Customer Reviews

Satan in st Mary's (Linford Mystery)

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Although I feel that P.C. Doherty's other medieval mysteries featuring Hugh Corbett are better (after all, this is the first book in the series, and the second novel by the author in general), Satan in St. Mary's gives us an introduction to the world of 13th-century London and the various political activities that were occurring. Doherty's later mysteries only get better.

Edward I is King of England, and although his longtime enemy Siomn de Montfort is thirty years dead, he still fears him and his followers, who belong to numerous secret societies that proliferate in London. The death of one such member, Lawrence Duket, allegedly by suicide, leads Hugh Corbett, a clerk in chancery, to be called in to investigate. However, when Hugh goes to ask questions, the people who knew the dead man seem awfully reticent to talk about him. The course of his investigation leads Hugh Corbett to uncover some frightful secrets deep at the heart of English politics. This is a must-read for anyone who likes English history, as well as those who like mysteries.

I recommend that you read the books in the Hugh Corbett series in order: Satan in Saint Mary's, The Crown in Darkness, Spy in Chancery, Angel of Death, Murder Wears a Cowl, The Assasin in the Greenwood, Prince of Darkness, Song of a Dark Angel, Satan's Fire, The Devil's Hunt, Corpse Candle, and The Demon Archer.

I am a fan of medieval literature, especially mysteries. Mr. Doherty has written an excellent mystery set in 13th century London.

The King has enemies all around wishing to remove him from office. Hugh Corbett, a clerk in the King's Court, is chosen to discover why Lawrence Duket was killed in the church of St. mary LeBow and who has perpetrated the deed. By doing this, Hugh will also discover the underground satanic movement which wishes the death of the king.

I recommend this book highly if you like visiting medieval times or even if you just like a good mystery. I would also suggest you check out Sharon Kay Penman if you like historical mysteries.

Although I have read other books written by P.C. Doherty and enjoyed them immensely, I have never read a Hugh Corbett mystery. This is the first in the lengthy Hugh Corbett series and I intend to read all the rest (in order of course as I always do). If you love medieval mysteries, than you can't go wrong with P.C. Doherty. He does a bang-up job of outlining the time and place and the settings that he pens are nothing if not realistic. In this book Hugh is asked by the Chancellor to uncover a treasonous plot against the king, and this he does along with his trusty and unique manservent - Ranulf who Hugh rescues from the gallows. As he and Ranulf set out to solve the mystery of what happened to a goldsmith found hanging in a church, they are drawn swiftly into a huge treasonous plot that involves a dangeours coven, and it's up to Hugh to single-handedly subvert that plot. Like all P.C. Doherty mysteries, the plot moves swiftly, and the descriptions of the cold, dank and dangerous streets of London are very realistic and put the reader right into the mayhem.

This is the first book in the series of medieval mysteries featuring Sir Hugh Corbett. Obviously this is one of Paul Doherty's earlier offerings and he has since written many more books and is now an established author of medieval novels and has also added a number of novels on Egypt to his ever growing list of titles. Having said that it is one of his earlier offerings does not mean that it is inferior to his current books, quite the opposite. The Hugh Corbett mysteries were and are extremely popular and Paul Doherty is still adding to them.

Lawrence Duket, a goldsmith murders a moneylender called Crepyn and then flees to find sanctuary in the church of St. Mary Le Bow. Duket is found hanged inside the church the following day, but the church is locked up, so surely the goldsmith must have taken his own life. The Chancellor of King Edward I, Bishop Burnell, assigns Hugh Corbett to investigate.

Corbett is threatened and attacked while probing into the so called suicide. Things are obviously not as they seem. The hanging only masks a trail of treason, sorcery and rebellion. Corbett find that a Satanist cult are using the Mitre tavern a place owned by the lovely Alice atte Bowe. A beautiful and welcome distraction for Corbett.

First Sentence: A savage, cold wind had sprung up just after dark.

Simon de Montfort, considered traitor to the king, is dead but his supporters, many of whom are thought to be practitioners of the black arts, still exist and are thought to be associated with the Church of St. Mary le Bow. Lawrence Duket committed murder and took sanctuary in St. Mary's only to be found hanged as an apparent suicide.

Clerk of King's Court Hugh Corbett has been summoned by Edward I's Chancellor Robert Burnell to investigate the death.

That this book is based on an actual event was particularly appealing to me. Doherty makes this period come to life. As we travel around London with Hugh, it felt as natural as were he taking taxi's in present day.

The story, however, I found weak. The basic plot was good and interesting, but the execution was awkward. The protagonist would uncover information but not share it with the reader, which was annoying rather than enticing. The villain was evident very early in the story so I had little sympathy with Hugh figured it out.

As to the characters, we were given just enough information to understand who they are but I still didn't feel I knew them. Ranulf, Hugh's sidekick, is appealing and adds lightness to the story where Hugh was rather unsympathetic.

I liked the book well enough that I will read more, but mainly because of the history.