Corpse Candle [Hardcover]

Paul Doherty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2001

The brothers of the abbey of St Martin's-in-the-Marsh pay little heed to the tales of robber baron Sir Geoffrey Mandeville's ghost galloping through the Lincolnshire fens with a retinue of ghastly horseman. They may hear the shrill blast of a hunting horn, or see the corpse candles glowing in the dark, but their comfortable life is protected by a high wall and their powerful abbot. Until Abbot Stephen, a friend of the King, is found dead and Sir Hugh Corbett, Keeper of the King's Seal, arrives to investigate.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Abbot Stephen of St.-Martin's-in-the-Marsh is found stabbed to death, and because he is a particular friend of the king, Sir Hugh Corbett (The Demon Archer), Keeper of the King's Seal, arrives to discover the killer. Tension mounts as monk after monk meets a grisly death, and the resolution is thoroughly satisfying. A good purchase for most collections.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Sir Hugh Corbett, keeper of the king's seal, finds that the monastery at St. Martin's-in-the-Marsh is anything but a peaceful sanctuary in the woods. He is there to investigate the death of Abbot Stephen, a former knight who took holy orders. Bandits hide in the surrounding forests and marshes, and the locals think that the ghost of robber chieftain Geoffrey Mandeville haunts the area. Sir Hugh soon learns that the monks are engaged in a bitter power struggle over land that may contain holy relics and a philosophical dispute over the value of exorcism. The escalating body count forces him to use his powers of deduction and observation to uncover the abbey's dark secrets. This series maintains a delightfully satisfying consistency, offering compelling plots, well-developed characters, and plenty of colorful historical detail. Fans who are eagerly awaiting this eleventh installment will be overjoyed, and first-time readers will certainly want to check out Doherty's earlier novels. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 310 pages
• Publisher: Headline Hardbacks (April 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0747271658
• ISBN-13: 978-0747271659
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,934,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doherty's 'Candle' Burns Brightly!, December 28, 2002

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Corpse Candle: A Medieval Mystery Featuring Hugh Corbett (Hardcover)

Paul Doherty uses quite a few pseudonyms, but regardless of which nom de
plume he chooses, or which series he presents, readers always get a good,
well-reseached, convincing historical mystery.

In Corpse Candle, Doherty gives us Sir Hugh Corbett, King Edward Is
special envoy and close confidant, the 12th such episode in this popular series.
It is 1303 and Abbot Stephen (singular!), a close personal friend of Edwards, is found
dead in his locked chambers at the Abbey of St. Martin-in-the-Marsh. As the kings
envoy, Corbett quickly finds that there is more to the story than the death of the
abbot. As Lady Macbeth says, False face must hide false heart, and to continue
the Shakespearean allusion, Corpse Candle ends up with far more bodies scattered
about the place than Hamlets Act V!

With his trusted aide Ranulf and newly acquired groom Chanson, Sir Hugh
finds his intellect and common sense broadside by the incessant deaths of members
of the Abbey. Of course, as he investigates, all these deaths are related and using his
famed logic and ability to re-construct, he is able to bring the murderer to justice.
Of course, all in good time, as the killer wreaks vengeance upon those whom he feels
are complicit in the greater crime, one that began years ago and, sadly, now plays to
its tragic, deceitful, and explosive end.

Of all the Corbett books, this one is the best researched and most carefully
laid out and presented. From its opening pages, Corpse Candle holds the readers
attention and the plot unfolds in a timely manner and pace. Few loose ends are left
and the conclusion logical and noteworthy. ([e-mail])

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Typical great Doherty, but..., September 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Corpse Candle (Hugh Corbett Mysteries 13) (Paperback)

...it's not one of his best. In this book, Doherty expands personal relationship between Ranulf and Corbett-and that's interesting and welcome-but the main plot is a little weak...I don't know about anyone else, but I pretty much guessed who the murderer had to be before I was 1/3 of the way through. Still and all, it's a Doherty-which means it's worth the read!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the best in this series, December 27, 2002

By 

RachelWalker "RachelW" (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Corpse Candle: A Medieval Mystery Featuring Hugh Corbett (Hardcover)

Doherty is possibly the most prolific author i've come across (in roughly 15 years since his first book was published, he's penned about 50 other novels), and while at times his books can lack that special something which sets some fiction apart from the rest, his books are undoubtedly entertaining, this one in particular, which is a novel that factor which some of his others lack.

When Abbot Stephen is found murdered, locked in his quarters from the inside, a puzzling mystery is indeed presented. Sir Hugh Corbett, keepers of the king's peace, is called in to investigate, and finds himself immersed in an investigation with far-reaching effects, and tentacles that spread many years into the past, to the Abbots old life, to tales of robber baron Sir Geofrey Mandeville's ghost galloping through the fens with a troop of spectrely horsemen, to rumours of the origins of the corpse candles, said to foretell the deaths of men, which hover and flicker at night above the marshes...

The characters in this book are very well characterised, the plot is tight and complex, and always puzzling. The writing style is invigorating. The solution is surprising and clever, and much blood is spilled before it arrives. This is without a doubt one of Doherty's very best novels, full of historical falvour, great characters, with a cracking plot. I reccomend this highly to any fan of crime fiction, not jsut historical fiction.