Kathryn Swinbrooke Medieval Mysteries
7 primary works
Book 1
A series of poisoned pilgrims requires the services of Canterbury's most intrepid sleuth..
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Paul Doherty introduces his medieval sleuth Kathryn Swinbrooke for the first time in A Shrine of Murders, the first in a gripping mystery series from the acclaimed historical novelist. Perfect for fans of Ellis Peters and Susanna Gregory.
A serial killer haunts 15th-century Canterbury. Kathryn Swinbrooke is an independent practitioner of medicine, discovering the benefits of an apple-rich diet for teeth, and prescribing herbs and vinegar for almost every known malady. Canterbury's tourist trade, already jeopardized by the War of the Roses, is further imperilled by a spate of poisoned pilgrims, each corpse accompanied by the appearance of a line or two of rough verse, in style remarkably similar to Geoffrey Chaucer's soon-to-be famous work. Suspecting the murderer is a doctor, the Archbishop asks for Kathryn's help. In a fascinating hunt that pits her against the august town physicians, Kathryn is aided only by her wits, her foul-mouthed, warm-hearted servant Thomasina, and Colum Murtagh, a powerful Irish mercenary.
What readers are saying about A Shrine of Murders:
'This is well researched, well written and a good story to curl up with on a dark winter's evening'
'Paul Doherty is a superb writer'
'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!'
Book 2
A missing royal relic and a shocking murder draw Kathryn into dangerous climes...
Kathryn Swinbrooke pits her wits against enemies of the crown in, The Eye of God, the second of Paul Doherty's gripping mysteries featuring the medieval sleuth. Perfect for fans of Michael Jecks and Robin Hobb.
As the bloody confusion of the War of the Roses rages through 15th-century Canterbury, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, gives the precious royal relic the Eye of God to his trusted soldier Brandon, just before being killed. Ordered to take the priceless Eye of God to the monks at Canterbury, Brandon is captured and held prisoner in the city. When Brandon dies under mysterious circumstances and the Eye of God is nowhere to be found, soldier Colum Murtagh is summoned by King Edward IV to find the relic and physician Kathryn Swinbrooke to assess the death.
Resuming their unlikely partnership, the two find themselves in an increasingly dangerous situation. A corpse is pulled from a river and another murder takes place in Canterbury, while Colum is tracked by threatening pursuers. As all signs point to an intrigue involving enemies of Edward IV, Colum and Katherine must rely on each other's wits for protection...
What readers are saying about The Eye of God:
'Enjoyable romp through murderous times'
'Eminently readable, extremely enjoyable'
'The twists and turns of the plot that kept me reading late into the night'
Book 3
A disturbing murder unearths more questions than answers...
Kathryn Swinbrooke returns for the third time in The Merchant of Death, Paul Doherty's gripping medieval mystery. Perfect for fans of Ellis Peters and Michael Jecks.
It is nearly Christmas, and snowstorms have blanketed the city of 15th-century Canterbury. Physician Kathryn Swinbrooke and her cook Thomasina are busily preparing for the holiday, when terrible news arrives: The painter Richard Blunt has confessed to killing his young wife, along with two men who were dallying with her. Kathryn is disturbed by Blunt's serene demeanour, but before she can articulate her suspicions, another death captures her attention. A tax collector, Sir Reginald Erpingham, has been found dead in his room at the Wicker Man tavern, and the King's monies have been stolen. Kathryn quickly determines that the collector was murdered, perhaps by poison, and begins questioning the guests at the tavern. Meanwhile, there are patients to be cared for, a practice to build, and a household to maintain - but Kathryn must put aside these pleasant duties if she is to find the link between Richard Blunt and the strange events at the Wicker Man tavern.
What readers are saying about The Merchant of Death:
'Exciting from start to finish with so many twists and turns'
'A great romp through medieval England'
'A real page turner'
Book 4
What do you do when everyone is a suspect?
Paul Doherty writes a medieval mystery shrouded in secrets in The Book of Shadows, the fourth novel to feature physician and sleuth Kathryn Swinbrooke. Perfect for fans of Susanna Gregory and Michael Jecks.
The year is 1471. Shortly after the murderous takeover of the throne by Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, blackmailers thrive by challenging detractors of the new king. The ugliest threat to the people of Canterbury is the magus Tenebrae, who controls the Book of Shadows - a grimoire of spells and magic containing secrets about the dead and the living. When Tenebrae is murdered, physician and apothecary Kathryn Swinbrooke is summoned to solve the crime, or else risk the transfer of her love, Colum Murtagh, far away to London. However, the secrets stretch all the way to the King and Queen themselves, and everyone is a suspect - especially Tenebrae's last visitors, a nervous group of goldsmiths from London. Tenebrae is dead but the Book of Shadows still exerts his power, and its new owners will die for it. As the suspects fall victim, one by one, to violent deaths, Swinbrooke most solve the mystery before the Book of Shadows closes on them all.
What readers are saying about The Book of Shadows:
'The sense of menace, depth of characterization and interesting cast of characters make this book, and the series, a brilliant read'
'Twists and turns throughout [with] interesting, colourful characters'
'Excellent story, couldn't put it down. Kept me guessing right to the end'
Book 5
A miracle... or murder?
Paul Doherty writes a gripping novel in Saintly Murders, the fifth Kathryn Swinbrooke mystery. Perfect for fans of Robin Hobb and Ellis Peters.
In the late summer of 1472, medieval physician and apothecary Kathryn Swinbrooke is summoned to investigate yet another puzzling situation in Canterbury. She is appointed by the Archbishop as Advocatus Diaboli - the Devil's Advocate - to argue against the beatification of Roger Atworth, a friar in the Order of the Sack and confessor of King Edward's mother. Atworth has died under mysterious circumstances, and there are rumours afloat of miraculous happenings surrounding his body. When Kathryn begins asking questions at the friary about Atworth's death, she discovers that the logical explanation is murder, not a miracle. But Kathryn suspects a link between his death and that of an English spy outside the friary. With the murderer still on the loose, what began as a search for the town's ills becomes Kathryn's pursuit of a killer...
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!'
Book 6
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 fiancee, 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!'
Book 7
The village of Walmer near Canterbury is a small, claustrophobic place where everyone knows everyone else's business. Everyone knows the blacksmith, Elias, liked to drink and liked the ladies. Everyone knows his wife, Isabella, had been spotted many a time entering the woods with men other than her husband. And everyone knows the couple fought, sometimes violently. But could they have independently, on the same day, murdered each other with two entirely different poisons? The village's medicine woman, Mother Croul, doesn't think so. And neither does Kathryn Swinbrooke, Physician of Canterbury, who is in town with her new husband, Colum Murtagh.
Kathryn and Colum are visiting on state business: Lord Henry Beauchamp is to receive the shadowy emissaries of Louis XI of France, on behalf of his own master, Edward of York. It is a tense time for the kingdom; everything hinges on the meeting between Lord Henry and the French agents. But now, as a murderer stalks the land, only Kathryn Swinbrooke can cut through the web of deceit that arrives with the Spider King's minions.