Before becoming King of England, Edward I went on the Ninth Crusade and was poisoned by a member of the Order of Assassins. He survived, and the dagger that failed to kill him became something of a relic. When, years later, the crown jewels were stolen, the dagger was lost – but now it has been found once more.

Lord Oliver Scrope, the lord of Mistleham, holds this and other treasures that are to be returned to Edward, but there is trouble in the village. Scrope has ruthlessly massacred a religious group in the nearby forest. Since this happened, the village has been stalked by a masked bowman, the Sagittarius, killing people at random. But when Scrope himself is found dead, impossibly stabbed – by Edward’s dagger – inside a locked boathouse on an island surrounded by icy water, it becomes clear that Sir Hugh Corbett has more on his hands than simply retrieving some treasure…

So, once upon a time, my buddy Sergio directed me towards Paul Doherty’s work when I was looking for an author of historical mysteries that actually knew that a mystery contained more than a novice/young monk in love with a local boy/girl. One hundred and seven books later (not including re-reads), one book dedicated to me and a character who just might have been subconsciously named after me and it’s safe to say that I’m something of a fan. So when I needed something to read on my first plane journey since COVID (which was much more relaxing than I thought it would be btw), I thought I’d go back to this, the very first Paul Doherty mystery that I read.

It’s the sixteenth Hugh Corbett mystery, and I think it’s a great place to start (which it obviously was for me). There’s a plethora of suspects and motives, with some lovely misdirections towards the end. There’s one of Paul’s most locked locked room mysteries, with one lovely element to the solution. Medieval life in an isolated village just oozes off the page and you get a bit of history of a rarely taught period without it being hammered home.

If you haven’t listened to my multiple suggestions to try Paul’s books, then please do take a look at this one. It started my obsession – it just might introduce you to a fantastic mystery writer with over 100 books to his name…