The Crown in Darkness [Hardcover]

P. C. Doherty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1988

A medieval mystery.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Hugh Corbett, legal adviser and clerk to the Chancellor of England, is sent to Scotland in the wretchedly cold spring of 1286 to investigate the death of King Alexander III, he is met with hostility, suspicion and murderous rage. Did King Alexander dash off on a furiously stormy night to visit his young French bride and accidentally plunge from a cliff to his death below? Or perhaps his fall was the result of scheming and plotting by ambitious nobles, including the power-hungry Robert Bruce. When the careful and secretive Corbett begins asking pointed questions he is arrested on a trumped-up charge of treason and murder; after his release he is the target of assassination attempts. He begins to make progress in his quest only when he joins forces with Bishop Wishart of Glasgow. Doherty (The Death of a King) brings the harsh medieval landscape of Scotland to vivid life, particularly its gritty and malodorous cities, its wildly beautiful countryside and its population of devout, enigmatic or sinister characters. Yet, a superfluity of historical explanations and far too much laborious speculation on Corbett's part slow the book's pace to a quiet crawl.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough. He studied History at Liverpool and Oxford Universities and obtained a doctorate for his thesis on Edward II and Queen Isabella. He is now headmaster of a school in north-east London and lives with his family in Essex. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 187 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; First Edition edition (May 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312017545
• ISBN-13: 978-0312017545
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,434,934 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Hugh Corbett strikes again., November 29, 2004

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Crown in Darkness (Hardcover)

For this the third in the Hugh Corbett series, we see our intrepid hero Hugh going to Scotland to try to determine whether or not the king (Alexander III) was killed or whether it was an accident. Hugh finds that Scotland is a dark and dangerous place. Hugh finds himself the recipient of a number of attempts on his life while he puts his formidable mind to work in order to solve this case. What I really like about Mr. Doherty's Hugh Corbett series is that they are based on actual historical occurances, and Mr. Doherty writes a really good story around the actual historical happenings. This book explains the situation in Scotland in the year 1263 (before the war between England and the warlords of Scotland led by Robert Bruce). The movie Braveheart covers this actual war. So, a history lesson as well as a good mystery and political intrigue.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sir Hugh Corbett Triumphs Again, January 19, 2005

By 

J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crown in Darkness (Linford Mystery) (Paperback)

The book begins with Alexander III of Scotland riding out from Ediburgh Castle to be with his new bride who is waiting for him at Kinghorn Manor. It is a filthy stormy night and the following day the King is found below the cliff with his neck broken and his horse close by. It is assumed that the horse lost its footing and took them both over the cliff.

Hugh Corbett is sent to Scotland to find out whether it was truly an accident, or something far more sinister.

Corbett is drawn into the intrigues of the Scottish court and faces intrigue, suspicion and danger before a conclusion is reached.

Doherty is one of my favourite author's and he never lets the reader down.

4.0 out of 5 stars Crown in Darkness, June 26, 2011

By 

Lorentz Distiller "Olvaso'" (Salem, OR USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Crown in Darkness (A Medieval Mystery Featuring Hugh Corbett) (Paperback)

I am reading the Hugh Corbett series and find them to be very good. The history is understandable. The subject is interesting. The daily lives and settings are revealing. Normally we receive a cleaned up view of the past when, in fact, life was anything but clean. And, the people who were less than well-to-do were often considered worth less than a good cow. Finally I can understand that slice of English history.