When the violent serial killer who has been targeting London's prostitutes murders Lady Somerville, one of the Sisters of St. Martha, and Father Benedict, Edward I calls on Hugh Corbett to track the killer.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
It is 1302 and England's Edward I is plagued by a revolt in Scotland, by the aggressive Philip IV of France and by the London slayings of a saintly old widow, a venerable priest and a string of prostitutes by "someone . . . holy," clad in a monk's cowl and sandals. (And although the king doesn't know it yet, someone has breached the supposedly impenetrable crypt at Westminster Abbey where the royal treasury lies hidden.) So Hugh Corbett, trusted Master of Clerks and Keeper of the Secret Seal, is tapped to unravel his sixth medieval mystery, following The Prince of Darkness. Prowling dark streets, visiting taverns and the Tower, hospitals and the Abbey, traveling by horseback on high roads and by barge on the misty Thames, he encounters cutpurses and cutthroats, Philip's evil emissary de Craon, master criminal Puddlicott, legless beggar Ragwort (who sleeps beneath dangling corpses at the hanging ground) and others in Doherty's large colorful cast. Despite occasional illogical plot devices and extraneous material, Doherty enthralls readers with vividly realized sights, sounds and stenches of 14th-century London and his graphic action set-pieces. Series hero Corbett is based on the real-life John de Droxford and most of the events described actually happened.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
YA-Hugh Corbett, a spy for Edward I, must track down a serial killer who slits the throats of prostitutes when the widow of one of Edward's comrade-in-arms is brutally murdered in the same way. Because Lady Somerville was a Sister of St. Martha, a pious group connected with Westminster Abbey's Chapter House, Hugh is soon investigating the bizarre and outrageous behavior rumored to be taking place in the half-built cathedral that houses the king's treasury in a secret vault. To add to his concerns, Richard Puddlicott, a notorious spy and master of disguise, has slipped into England for unknown reasons. Are these three different cases or three interwoven mysteries? Hugh and his bawdy servant fight, drink, and often lie their way through medieval England, where the villains are dastardly, the robberies daring, and the air is filled with the stench of rotting corpses. In the end, the unlikely murderer is unmasked, the king's gold secured, and the spy sent to the gallows. In an endnote, Doherty describes the actual events on which the novel is based. This galloping, historically accurate tale is one of his best.
Mary T. Gerrity, Queen Anne School Library, Upper Marlboro, MD
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Mary T. Gerrity, Queen Anne School Library, Upper Marlboro, MD
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Politics, treason, murder and some history.............,
By
This review is from: Murder Wears a Cowl/a Medieval Mystery Featuring Hugh Corbett (Hardcover)
Doherty's medival sleuth Hugh Corbett was faced with one of the most difficult problem yet, in the action packed 'Murder wears a Crowl'. A serial killer is on the run in London, murdering high class courtesans and mutilates their body in the most gruesom ways. Lady Somerville (a sister of the St Martha) was also killed in similar fashion, and this calls the suspicion of King Edward and he places Corbett to investigate. With a past criminal plotting mischieve at the same time, Corbett and his servant Ranulf are looking at not only a tough case but more than one of them. The two plots runs side by side and the clues you find are not always reliable. You will need all your brain work to be able to separate the red herring from the facts and then find the killer. Once I start I simply couldn't put this book down until it is finished. The story contains more than the usual mystery, murder and action. The medival England background gives it historical value and vivid setting that gives you a change from all the normal stuff you get in a modern day mystery. After all, it is refreshing to be able to deal with arrows, daggers and poison rather than guns and cars. However it's not one of those serious books that leaves you breathless, The characters are so alive and funny at times that I can't help but to laugh, although the situation isn't really that amusing. If you enjoys good mystery with various of twist, false leads and want to try reading something a little bit different. I suggest you give this a try. It has everything that you needed, from fictional suspense to actual facts, menacing murders to vivid dialogues. Really, it will be too much of a shame to miss it.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A serial killer and a great caper!,
By
This review is from: Murder Wears a Cowl/a Medieval Mystery Featuring Hugh Corbett (Hardcover)
What more can you ask for? Well how about intrigue, danger and some good history? That's what you get in this Hugh Corbett book. Someone is going throughout London and cutting the throats and mutilating prostitutes. Not only that a harmless old woman and a priest were also killed. Corbett is sent by his King to find this killer. Corbett has to determine if there is only one killer or more than one. While he's investigating he uncovers a huge caper that could put the Royal Treasury at risk. Corbett and his sidekick Ranulf set out to uncover all, with no small danger to themselves. This is a really good medieval series.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Just didn't work for me.,
By
This review is from: Murder Wears a Cowl/a Medieval Mystery Featuring Hugh Corbett (Hardcover)
That many of the events in the book were based on fact was fascinating. Otherwise, I had some serious problems with this book. There was no development of any of the characters. The dialogue made no serious attempt to reflect the period. Although Doherty presented the deplorable sanity conditions of the period, his protagonist's reactions were completely unrealistic and anachronisms were rampant. The clue to the killer was much too obvious and the ending was a blatant sequel to a follow-up book. For me, the negatives definitely outweighed the positive.That many of the events in the book were based on fact was fascinating. Otherwise, I had some serious problems with this book. There was no development of any of the characters. The dialogue made no serious attempt to reflect the period. Although Doherty presented the deplorable sanity conditions of the period, his protagonist's reactions were completely unrealistic and anachronisms were rampant. The clue to the killer was much too obvious and the ending was a blatant sequel to a follow-up book. For me, the negatives definitely outweighed the positive.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
