Red Slayer: Being the Second of the Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan [Mass Market Paperback]

Paul Harding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1995

The murder of the Tower of London's tyrannical constable and a string of grave robberies suggest a conspiracy to the medieval friar and his Falstaffian companion. By the author of The Nightingale Gallery. Reprint. AB. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like The Nightingale Gallery , Harding's previous foray into 14th-century London, his new mystery lavishes as much attention on details of the city's filth- and disease-filled landscape as on its inhabitants. This time, coroner Sir John Cranston and his assistant, Brother Athelstan, are summoned to the Tower of London. Sleeping in a locked and guarded room did not save the Tower's constable, a martinet named Sir Ralph Whitton, from having his throat slit. Although Sir John, who is almost permanently in his cups, seems even more distracted than usual, he and Athelstan soon learn that Sir Ralph had been warned that he would be murdered and that the cause may lie buried in the constable's adventure-filled soldiering past. The plot thickens with additional deaths, all possibly linked to Sir Ralph's, while Athelstan is faced with an equally grisly problem at his impoverished church, St. Erconwald's, from whose graveyard corpses are being stolen. A patient and methodical questioner of suspects as well as an acute yet sympathetic observer of people, Brother Athelstan proves himself worthy of the intricate puzzles Harding contrives.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-Sir Ralph Whitton, constable of the Tower of London, is discovered in his double-locked, heavily guarded chamber with his throat slit. This is a case for coroner Sir John Cranston and his faithful clerk, Brother Athelstan. Their field of suspects is as large as the number of Tower inhabitants, for Sir Ralph was not dearly beloved. Unraveling the clues takes the sleuths into many of the city's darker corners and gives readers a vivid picture of 14th-century London. The medieval setting and Brother Athelstan's methodical skill in solving the case make the novel a treat for mystery fans.
Pamela B. Rearden, Centreville Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Avon Books (May 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380721066
• ISBN-13: 978-0380721061
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,358,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars series is great but needs more titles, July 30, 2001

By 

Brenda Watson (Franklin Lakes, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red Slayer: Being the Second of the Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan (Mass Market Paperback)

i read the first and second in this series this weekend-these are must reads for those who like medievil mysteries.^The plots are outstanding and you find yourself identifying with athelstan and the widow benedicta.There is romanse mystery and terrific plots.Not to downgrade ellis peters but i am not sure his novels are quite as good as these.These are books you cant put down and after reading them you will wonder as i did why the author stopped writing them.Read these and you wont be disappointed