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Series

Hugh Corbett Mysteries

The Hugh Corbett Mysteries follow a royal clerk, diplomat and Keeper of the Secret Seal from the reign of Edward I into the troubled rule of Edward II. Corbett investigates murders that threaten royal government, foreign negotiations and the security of the crown. His work takes him from London and Oxford to Scotland, France, coastal manors, monasteries and fortified castles, usually accompanied by Ranulf and other trusted retainers.

The series joins formal detective problems to the politics of Plantagenet kingship. Edward I’s wars, rivalry with Philip IV of France, the Scottish succession and the Templar question shape the earlier books. The later novels confront Edward II’s dependence on Peter Gaveston, Queen Isabella’s French connections and baronial opposition. Corbett’s loyalty is therefore never simple: solving a crime may protect the realm while also exposing the violence and secrecy on which royal authority depends.

Reading order

Books in this series (24 books)

Crown in Darkness cover

#2 – Crown in Darkness

Paul Doherty

1286 and on a storm-ridden night King Alexander III of Scotland is riding across the Firth of Forth to meet his beautiful French bride Yolande. He never reaches his final destination as his horse mysteriously slips, sending them both crashing to their death on cruel rocks.…

The Angel of Death cover

#4 – The Angel of Death

Paul Doherty

In 1298, Edward I of England invaded Scotland and brutally sacked the town of Berwick, razing to the ground the Red House of the Flemings who had permission to trade there. He little knew his action would have far-reaching repercussions.A year later, Edward convokes a great…

Corpse Candle cover

#13 – Corpse Candle

Paul Doherty

The brothers of the abbey of St Martin's-in-the-Marsh pay little heed to the tales of robber baron Sir Geoffrey Mandeville's ghost galloping through the Lincolnshire fens with a retinue of ghastly horseman. They may hear the shrill blast of a hunting horn, or see the corpse…

The Waxman Murders cover

#15 – The Waxman Murders

Paul Doherty

In 1300, an English privateer named ' The Waxman' was trapped and overrun by two powerful war cogs flying the streamers of the powerful Hanseatic League of North Germany. The ship was carrying a casket containing the ' Carta Mysteriosa', a collection of valuable and detailed…

The Mysterium cover

#17 – The Mysterium

Paul Doherty

In in stalking London's streets?February 1304, and London is in crisis. A succession of brutal murders shocks the city as it comes to terms with the fall from power of Walter Evesham, Chief Justice in the Court of the King's Bench. Accused of bribery and corruption,…

Dark Serpent cover

#18 – Dark Serpent

Paul Doherty

After his recent unveiling of a devious assassin, Sir Hugh Corbett has returned to service as the Keeper of the Secret Seal, begrudgingly admitting that his appetite for adventure has once again been whetted. Summoned to meet the King to be congratulated on their work together,…

Hymn to Murder cover

#21 – Hymn to Murder

Paul Doherty

Hugh Corbett returns in in in the lonely wasteland of Dartmoor. Spring, 1312. At Malmaison Manor, Lord Simon is concealing a dark secret - one he arrogantly assumes will never catch up with him. But someone knows about the crime he committed and they've found a…

Mother Midnight cover

#22 – Mother Midnight

Paul Doherty

In 1312 Hugh Corbett returns to Westminster to find Edward II fleeing baronial anger over Peter Gaveston and a royal clerk poisoned inside a locked chamber. The enquiry soon extends to the convent of Saint Sulpice, where young novices have disappeared. Corbett discovers that the deaths…

Banners of Hell cover

#24 – Banners of Hell

Paul Doherty

In the summer of 1312 the killing of Peter Gaveston, favourite of Edward II, deepens the conflict between the king and the English barons. Hugh Corbett travels to the Dominican priory at Blackfriars, where Gaveston’s body awaits burial, and finds the religious house already disturbed by…