Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Harding Shines in "Murder's Bright Light", 27 April 1999
By A Customer
It's Paul Harding's fifth "sorrowful mysteries of Brother Athelstan" installment, and both the author and his quintessential protagonist Friar Athelstan are at their best in "By Murder's Bright Light." Harding, a nom de plume of P.C. Doherty (aka Edward Marston, Anna Apostolou, Michael Clynes, et al.) has developed a most absorbing series here--there's one more episode left after this--and a series that once again reveals to us a realistic view of London and her times (it's 1379). Harding has, according to the liner jacket, "earned a doctorate at Oxford for his thesis on Edward II and Queen Isabella" and thus provides a thorough knowledge of this period. And he does so convincingly with his apt descriptions and authentic characterizations of that time. Brother Athlestan, the Dominican friar, is the parish priest for St. Erconwald's, a seedy, in-need-of-the-Lord's-help part of Southwark. His parishioners themselves provide a colorful backdrop--not to mention a series of headaches for their lovable and respected priest. Pike the ditcher, Watkin the dung collector, Ursula the pig woman and her pet sow, Huddle the painter are only some of the characters who have traveled with Athlestan in this series. And Athelstan is convinced they are sent to test his patience, as indeed they do. He finds comfort in Bonaventure, his ever-independent and mercenary cat, and wisdom and kindness in Benedicta the widow. And they are all involved in presenting a mystery play for the church and what a cast of characters: who gets to play God is another decision that Athelstan must make--and must make carefully--as it is a "spirited" issue with his parishioners! Of course, the bane of his "normal" parish life comes in the form of Sir John Cranston, the wine-loving, irascible king's coroner. Sir John, long an admirer of Athlestan, is, of course, charged with keeping the king's peace in London and he has selected Athlestan as his secretarius. Together the two render the appropriate--and fair--solutions, frequently at their favorite tavern, the Holy Lamb of God. The friar loves a good riddle and an intellectual challenge (He readily rises to this challenge in the first of the series, "The Nightingale Gallery.") and with these tools he and Cranston level the playing fields, as it were. Or in the case of this book, they keep the story on an even keel! In "Murder's Bright Light," we find a seemingly unsolvable murder aboard one of his majesty's ships, "God's Bright Light." The captain has been poisoned and three crew members have disappeared and believed to have been murdered. As it turns out, the captain is part of a conspiracy to steal silver that belongs to the king and the intrigue includes the involvement of spies, members of the "underworld," the ship's crew, and the captain's widow. On another level, a rash of mysterious burglaries plague the city and Sir John is ordered to solve those. Or else. The pressure mounts. With the combination of Cranston's authority, his wine-dazed personality, and Athelstan's keen sense of logic and intellect, the two resolve these mysteries, not without surprises along the way. Harding is able to sustain the reader's interest throughout. Indeed, in this series the author relies upon his unique set of characters, his keen sense of landscape and atmosphere to evoke a setting that is at once compelling and at the same time historically accurate and colorful. (London in the fourteenth century was not a city for the squeamish!) It's a pity that the author doesn't extend this series (not that his other series aren't worth reading!), but in Athlestan we find a compassionate priest, an understanding human being, and a tolerate and resourceful sleuth, a Cadfael without the herb garden. (Athlestan's passion--besides serving the Lord--is astronomy.) Harding's (Doherty's) works are interesting and a delight to read. They are not overly complex in structure and development and the reading pace is quick; however, the characters, even the scenarios, are well worth the effort and readers of historical mysteries can see that "By Murder's Bright Light" is an illuminating spectrum and a clearly-presented panorama of a good time!
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fifth book in the Series, 21 Mar 2007
This is the fifth book in the Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan series. This novel combined with the early books in the Hugh Corbett series is one of Paul Doherty's earlier offerings and he has since written many more books and is now an established author of medieval novels and has also added a number of novels on Egypt to his ever growing list of titles. Having said that it is one of his earlier offerings does not mean that it is inferior to his current books, quite the opposite. The Hugh Corbett mysteries were and are extremely popular and Paul Doherty has found another winner with the Brother Athelstan series.
This books charts a mysterious happening on the river Thames, the life blood of the City of London in medieval times. An event that calls for all the skill and aptitude of the Sir John and Brother Athelstan. The pairing who have solved many of the more recent crimes, mysteries and murders in the London streets.
A ship of war has dropped anchor in the murky waters of the Thames and during the night, the entire watch of the ship, God's Bright Light, disappear, apparently without any trace. After a series of unaccounted for deaths and strange happening the Coroner and Brother Athelstan find themselves drawn into the thick of a bloody battle . . .
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fifth book in the Series, 1 Nov 2006
This is the fifth book in the Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan series. This novel combined with the early books in the Hugh Corbett series is one of Paul Doherty's earlier offerings and he has since written many more books and is now an established author of medieval novels and has also added a number of novels on Egypt to his ever growing list of titles. Having said that it is one of his earlier offerings does not mean that it is inferior to his current books, quite the opposite. The Hugh Corbett mysteries were and are extremely popular and Paul Doherty has found another winner with the Brother Athelstan series.
This books charts a mysterious happening on the river Thames, the life blood of the City of London in medieval times. An event that calls for all the skill and aptitude of the Sir John and Brother Athelstan. The pairing who have solved many of the more recent crimes, mysteries and murders in the London streets.
A ship of war has dropped anchor in the murky waters of the Thames and during the night, the entire watch of the ship, God's Bright Light, disappear, apparently without any trace. After a series of unaccounted for deaths and strange happening the Coroner and Brother Athelstan find themselves drawn into the thick of a bloody battle . . .
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by Paul Doherty
by Dr Paul Doherty
