A very good and solid historical mystery. Set in 1381 it is the 18th instalment in Brother Athelstan but it can be read as a standalone book.
The plot is solid, with a lot of suspense. The historical background is well researched. It was as usual an interesting reading and real page turner

It is 1371 and following the Great Revolt King Richard II is seeking to establish himself as Monarch despite the hostility of Richard Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel and his growing band of violent sympathisers.
One of these is Master Simon Makepeace - known as Flesher as he leads The Sycamores, a violent gang or 'Rifflers' as they were known.
The author describes a thoroughly unpleasant den of thieves, assassins and spies amongst the Queenhithe area of London, especially around Flesher's lodgings and tavern, The Devil's Oak and particularly the sinister Mansion of Murders.
When local Parson Reynard is found murdered alongside one of Arundel's men Daventry the Coroner, Sir John Cranston and Friar Athelstan are set to investigate, particularly when the coffin of Isabella Makepeace (Flesher's mother) is found empty with a ransom note and Flesher is determined to find the culprit using less lawful means.
I found the first couple of chapters a bit too top heavy with masses of characters who I was trying to distinguish within the plot but once established after the discovery of another death (Fat Margo) and her husband and son weirdly embalmed in her cellar! - the whole book seems to come more into a readable tale.
Flesher is a bit of a Bill Sykes character, but when Cranston links the deaths with an 18 year old theft of political importance with which he was involved with elaborate caskets and jewels, it seems the intrigue is beyond pure gang retribution.
The murders are gruesome, the locations dark and dirty but then we are in the 14th century and the streets of London were certainly not paved in gold!
Each chapter begins with an interesting word from the time, adding its meaning and leading into other twists about the period. The reader can learn much about the lives of people in those times and the ending was a surprise so as a whodunnit it certainly keeps you guessing. Not a bad read.

This is the 18th entry in the Brother Athelstan series by Paul Doherty from Severn House. Due out on 1st December, 2017, it's a very well researched historical mystery set in the late autumn of 1381 in London. After the great revolt was put down earlier the same year, the uneasy peace was held by private armies, gangs of ruffians called 'rifflers', and the standing army. A functional civil government had more or less been re-established and the parliament had been recalled to London.

Brother Althelstan is called in to investigate the perplexing 'locked room' mystery of a priest and a visiting courier who are found dead in a church. Not only are both men found murdered inside the locked church, but a woman's corpse is missing and a treasure chest is opened and emptied. The missing dead woman is the recently deceased mother of the most notorious of the rifflers, Simon Makepeace, a.k.a. the Flesher.

Having read many of Mr. Doherty's other books, I was expecting a well crafted mystery. Although it is the 18th book in the series, it had been some years since I had read any of the other books in this series and it works perfectly well as a standalone mystery. The background for the characters is presented in a way that manages to convey all the necessary backstory without spoon-feeding readers already familiar with the setting and characters.

The plotting and dialogue are very well crafted and the entire book is beautifully researched and historically correct. I felt that the dialogue succeeded quite well in walking the fine line between being comprehensible to a modern audience and still maintaining a period flavor.

There are many subplots and subtly interwoven stories here and I wondered how Doherty would manage to tie them together in a lean 240 pages, but he does manage it (and satisfyingly). I also really enjoyed the development of Athelstan's friend, Sir John Cranston, the Lord High Coroner of London. He's by far one of my favorite characters (and I wish he would get his own series).

All in all, a really nicely written and satisfying period mystery; can we ever really have enough of those?

Four stars

I'm afraid I gave up after a long period of persevering with this book. It started with a confusing number of characters that seemed to have very similar names and the garish murder scenes did not entice me to read on. Think "Name of the Rose" but far too drawn-out and having to look up all those medieval terms became annoying. Possibly a brilliant read for medieval nuts, but not for me.

While this particular book is very descriptive, I did not enjoy this author's writing style. I would still recommend this book to fans of historical fiction as others might find it to be more entertaining.

Interesting enough, and the history behind it is informative, but I felt the detective story aspect relied a bit too much on coincidence rather than real investigation. I liked it well enough, and am generally a fan of Doherty's work, but he's not at the top of his game here.

Thank you to NetGalley, Severn House and Crème de la Crime for a digital copy of this galley.

The Great Revolt has been smashed and you would think things would be more quiet in London in the year of Our Lord 1381. Perish the thought. When one group of evil doers leaves the scene another quickly takes its place. In this instance we have the gangs who have divided up the territory and make life a misery for the ordinary folk. The Sycamores, led by Simon Makepeace (also known as "The Flesher" - and if you let your imagination go you will realize what he does to his victims) is one of the largest and worst of these gangs. Makepeace rules his territory with a bloody fist and has no problem with bringing down death and destruction to any who stand in his way. How is The Flesher going to react when Brother Athelstan and Sir John Cranston, Lord High Coroner of London begin to chip away at his empire?

This is another well written adventure, number 18 in the series which pairs the Benedictine Friar with the Coroner of London to solve cases where what is going on beneath the surface may be political or criminal or a combination of both. This story involves Sir John personally because of something which happened eighteen years previously. The secrets have remained hidden so well many might have thought the incident never happened. Now the layers of lies and treachery are being peeled back and exposing the truth. I especially enjoyed this one because it has a locked room mystery and those are favorites of mine. There are also many seemingly smaller mysteries that I wondered if author Paul Doherty would be able to tie up. Why did I even bother to wonder?

If you are a fan of historical mystery novels placed in this time period, you know you will be wading through all the filth, muck and gore that was the great city of London. I don't enjoy those parts, but they certainly do set the tone for what that world was like. Brother Athelstan and Sir John are two of my favorite mystery duos and this book in the series was a satisfying read.

Another dark and interesting murder investigation for Brother Athelstan.

As always with Paul Doherty the medieval setting is well-realised.

Highly recommended for lovers of medieval English mystery.

October 1381, London. In the wake of the Great Revolt, the city is not enjoying the peace that it might have expected. Instead the ganglords of the city – the rifflers – are jockeying for position and their patrons in King Richard’s court are biding their time, ready to make their move. But the worst of these rifflers, Simon Makepeace, known as “the Flesher”, is about to have other concerns.

St Benet’s Church, deep in the Flesher’s territory, is found locked one morning – locked from the inside, naturally – and when the door is broken down, Parson Reynaud is found stabbed to death, along with one of the Duke of Arundel’s men. Bodies are found in the crypt, money has been stolen from a chest that only the Flesher had the key to and worst of all, the body of the Flesher’s recently deceased mother has been stolen from her coffin.

Brother Athelstan finds himself charged to find the truth but finds himself dealing with possibly the most evil man he has ever encountered. Is Makepeace somehow behind the murders – or is somebody even more dangerous at large?


The eighteenth outing for Brother Athelstan – he’s almost caught up to Hugh Corbett now – and things have taken a dark turn with the introduction of Makepeace. Paul Doherty has always been the master of bringing the past to life, and not skimping on the grim reality of the time – I always enjoy the passages as Athelstan walks through the city and looks around him at medieval life in all its glory – but with a central murderous character, the grimness comes to the fore. And it’s rather wonderful.

In fact, this is one of my favourite of the Brother Athelstan mysteries. The many disparate parts of the plot – I haven’t mentioned them all due to the lack of space, but there’s at least two other major strands to the tale – are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. As the story progresses, Doherty slowly brings little pieces together until you get small parts of the big picture while still not getting the whole story until it’s time to find out. Usually, the author has a separate subplot or two, but here, everything comes together into a single tale.

And with the dark tone, there is a genuine feeling of peril for the characters – indeed, one series regular doesn’t make it to the end of the book – and one sequence, with Athelstan, Benedicta and some of the Flesher’s men had me on the edge of my seat.

It has to be said, I guessed the murderer, but missed the big picture. This is historical mystery writing at its best and, as you may have guessed, is Highly Recommended.

Many thanks to Severn House for the review copy. The Mansions Of Murder will be released in the UK on August 31st.

I've always been a fan of Paul Doherty and particularly the Hugh Corbett and Brother Athelstan series but just recently the last few I have read were quite disappointing to the point I struggled to finish them so I requested this title with caution and I am so glad I did because I really enjoyed it. The story partly centres around an event that happened in John Cranston's past and although I did guess early on how it would end it didn't spoil it. The way Paul describes the sights and smells of London brings the period and city so vividly to life you can imagine yourself there. It was also great to meet a host of new characters and reunite with 'old friends' , but sadly losing one along the way and I look forward to the next instalment. For me this is Paul back at his best with this series. Great!

I've not read a book by this author for a very long time. I used to read the Egyptian mysteries and actually credit them with allowing me to read and relax again after a particularly difficult period in my life. As such, I was very keen to read this novel when given the option.
The portrayal of London is very dark and foreboding, and for a time I was worried I would be annoyed by the slight repetitiveness and bleakness of it all. However, as the impossibility of the murders starts to be solved, Brother Athelstan firmly grasps hold of events and the sequence of events that he discovers is intriguing and deeply satisfying.
I don't think this will be the only Brother Athelstan book I read, and I'm pleased to see that there are many more for me to indulge in.
A thoroughly enjoyable tale set in the England of 1381, skillfully told.

Another BRILLIANT offering from this Author .

Brother Athelstan is viewing two embalmed bodies discovered in the basement of a dead parishioner when he receives an urgent message from his eccentric good friend , Sir John Cranston , the King's Coroner .
Two bodies have been found in church of St Benet , their throats slit - the church's doors all locked from the inside . Also missing is the body of the mother of The Flesher , the leader of one of London's most hated and feared gangs , along with a ransacked chest .
The deaths in the church and the two embalmed bodies in the basement are connected - with links to both Sir John's past and the loss of the King's treasure chest 18 years ago .
More deaths will occur before Brother Athelstan and Sir John solve the riddles of the past and present , this is their most difficult case to date .
The plot is intriguing and absorbing - how the murders were committed behind locked doors , how the perpetrator manages to escape without being seen , all manage to keep the reader fully enthralled .

The Author is brilliant at bring the past to life - the atmosphere , the scents and sounds . the people
all resonate - it is almost as if you were there , looking over Brother Athestan's shoulder .

I look forward to more Brother Athelstan and Sir John Cranston mysteries in the future .

A sinister, morbid and disturbing story told with intense proportions, the storyline is deeply coated with the taint of evil with a binding hold that captivates you even if it gives you the chills. The characters are some of the most depraved and villainous coupled with such an intense and thrilling storyline morphed into a bleak and horrific outlook, it was written exceptionally well. It keeps you hooked until you reached the end because you just couldn’t put it down, you just got to know who really did it. This book could never be put under the label a lovely book, no, it’s harsh, exciting, thrilling and riveting, a must read, I find myself quite liking it even Friar Athelstan, so remember read at your own discretion, great stuff.

This book was a very slow read. Everything was happening at the same time. But I did enjoy the description of life in medieval England.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House/Creme de la Crime for an advance copy of The Mansions of Murder, the 18th medieval mystery to feature Brother Athelstan.

London 1381 is a dangerous place. Athelstan is studying two embalmed bodies found in the cellar of a dead parishioner when he is asked to assist Sir John Cranston, the King's Coroner, at a murder scene in a church where the priest and one of Lord Arundel's entourage have been murdered and a corpse and a large amount of gold have been stolen, all in a locked church. It's all very puzzling but to make matters worse the gold belongs to The Flesher, a cruel and vicious criminal who holds undisputed sway in the area through terror and intimidation, and the corpse is that of his mother.

I enjoyed The Mansions of Murder. The plotting is intricate and absorbing and it held my attention throughout. I admit to not having a clue as to the perpetrator or how he managed to get out of a locked church. The solutions are both clever and ingenious.

Aside from the clever plotting Mr Doherty excels at atmosphere. I felt as if I could literally smell the slums and sense the danger as I walked through London with Athelstan and Sir John. The squalor, poverty and desperation are all too evident as this is the London of everyday people. The political machinations of the rich and powerful, the mainstay of much historical fiction, are more background noise than a prominent feature. I have no doubt that the viciousness of The Flesher and his rifflers is historically accurate but it sent a shiver down my back. Strange when we are confronted with man's inhumanity to man on a daily basis.

Brother Athelstan and Sir John make a good team. Like all the best teams they are complete opposites. Athelstan is quiet, reflective, humble and very sharp, the brains of the operation whereas Sir John is bluff, hearty, well connected and has a great zest for life and while no slouch he can be regarded as the brawn. I like Sir John's open, honest hatred for the Flesher as it is very well done.

The Mansions of Murder is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

4 stars

It’s 1381 in London and King Richard II sits on the throne aided by his relative John of Gaunt. The city teems with violence and filth. The underworld is ruled by a vicious man named Simon Makepeace also known as “The Flesher.”

Parson Reynaud is found in his locked church by Master Cripplegate, Curate Coates and Martha, the parish housekeeper. He has been murdered. Not far away is the body of another man, also murdered. Also the body that was in the displayed coffin was taken and a mysterious note was left behind – a ransom note. The church was also robbed of an amount of hidden money which belonged to The Flesher.

After making a gruesome discovery in the basement of a deceased parishioner’s basement, Brother Athlestan is summoned to St. Benet’s, the site of the murders begins to investigate the killing of the two men.

This is a well written and plotted novel. The use of the language is beautiful and very descriptive. The story flows smoothly, if a little slow at times. Brother Athlestan is a very kindly and compassionate man who enjoys mysteries and the opportunity to use his detection skills. This is my first Paul Doherty novel and I immediately went to Amazon to check out his other books.

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this book to enjoy and read.