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Hugh Corbett #13
Corpse Candle
The year is 1303, and the Benedictine monks of the abbey of St. Martin's-in-the-Marsh are accustomed to a comfortable existence within their sprawling, peaceful estate. But that begins to change when Abbot Stephen, a well-respected leader and a personal friend of King Edward I, is found brutally murdered in his chamber-with the door and windows locked from the inside. Soon Sir Hugh Corbett, Keeper of the King's Seal, arrives with his two henchmen to investigate.
Rumors about the ghost of robber baron Sir Geoffrey Mandeville riding through the Lincolnshire fens with a retinue of ghastly horsemen have been circulating by way of explanation; Mandeville's ghost is also thought to be responsible for the corpse candles glowing in the dark, supposedly forewarning men of their own deaths. But Corbett disregards the tales, suspecting that someone much closer to home is responsible for the bloody acts. As the mysterious death toll mounts, Corbett sets about unearthing the dark secrets that the abbey and its inhabitants have been hiding for far too long.
Rumors about the ghost of robber baron Sir Geoffrey Mandeville riding through the Lincolnshire fens with a retinue of ghastly horsemen have been circulating by way of explanation; Mandeville's ghost is also thought to be responsible for the corpse candles glowing in the dark, supposedly forewarning men of their own deaths. But Corbett disregards the tales, suspecting that someone much closer to home is responsible for the bloody acts. As the mysterious death toll mounts, Corbett sets about unearthing the dark secrets that the abbey and its inhabitants have been hiding for far too long.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
80 people are currently reading
359 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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
January 20, 2022
Read this book in 2010, and its the 13th volume of the excellent "Hugh Corbett" series.
This tale is set during the Reign of King Edward I, and this time the main territory of action will be in and around the Abbey of St Martin's-in-the-Marsh in Lincolnshire.
Over there the hordes of the robber baron Sir Geoffrey Mandeville are roaming the countryside looking for victims.
The monks pay them no heed, not even listen to the shrill blast of a hunting horn, or see the candles corpses glowing in the dark.
But when their Abbot Stephen is found murdered, who's a friend to the King, the keeper of the King's Seal, Hugh Corbett will arrive at the Abbey, and in determined attempt to put things right once and for all.
What is to follow is an intriguing and thrilling historical mystery, in which Hugh Corbett by using his wits and cunningly cuts this web of deceit and death one piece at the time, he will finally be able to reveal the culprit of the Abbot's death, and bring that person to justice.
Highly recommended, for this is another terrific addition to this awesome mystery series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Captivating Corpse Candle Mystery"!
This tale is set during the Reign of King Edward I, and this time the main territory of action will be in and around the Abbey of St Martin's-in-the-Marsh in Lincolnshire.
Over there the hordes of the robber baron Sir Geoffrey Mandeville are roaming the countryside looking for victims.
The monks pay them no heed, not even listen to the shrill blast of a hunting horn, or see the candles corpses glowing in the dark.
But when their Abbot Stephen is found murdered, who's a friend to the King, the keeper of the King's Seal, Hugh Corbett will arrive at the Abbey, and in determined attempt to put things right once and for all.
What is to follow is an intriguing and thrilling historical mystery, in which Hugh Corbett by using his wits and cunningly cuts this web of deceit and death one piece at the time, he will finally be able to reveal the culprit of the Abbot's death, and bring that person to justice.
Highly recommended, for this is another terrific addition to this awesome mystery series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Captivating Corpse Candle Mystery"!
April 13, 2021
Много добра книга. Малко почнах от края на поредицата,но сега ще започна отначало,защото тази ми хареса много,а и автора ми е любим от поредицата "Египетски загадки".
November 23, 2018
Oh, how I love reading (& watching) Hugh Corbett, Keeper of the King’s (Edward I) Seal solve a mystery! P. C. Doherty’s Corpse Candle (#13 of this series) is a mystery which has an incredible amount of violent deaths which occur at St. Martin’s-in-The-Marsh, a Benedictine abbey, in 1303. Sir Hugh arrives with his ‘henchman’, Ranulf-atte-Newgate, and Chanson, his ‘other henchman’ who cares for their horses. Abbot Stephen, a excellent leader of the abbey as well as a personal friend of Edward I, is discovered murdered in his locked chamber. In the Lincolnshire fens, the location of the abbey, rumors abound about the ‘ghost of robber baron Sir Geoffrey Mandeville and his ghastly horseman’, but did these paranormal entities kill Abbot Stephen? Sir Hugh is determined to find the truth, and with Ranulf and Chanson ‘having his back’, Sir High will solve this mystery, but after Sir Hugh and party arrive to settle in, another horrific murder of another monk is committed and then another! What are these monks hiding? Why was Abbot Stephen murdered? The answers will shock you! Sir Hugh’s handling of this mystery is brilliant! 5 stars!
March 21, 2011
Paul Doherty is an expert in the early 14th century stuff, his speciality being Edward II and Isabella of France, but his extensive knowledge is not shoved down the reader's neck. Instead he uses language and terminology to excellent effect not only to people his books, but also the settings. He brings alive the world of open sewers running down the middle of London streets, scenes of summary justice in the stocks and the sheer hardship of life for ordinary people, mixed with constant intrigues further up the social scale. He has the ability to pull the reader into that world.
I had made a conscious decision not to read anything in the medieval crime genre simply because I was writing about an alternate Tudor world. However, I became hooked on the Hugh Corbett books and in a matter of three weeks had swept through all of them.
Corpse Candle contains many themes prevalent in the Middle Ages. Eerie lights above marshes (corpse candles) were alleged to be spirits and demons, but were usually smugglers. One of Doherty's regular themes is the part played by abbeys and monasteries and this book begins with the murder of Abbot Stephen in dispute with his senior staff who want to demolish a tumulus and build a new guesthouse. When the abbot's body is discovered, Sir Hugh Corbett, Keeper of the King's Secret Seal is sent to investigate, together with his ex-convict colleague, Ranulf.
For anyone who likes a sound plot with characters that become almost like family, the Hugh Corbett books come highly recommended. Doherty writes with wit and an enviable ease with his period. He brings to life the world of the court of Edward I in his declining years, still foxy, still wily and still at loggerheads with Philip IV of France.
I had made a conscious decision not to read anything in the medieval crime genre simply because I was writing about an alternate Tudor world. However, I became hooked on the Hugh Corbett books and in a matter of three weeks had swept through all of them.
Corpse Candle contains many themes prevalent in the Middle Ages. Eerie lights above marshes (corpse candles) were alleged to be spirits and demons, but were usually smugglers. One of Doherty's regular themes is the part played by abbeys and monasteries and this book begins with the murder of Abbot Stephen in dispute with his senior staff who want to demolish a tumulus and build a new guesthouse. When the abbot's body is discovered, Sir Hugh Corbett, Keeper of the King's Secret Seal is sent to investigate, together with his ex-convict colleague, Ranulf.
For anyone who likes a sound plot with characters that become almost like family, the Hugh Corbett books come highly recommended. Doherty writes with wit and an enviable ease with his period. He brings to life the world of the court of Edward I in his declining years, still foxy, still wily and still at loggerheads with Philip IV of France.
December 4, 2021
Good wrk
Nice work Everything in it's place. But all is a lie. You can't change the past but you can atone for the past. But don't live in the past.Remember love is always stronger
Nice work Everything in it's place. But all is a lie. You can't change the past but you can atone for the past. But don't live in the past.Remember love is always stronger
June 7, 2014
This time Sir Hugh Corbett, Keeper of the King's Seal is sent by King Edward I to the abbey of St Martin's-in-the-Marsh to investigate the death of Abbot Stephen.
The death toll begins to escalate as the assassin murders other monks in the monastery and Hugh Corbett, Ranulf and Chanson investigate the killings whilst fending off threats to their own lives.
Doherty is able to create a creepy, cold and haunting atmosphere throughout the medieval mystery, with rumours of Sir Geoffrey Mandeville's ghost galloping through the fens and corpse candles glowing out in the marshes, which forewarn men of their own deaths.
Hugh Corbett arrives at the truth at the end, and all is revealed in the manner typical in this series. I enjoyed the character 'Brother Dunstan' the Treasurer for obvious reasons, and this was a good mystery. I'm slowly making my way to the end of the series, with this being the 13th in the series with 3 to go.
The death toll begins to escalate as the assassin murders other monks in the monastery and Hugh Corbett, Ranulf and Chanson investigate the killings whilst fending off threats to their own lives.
Doherty is able to create a creepy, cold and haunting atmosphere throughout the medieval mystery, with rumours of Sir Geoffrey Mandeville's ghost galloping through the fens and corpse candles glowing out in the marshes, which forewarn men of their own deaths.
Hugh Corbett arrives at the truth at the end, and all is revealed in the manner typical in this series. I enjoyed the character 'Brother Dunstan' the Treasurer for obvious reasons, and this was a good mystery. I'm slowly making my way to the end of the series, with this being the 13th in the series with 3 to go.
June 10, 2011
I really,really liked it!I knew that sir Steven has commited a suicide,but I couldn't believe that Perditus was actually the killer of the moncs.Really good book! :)
February 6, 2023
Don't read this all at once. Break up the books with little diversions, and don't read them back to back.
Why?
Because Doherty tells vividly realised tales of murder and intrigue that are elaborate and very carefully worked out, but tend to inhabit a handful of familiar themes. There are taverns in woods. These taverns have outlaws. There will probably be an ambush at some point! And etc....
I'm not being down on Doherty: I genuinely love his works and I've been reading them, off and on, for twenty five years. In fact, I'd say that the stories aquire power and layers from their density and familiarity, a certain claustrophobia which adds to the tension.
It was quite fun to hear a little more of Ranulph's back-story, and of his ambitions to climb the greasy pole of preferment.
Anyway, I'll get round to reading the next one sooner or later I'm sure. There's something familiar and reassuring in these well-put-together mysteries!
Why?
Because Doherty tells vividly realised tales of murder and intrigue that are elaborate and very carefully worked out, but tend to inhabit a handful of familiar themes. There are taverns in woods. These taverns have outlaws. There will probably be an ambush at some point! And etc....
I'm not being down on Doherty: I genuinely love his works and I've been reading them, off and on, for twenty five years. In fact, I'd say that the stories aquire power and layers from their density and familiarity, a certain claustrophobia which adds to the tension.
It was quite fun to hear a little more of Ranulph's back-story, and of his ambitions to climb the greasy pole of preferment.
Anyway, I'll get round to reading the next one sooner or later I'm sure. There's something familiar and reassuring in these well-put-together mysteries!
June 24, 2018
I am big fan of this series. Doherty is a master in creating the depressing and intriguing environment of early 14th century England and he packs in a lot of twists in his mysteries.
In Corpse Candle he goes back to his favorite device of multiple murders. The author is able to transport the reader to the dingy world of a medieval monastery where the murders take place. The ending is unexpected and I especially loved the "aha" moment when Corbett discovers significance of the wheel that is mentioned multiple times in this book.
Doherty didn't spend much time on characters in his early Corbett novels. Now he devotes more space to fleshing out Ranulf and his relation to Corbett. Ranulf is increasingly becoming his own man and I daresay a much more interesting character than Corbett himself.
In Corpse Candle he goes back to his favorite device of multiple murders. The author is able to transport the reader to the dingy world of a medieval monastery where the murders take place. The ending is unexpected and I especially loved the "aha" moment when Corbett discovers significance of the wheel that is mentioned multiple times in this book.
Doherty didn't spend much time on characters in his early Corbett novels. Now he devotes more space to fleshing out Ranulf and his relation to Corbett. Ranulf is increasingly becoming his own man and I daresay a much more interesting character than Corbett himself.
February 6, 2019
One would think monastic life to be peaceful; the brethren steeped in fraternal congenial life. Alas,life at St. Martin's in the Marsh includes deception, intrigue, death, and destruction.
Sir Hugh, Ranulf and Chanson travel to St. Martin to solve one murder. But the evil has just started.
Enjoyable read. Love the setting and characters.
Sir Hugh, Ranulf and Chanson travel to St. Martin to solve one murder. But the evil has just started.
Enjoyable read. Love the setting and characters.
March 3, 2018
The ending
Justified a bit of the long detail that was not necessary. I enjoy Corbut and the history of the times the author includes The weary rules and myths of religion followed due to ignorance open my eyes to some of those followed today.
Justified a bit of the long detail that was not necessary. I enjoy Corbut and the history of the times the author includes The weary rules and myths of religion followed due to ignorance open my eyes to some of those followed today.
November 21, 2018
Doherty's fiction writing has improved over the years. Granted the story was predictable, but it was fiction set in an historical setting as opposed to reading actual history with a little fiction thrown in.
May 18, 2020
Intriguing mystery with archaeological notes of early Roman occupation in this complex mystery that kept me guessing until the reveal. Fascinating look at early superstitions and customs that seem so archaic to us today, while expanding on history and motivations of each of the lead characters.
August 16, 2021
The monastery murders
There are a lot of deaths. None of them make sense until the end , where Hugh Corbett's logic brings it all together. The story is a fun read and keeps you guessing, from the first locked door mystery to the end.
There are a lot of deaths. None of them make sense until the end , where Hugh Corbett's logic brings it all together. The story is a fun read and keeps you guessing, from the first locked door mystery to the end.
October 27, 2022
It seemed like an unsolvable mystery at first but patterns started to emerge after more information poured in. Along the way, I learnt a bit about monastic life in a medieval abbey. Surprisingly, one of my hypotheses regarding the background of the main character proved correct.
June 28, 2017
Marvellous
Another great read. Keeps one guessing as the end draws near. Again, I read this as quickly as I could in order to read the end great read.
Another great read. Keeps one guessing as the end draws near. Again, I read this as quickly as I could in order to read the end great read.
August 3, 2017
A cracking good yarn . Now onto the next one .
June 19, 2020
An interesting read for my first medieval mystery novel.
Would like to read more of Doherty's works.
Would like to read more of Doherty's works.
May 17, 2010
Although this is a rather small and flimsy read, it took me forever to get through this as it completely failed to hold my interest whenever I picked it up. It was only on adding this to my goodreads account that I noticed that it is the 13th book in a series, and after reading it I am astounded that anyone would think that more than one was at all necessary. I certainly can't imagine an army of readers clamouring for more.
Most of the 'mystery' at the heart of this book was glaringly apparent from the very beginning, especially with regard to the Abbott and Lady Harcourt, and any idiot could have told you how the Abbott died at first glance. The perpetrator of the rest of the murders was only a surprise in that certain 'facts' which helped Sir Hugh come to his conclusion weren't actually revealed until he had his final Poirot moment.
This one goes straight into the unwanted book box at work, with a warning to my fellow bookworms not to bother wasting precious reading time on it.
Most of the 'mystery' at the heart of this book was glaringly apparent from the very beginning, especially with regard to the Abbott and Lady Harcourt, and any idiot could have told you how the Abbott died at first glance. The perpetrator of the rest of the murders was only a surprise in that certain 'facts' which helped Sir Hugh come to his conclusion weren't actually revealed until he had his final Poirot moment.
This one goes straight into the unwanted book box at work, with a warning to my fellow bookworms not to bother wasting precious reading time on it.
September 15, 2014
I have enjoyed each of the PC Doherty medieval mysteries so far, and each builds well on the previous without requiring reading all of the series. Instead of a sequence of books, each is simply another story set in the same time period with the same characters, but is a stand alone book; I prefer this kind of approach.
In this book, the dauntless and brilliant Hugh Corbett and his assistants face a monastery in dread peril, and as murder after murder piles up, the mystery becomes even less clear. Although this story is not based specifically on any one medieval event or legend as previous books have been, it does closely examine life in a Benedictine Monestary during the rule of King Edward Longshanks.
Doherty blends creepy settings and events well with homey details and life in a medieval time, resulting in a pleasant, suspenseful read.
In this book, the dauntless and brilliant Hugh Corbett and his assistants face a monastery in dread peril, and as murder after murder piles up, the mystery becomes even less clear. Although this story is not based specifically on any one medieval event or legend as previous books have been, it does closely examine life in a Benedictine Monestary during the rule of King Edward Longshanks.
Doherty blends creepy settings and events well with homey details and life in a medieval time, resulting in a pleasant, suspenseful read.
June 8, 2021
Who'd be a monk?
When you look at how many authors right stories of monks who are less than holy it makes you wonder why anyone would want to become one. To be fair the perpetrator in this book isn't actually a monk, though he kills a fair few before he's done! And it is another cracking read from one of the best writers of medieval mysteries.
When you look at how many authors right stories of monks who are less than holy it makes you wonder why anyone would want to become one. To be fair the perpetrator in this book isn't actually a monk, though he kills a fair few before he's done! And it is another cracking read from one of the best writers of medieval mysteries.
June 18, 2014
It's been awhile since I read this book. I see it has gotten some mixed reviews. This is a nice light read, and while I'm not usually into murder-mysteries, this one was fast-paced enough and filled with enough subtle twists and turns it kept my attention. I suggest this book (you don't have to read the others in the series to know what's going on), and would definitely read other books by this author if given the chance!
November 10, 2022
I love the monks
May 6, 2012
Another winner in this excellent series. Perhaps if Justice was as swift in this day and age , we wouldnt be faced with ever increasing costs of keeping criminals whilst the legal trade got fat on fees for technical appeals. Ranulf-atte-Newgate for Home Secretary.
August 19, 2012
Some interesting character relationships, especially between Hugh and Ranulf his assistant, but the main appeal of this one was the monastery setting. I'm enjoying Doherty enough to try one of his ancient Egyptian mysteries, I think.
January 28, 2014
Not as boring as I thought it might have been.
Indeed, it kept me engrossed throughout. Didn't guess who did it until about a few pages from the end.
This book is way on in the series featuring Sir Hugh Corbett and his fellows. It can (as I did) read as a standalone novel.
Shall look for more.
Indeed, it kept me engrossed throughout. Didn't guess who did it until about a few pages from the end.
This book is way on in the series featuring Sir Hugh Corbett and his fellows. It can (as I did) read as a standalone novel.
Shall look for more.
September 21, 2016
Couldn't pass page 40 - I thought I had read it before because it sounded very much like Samsom's Dissolution. There is not much historic background in Doherty's. I hope his other book I own, the one about the robbery of 1303, is better...
July 13, 2010
Set in 1303 England in the reign of Edward I. Murder comes to the monastery. Beware of anyone wearing a cowl since you never know who it might be.
June 22, 2008
I really like this series, and wish they were not so hard to find.
July 26, 2008
Average or slightly less - the voice didn't "ring" as very medieval to me. However, it was a free book, so all's well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews