A serial killer stalks the passages of a medieval monastery... A Maze of Murders is a thrilling murder mystery from the masterful Paul Doherty, featuring medieval sleuth Kathryn Swinbrooke. Perfect for fans of Susanna Gregory and Robin Hobb. A violent past haunts Sir Walter Maltravers of Ingoldby Hall in Canterbury. Decades before the War of the Roses, he served in the fanatical bodyguard of Constantine XI Palaeologus, the last Byzantine emperor. But instead of defending the emperor to his death, Maltravers fled, taking with him the Lacrima Christi - a holy relic of incalculable value. When the Lacrima Christi disappears from Canterbury's Franciscan monastery, Sir Walter fears he is being tracked down by the emperor's vengeful loyalists. Days later, Maltravers's head is found impaled on a pole. Apothecary Kathryn Swinbrooke and her fiancée, Colum Murtagh, are called to investigate the crime. As the investigation begins, it becomes clear that all was not as it seemed within the cosy confines of Ingoldby Hall. The death toll is mounting, and if Swinbrooke and Murtagh don't nail down the killer - or killers - soon, they could be next. What readers are saying about the Kathryn Swinbrooke Mysteries: 'The sense of menace, depth of characterization and interesting cast of characters make this book, and the series, a brilliant read' 'A great romp through medieval England' 'Superb plot and characters. Kathryn is so interesting and insight into the history of the time is so well documented. You feel as if you were there and can even smell it!'

Judge Amerotke to pits his wits against a deadly enemy... Paul Doherty delves once again into the world of Ancient Egypt in The Poisoner of Ptah - a gripping murder mystery featuring his ever-popular sleuth, Judge Amerotke. Perfect for fans of Christian Jacqs and Wilbur Smith. 'This is another fine performance' - Publishers Weekly Pharaoh-Queen Hatusu's Egypt is in a new and glorious ascendancy. But for all its prosperity and power it is not without its weaknesses - or enemies. At a peace treaty signing between Egypt and Libya in Thebes, three of Egypt's leading scribes die violently on the Temple forecourt, the victims of poisoning. And when a prosperous merchant and his wife are found drowned rumours sweep the imperial city. The Poisoner of Ptah has returned. Pharaoh Hatusu orders Amerotke, Chief Judge of the Halls of Two Truths, to find the perpetrator of these abominations. His hunt for the Poisoner uncovers a seething mass of suspicion and danger. Now Amerotke must pit his wits against a cunning opponent intent on vengeance and survive the twilight world of Thebes where life can be so rich and yet death so swift and brutal... What readers are saying about The Poisoner of Ptah: 'A dazzling evocation of the past and a gripping mystery' 'Paul Doherty has the rare talent of making you feel as though you are there, be it Ancient Egypt, medieval England, or battling with Alexander. The sounds and smells of the period seem to waft from the pages of his books' 'Spellbinding'

Hugh Corbett is on the trail of a deadly killer in the fetid streets of medieval London... Paul Doherty writes an unputdownable mystery in Murder Wears a Cowl, the sixth novel to feature medieval sleuth Hugh Corbett. Perfect for fans of Susanna Gregory and Michael Jecks. In early 1302 a violent serial killer lurks in the city of London, slitting the throats of prostitutes. And when Lady Somerville, one of the Sisters of St Martha, is murdered in the same barbaric fashion, her death is closely followed by that of Father Benedict in suspicious circumstances. Edward of England turns to his trusted master clerk, Hugh Corbett, to reveal the identity of the bloodthirsty assassin. Joining Corbett on his mission are his devious manservant Ranulf and his faithful horseman Maltote. In the dark, fetid streets of the city and in the desolate abbey grounds, they encounter danger and deceit at every turn. Only Ragwort, the mad beggar, has seen the killer strike, and the one clue that Corbett has to help him is Lady Somerville's cryptic message: 'Calcullus non facit monachum ' - the cowl does not make the monk. What readers are saying about Murder Wears a Cowl: 'Doherty's books are an absolute delight. The pages just seem to race by and the sights and sounds of medieval England leap out of the pages' 'Murder Wears a Cowl makes medieval London appear vivid and alive... while meanwhile enthralling you with a gripping mystery' 'The twists and turns of the plot are well-thought out and the identity of the killer comes as a complete surprise'

A blunder draws Roger into the shadowy underworld of Tudor London... In his sixth journal, The Relic Murders, Roger Shallot must race against time to find the Orb of Charlemagne... and to save his own neck. Paul Doherty's Tudor mysteries are perfect for fans of Ellis Peters and C.J. Sansom. In the autumn of 1523, Roger Shallot, self-proclaimed physician, rogue, charlatan and secret emissary of King Henry VIII, has nothing to do. His master, Benjamin Daunbey, has been sent to Italy on a diplomatic mission, leaving him in charge of their manor outside Ipswich. Shallot, forbidden both to practise the art of medicine and to approach the beautiful Miranda, takes to reading. Discovering the potential wealth which can be accrued by the finding and selling of true relics, he goes in search of his own. Almost immediately he is in trouble - and in prison. Rescued by the return of his master and the influence of Cardinal Wolsey, Shallot finds himself at court, where he is ordered by the King and Cardinal to break the law - to steal back for the crown the Orb of Charlemagne, now under close guard at the priory at Clerkenwell. Benjamin and Roger have no choice but to agree to the task... Before long they are drawn, not only into the shadowy underworld of Tudor London and the illegal trade of relics, but also into murder and blackmail. What readers are saying about The Relic Murders: '[The] most exciting - and best written - of the six Shallot journals and well worth reading' 'This series has been consistently absorbing, fascinating, funny and thrilling, and [The Relic Murders] is no different' 'Pacey mysteries, with cunning plot twists and lots of action'

This volume contains descriptions of 1,245 books in nine fiction genres, including author or editor's name, publication information, story type, major characters, setting, plot summary, and more.

A violent past haunts Sir Walter Maltravers, the wealthy lord of Ingoldby Hall. As a commander during the War of the Roses, he fought alongside Edward IV at the bloody, fratricidal Battle of Towton. Decades earlier, and thousands of miles away, he served in the fanatical bodyguard of the last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaeologus. There, as Turkish Jannisaries breached Constantinople’s walls and set the city aflame, Sir Walter committed what may have been an unforgivable sin: instead of defending the emperor with his last drop of blood, Maltravers fled. But not before scooping up all the treasure he could carry, including the Lacrima Christi---a giant ruby said to be a holy relic of incalculable value. When the ruby disappears from Canterbury’s Franciscan monastery, Sir Walter fears the emperor’s vengeful loyalists---the Athanatoi---have tracked him to his estate. He doesn’t have much time to ponder his dilemma. Crawling on his bare knees to the shrine at the center of his enormous private hedge maze, the penitent Sir Walter encounters his axe-wielding killer. . . . Maltravers’s head turns up days later, impaled on a pole. Gossips in Canterbury whisper of the fabled Athanatoi, come to claim their bloody due from a traitor. But apothecary Kathryn Swinbrooke doesn’t think so. Her Irish fiancée, Colum Murtagh, the King’s Commissioner in Canterbury, is called in to investigate the crimes. A Renaissance woman in a Middle Age world, Swinbroke comes to believe that all is not as it seems within the cozy confines of Ingoldby Hall. She asks tough questions of the wealthy power-players who seem to hover around the murder case. And before long, the death toll mounts: a maid, a madwoman, a scribe, a retainer. . . . One thing becomes abundantly clear: if Swinbrooke and Murtagh don’t nail down the killer---or killers---soon, they’ll be next!

"Curl up by the fire (and lock all the doors) for this Christmas cracker of a book." —C.S. Green, author of Sleep Tight Twelve clues. Twelve keys. Twelve days of Christmas. But how many will die before Twelfth Night? Agatha Christie meets Clue in this delightful, tense manor house murder mystery. The annual Christmas Game is afoot at Endgame House, the Armitages' grand family home. This year's prize is to die for—deeds to the house itself—but Lily Armitage has no intention of returning. She hasn't been back to Endgame since her mother died, twenty-one years ago, and she has no intention of claiming the house that haunts her dreams. Until, that is, she receives a letter from her aunt promising that the game's riddles will give her the keys not only to Endgame, but to its darkest secrets, including the identity of her mother's murderer. Now, Lily must compete with her estranged cousins for the twelve days of Christmas. The snow is thick, the phone lines are down, and no one is getting in or out. Lily will have to keep her wits about her, because not everyone is playing fair, and there's no telling how many will die before the winner is declared. Including additional scavenger hunts for the reader, this clever murder mystery is the perfect gift for fans of classic mysteries, festive Christmas books, and armchair detective work.

Physician and chemist Kathryn Swinbrooke of Canterbury, England, returns in her second medieval mystery to investigate, with soldier Colum Murtagh, a series of murders connected with the disappearence of a royal relic, the Eye of God

When necromancer and blackmailer Tenebrae is found murdered, medieval physician and herbalist Kathryn Swinbrooke is called to the scene and attempts to solve a locked-room scenerio in which all present seem to be innocent

'A really first-rate detective story' T. S. Eliot When twin brothers Roger and Neville Shandon are murdered by poisoned darts in Whistlefield's famous hedge maze, Sir Clinton Driffield arrives to restore order. He finds two terrified witnesses - visitors to the estate - and clues aplenty in this brilliantly conceived and meticulously realized country-house mystery.