What do you think?
Rate this book
The Masked Man
In his latest historical mystery, Doherty ( The Fate of Princes ) tackles the story of the Man in the Iron Mask, a prisoner of such political consequence that Louis XIV of France ordered him locked away, forbidden to speak to anyone and condemned forever to wear a mask to hide his identity. (Dumas pere turned this actual historical incident into the famous novel.) Here, both Louis and the mysterious prisoner are dead when Ralph Croft, master forger, is plucked from the Bastille and enlisted by the French regent to determine the masked man's identity. Working with murderous musketeer D'Estrivet and royal archivist Maurepas, he uncovers a web of intrigue that involves plots against the crown, the Knights Templar and a fallen finance minister. There are even occasional winking references to those other famous Dumas characters, the Three Musketeers. Doherty's exposition of the historical record is often clumsy, and he cannot resist letting Croft somewhat anachronistically ponder the fate of the ancien regime. Still, it's all good fun--even if the author's tongue is planted firmly in his cheek.
174 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
9 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Paul Doherty
236 books606 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 5, 2022
Who is the man??
That was interesting to be sure. Doherty as always brings a tail to life that so many have told. One thing for sure of the Man in the Iron Mask, we will never know the " Who " !!!
That was interesting to be sure. Doherty as always brings a tail to life that so many have told. One thing for sure of the Man in the Iron Mask, we will never know the " Who " !!!
March 6, 2012
Originally published on my blog here in June 1998.
Ever since Alexandre Dumas wrote his classic novel, The Man in the Iron Mask, its subject has been one of the best known historical mysteries. Several of Doherty's early novels deal with such mysteries (the death of Alexander III of Scotland, for example), as did his Ph.D. thesis in medieval history (the murder of Edward II of England). In this case, he claims to have found new evidence to explain who the man actually was, and this is worked into the novel.
The story of the masked man is probably familiar enough. He was a prisoner in seventeenth century France, kept in a mask and forbidden to speak to (just about) any one, presumably so no one would know who he was. The mystery is basically to work out his identity, and why it was such a crucial secret.
The Masked Man is set about a century after the death of the prisoner. Ralph Croft is an English forger who has been sentenced to death in a French prison, only to be reprieved at the last moment. The relief brought by the reprieve is short-lived; Croft is visited by the Duke of Orleans, the regent of France and a man with a terrifying reputation. His pardon is conditional on an investigation into the story of the masked prisoner - whose identity even the French state no longer knows.
Croft joins two other men in his quest to find the truth. D'Estivet is a bullying, vicious man; Maurepas is quieter and more congenial (he also has a daughter of whom Croft becomes rather fond). One of them is seen fairly early on to be involved in a plot to overthrow the French government; Doherty brings in themes from a source I wouldn't expect a real historian to use, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail.
Perhaps this novel is one best viewed as coming before Doherty hit his stride; the Corbett and Athelstan novels are far better, and the medieval period is his main strength, whether he is writing as P.C. Doherty or Peter Haining.
Ever since Alexandre Dumas wrote his classic novel, The Man in the Iron Mask, its subject has been one of the best known historical mysteries. Several of Doherty's early novels deal with such mysteries (the death of Alexander III of Scotland, for example), as did his Ph.D. thesis in medieval history (the murder of Edward II of England). In this case, he claims to have found new evidence to explain who the man actually was, and this is worked into the novel.
The story of the masked man is probably familiar enough. He was a prisoner in seventeenth century France, kept in a mask and forbidden to speak to (just about) any one, presumably so no one would know who he was. The mystery is basically to work out his identity, and why it was such a crucial secret.
The Masked Man is set about a century after the death of the prisoner. Ralph Croft is an English forger who has been sentenced to death in a French prison, only to be reprieved at the last moment. The relief brought by the reprieve is short-lived; Croft is visited by the Duke of Orleans, the regent of France and a man with a terrifying reputation. His pardon is conditional on an investigation into the story of the masked prisoner - whose identity even the French state no longer knows.
Croft joins two other men in his quest to find the truth. D'Estivet is a bullying, vicious man; Maurepas is quieter and more congenial (he also has a daughter of whom Croft becomes rather fond). One of them is seen fairly early on to be involved in a plot to overthrow the French government; Doherty brings in themes from a source I wouldn't expect a real historian to use, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail.
Perhaps this novel is one best viewed as coming before Doherty hit his stride; the Corbett and Athelstan novels are far better, and the medieval period is his main strength, whether he is writing as P.C. Doherty or Peter Haining.
March 10, 2010
A thoroughly enjoyable take on the true identity of the legendary Man in the Iron Mask. Doherty has created a fast paced historical mystery set in the time after the death of the Masked Man, which follows an English forger, Ralph Croft, the not so nice Musketeer D'Estrivet and the ellusive archivist Maurepas. Each of these three men have a vested interest in finding the true identity of the Masked Man for various reasons some of which are clear from the outset while others are not so obvious. Doherty manages to balance the feeling of intrigue and mystery surrounding the prisoner and that surrounding each of the characters superbly and keeps the reader's attention throughout the book. Doherty has recreated early 18th Century France brilliantly and vividly through the eyes of Croft as he follows the trail of the Masked Man and through the varied and colourful characters he meets along the way. This is a fantastic fast paced page turner of a historical mystery and one that seems plausible even with the Templars making an appearance, which Doherty done with a subtle dash of irony. Highly enjoyable and well worth a read.
February 23, 2009
Author's take on who was the Man in the Iron Mask. Which I thought was very clever.
October 11, 2018
A fast paced novel that quickly gets to the meat of the story. It is an engaging read about a fascinating historical event.
December 14, 2020
Mr Doherty holds this reader captive!
An intriguing story to explain who might have been the man in the iron mask.
Artfully done. I loved the final line. A great read.
An intriguing story to explain who might have been the man in the iron mask.
Artfully done. I loved the final line. A great read.
June 16, 2022
Very clever
A true historical mystery? Has Paul Doherty solved it with this tale? He makes a convincing argument and it's up to you whether you believe it or not.
A true historical mystery? Has Paul Doherty solved it with this tale? He makes a convincing argument and it's up to you whether you believe it or not.
June 24, 2010
The man in the iron mask is an intriguing subject, and this slim historical mystery is more approachable than the famous treatment of the same story by Alexander Dumas. Moreover, P.C. Doherty knows his history, so this book rests on better research than any of the conspiracy-minded tripe that has done so much for novelist Dan Brown. Unfortunately, Doherty pays more attention to plot and scene than to character development. The narrator's sardonic tone and wandering ways hint at a checkered past, but although he tells us why he became a counterfeiter (forger) in France, we never really glimpse the soul of the 17th-century British expatriate who narrates the story. The archivist and soldier who accompany him most of the way are more cardboard than human (think of them as "Mr. Shrewd" and "Mr. Dangerous"). Only a secondary character, the unofficial boss of a Parisian slum, brims with life.
Similarly, the secret society in this novel, although based on fact, is not as efficient a plot engine as the secret societies in certain novels by David Morrell. Where medieval mystery is concerned, I'd put this book in the middle rank, meaning that it's worthwhile, but well below the craftsmanship of the Brother Cadfael stories written by Ellis Peters.
Similarly, the secret society in this novel, although based on fact, is not as efficient a plot engine as the secret societies in certain novels by David Morrell. Where medieval mystery is concerned, I'd put this book in the middle rank, meaning that it's worthwhile, but well below the craftsmanship of the Brother Cadfael stories written by Ellis Peters.
April 28, 2007
Can't remember this one either.
April 11, 2009
Made me read the Dumas 3 Muskateer Trilogy
August 4, 2015
A standalone historical mystery concerning the Man in the Iron Mask. An entertaining tale with an outstanding final page. Full review at http://classicmystery.wordpress.com
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews