London. The solution to the locked-room puzzles seemed a bit of a stretch to me but not to where I dismissed the whole premise.
I can thoroughly recommend this book, as I do all the Sorrowful Mysteries Of Brother Athelstan, as a really good, gripping read.
I can thoroughly recommend this book, as I do all the Sorrowful Mysteries Of Brother Athelstan, as a really good, gripping read.
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