Normandy 1358. As Edward III swept across France, soldiers in his army committed some terrible acts in the wake. Rape, theft and murder – and the Free Company of the Via Crucis were some of the worst offenders.

December 1382, and Lord Kyne is preparing for the Christmas revels. He has been rich and prosperous since returning from France, but his revels are ended when a group of masked men burst in and summarily execute him for his crimes. Soon more members of the Via Crucis are murdered, all in ways mimicking the last days of Jesus Christ. Someone clear wants the perpetrators of their war crimes to suffer before they die…

As Brother Athelstan and Coroner Sir John Cranston investigate, they find their enquiries hindered by another death, that of a tax collector locked inside his chambers. But there is far more at stake in London that simply the murder of a few men…

The twenty-third Brother Athelstan mystery. When I did a post about my favourite sleuths, Athelstan was an easy pick as I love the complexity of the character. A man of religion but also a man of his time and place. Far from a certain herb-picking monk, this friar navigates the paths of fourteenth century London with all of its darkness, a time when many crimes were punished with death. It would be so easy for a writer of such a character to impose twenty-first century views onto the character but while Athelstan still comes across as a sympathetic character and, most importantly, a real one.

And that’s a feeling that pervades the very best historical mysteries. The feeling that this is all playing out like it would in the time it is set. The best writers do it so well – Michael Jecks, L C Tyler, Douglas Skelton, to name but three – but the benchmark that everyone needs to be compared to is Paul Doherty. This is fabulous escapism, even if you’re escaping to a place that you wouldn’t want to actually go to.

There is so much going on this book and yet it never seems confusing. The murder of the tax collector is, I should say, while a minor aspect of the story, it’s also one of the best locked rooms that I’ve seen for a good while, with a lovely solution. The murders of the Via Crucis do have a couple of locked-ish rooms as well, but they are a lot more straightforward and not really relevant to the plot. Or plots. Yes, plots is the right word.

Oh, and there’s a cracking sting in the tale that looks like it might be leading to something important. It’s been hinted at before, but it’s starting to look like Richard II might have had a point when he… well, that’s probably a little spoilery. I do wonder if a certain person is going to show his face at some point though, although we’re a few years from when that kicks off.

All in all, one of the best entries in one of my favourite series. Just what I needed.

Murder’s Snare is out on December 3^rd in hardback and ebook from Severn House. Yes, I know I reviewed it earlier than normal, but hey, it’s Paul Doherty!