The Hanging Tree - (Brother Athelstan Mystery) by Paul Doherty

About the Book

London, 1382. The Crown's treasury, the most secure chamber in the kingdom, has been robbed, and the five guards brutally killed. Brother Athelstan is set to investigate, but he has problems of his own. A body is found in the nave of his parish church, identified as a craftsman who fashioned the complex locks to the royal treasure chamber . . .

Book Synopsis

Brother Athelstan must solve a theft from the royal treasure chamber and the murders of six executioners in this gripping medieval mystery.

London. January, 1382. The Crown's treasury has been robbed. Tens of thousands of silver and gold coin mysteriously lifted from the most secure chamber in the kingdom; the five Clerks of the Dark who guarded the king's treasure brutally garrotted. Sir John Cranston and Brother Athelstan are appointed to investigate - but Athelstan has problems of his own. Clement the Key Master, who helped fashion the complex locks to the royal treasure chamber, has been found strangled in the nave of Athelstan's parish, St Erconwald's church.

At the same time, six of the city's hangmen have been savagely murdered, their bodies stripped. Pinned to each corpse is a scrawled note: "Vengeance! The Upright Men never forget!" The Guild of Hangmen who frequent the majestic tavern, The Hanging Tree, on the River Thames, have petitioned for Sir John and Brother Athelstan to find the culprit. But have the sleuthing pair taken on more than they can handle . . . and could the two investigations be connected?

From the Back Cover

PAUL DOHERTY
THE HANGING TREE

London. January, 1382. The Crown's treasury has been robbed. Tens of thousands of silver and gold coin mysteriously lifted from the most secure chamber in the kingdom; the five Clerks of the Dark who guarded the king's treasure brutally garrotted. Sir John Cranston and Brother Athelstan are appointed to investigate - but Athelstan has problems of his own. Clement the Key Master, who helped fashion the complex locks to the royal treasure chamber, has been found strangled in the nave of Athelstan's parish, St Erconwald's church.

At the same time, six of the city's hangmen have been savagely murdered, their bodies stripped. Pinned to each corpse is a scrawled note: "Vengeance! The Upright Men never forget!" The Guild of Hangmen who frequent the majestic tavern, The Hanging Tree, on the River Thames, have petitioned for Sir John and Brother Athelstan to find the culprit. But have the sleuthing pair taken on more than they can handle . . . and could the two investigations be connected?

Review Quotes

'Hair-raising descriptions of life in the Middle Ages enhance a challenging puzzle' - Kirkus Reviews

'As always, Doherty makes a past century come alive in the service of a carefully crafted plot. Impossible crime fans will be pleased' - Publishers Weekly

'With consummate skill and pacing, Doherty answers the plot's mysteries in a series of startling revelations, and the atmosphere of a London driven by ambition and greed is palpable. The prolific Doherty shows no signs of losing steam' - Publishers Weekly on The Stone of Destiny

A tortuous, fascinating historical mystery whose finely honed descriptions are not for the faint of heart-- "Kirkus Reviews on The Stone of Destiny"

Doherty displays exceptional narrative flair as he brings the often-squalid sights, sounds and smells of medieval London to life in another artfully crafted and plotted historical mystery-- "Booklist on The Godless"

Outstanding . . . Doherty keeps the action brisk, the crimes baffling and the deductions and solution fair-- "Publishers Weekly Starred Review of The Godless"

About the Author

Paul Doherty studied History at Liverpool and Oxford Universities and is now a head teacher in Essex. He is the author of more than eighty historical mysteries including the Brother Athelstan, Hugh Corbett and Canterbury Tales medieval mystery series.