Paul Doherty

I’ve become more and more enamoured with Paul Doherty’s historical mysteries and as such have decided to set up a separate page for a bibliography and with links to my reviews. Clearly this is a work in progress but anything that will bring writers such as Dr Doherty to a wider audience deserves a try. At the moment, it is also my attempt a slightly different structure within the blog, so be patient if links don’t work. This is also an online checklist/shopping list for me as well. I’m going to try and do these in chronological order, so forgive me if it takes some time to flesh out. There are quite a lot of books here…

And before someone points it out, I’m only going to include a series once I start reading it - I’m actively reading the series below, but am reluctant to hunt down too any more until I make some more headway in these. There are other series, mostly under other pseudonyms, and some standalone novels as well – when I get round to them, they’ll be here.

If you want more information, do check out Dr Doherty’s own website. It’s been recently updated and contains a fair bit of info and news.

The Hugh Corbett Mysteries

Set during the reign of Edward I, Hugh Corbett (later Sir Hugh Corbett) investigates threats to the King and Country. Assisted by Ranulf-atte-Newgate, a felon saved from execution, there are seventeen books in the series to date.

Amerotke, Chief Judge of Thebes

Ancient Egyptian conspiracies and impossible murders, investigated by Amerotke, against a vivid backdrop of a lost culture. There are seven books in the series to date. Note that there is another series set in Ancient Egypt as well.

Mathilde of Westminster

Murder and intrigue at the court of Edward II. A new series, only three books so far.

The Ancient Rome Mysteries

Set during the reign of Constantine the Great, as Christianity is introduced to Rome, these feature Claudia, agent of the Empress Helena. There are four books in the series to date (Domina (2002) isn’t part of this series, despite what the font of wisdom that is Wikipedia might have you believe) with hopefully more to come.

The Canterbury Tales

Stories told by Chaucer’s pilgrims in the evening on the way to Canterbury, these mysteries often involve a supernatural element as well as a “proper” mystery. As the last of these was published in 2002, it can be assumed that this series is finished.

The Memoirs of Sir Roger Shallot

Set during the reign of Henry VIII and narrated in the first person by Sir Roger Shallot, a Falstaffian rogue, these tell of murders and plots against the backdrop of the reign of Bluff King Hal, embellished by Shallot’s somewhat unreliable boasting of his various exploits. Previously published under the pseudonym Michael Clynes, this is a series of six novels.

The Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan

Set during the reign of Richard II (the late 14th century), Brother Athelstan, secretary to the coroner of London and priest to the parish of St Erconwald’s investigates murders and mayhem in this series of ten novels. Often (but not always) features an impossible crime.

Note that these books (up to The Assassin’s Riddle) were published under the pseudonym Paul Harding, but they have been reprinted under the name Paul Doherty as well. The most recent novel, Bloodstone was published in November 2011.

Kathryn Swinbrooke

Set in Canterbury at the end of the Wars of the Roses, these feature the apothecary Kathryn Swinbrooke and the Irish soldier Colum Murtagh. Written under the pseudonym C L Grace and, apparently, only published in the US, these are very hard to get hold of.