The book for me was he darkest of the four but that did not prevent it from at times causing the most pleasurable discomfort from laughter after it brought tears from the words of a devoted son, and sorrow from the brutality, stupidity and pure meanness that only humans practice. If you think you have read of all the cruelty a parent can inflict on a child read Agnes's story. If you think there is a finite depth that a parent can sink to in abuse of their own, read this story, for Dante never created a level so low. That these parents I refer to would seek shelter in an Apartheid state after committing what can only be termed mass murder, is an appropriate locale for those who judged their own child so cruelly.

This book and the four part series it is a portion of is some of the best reading I have ever done, no time I have spent with a book has been more satisfactorily used. The brutal parts of this tale should in no sense put you off from this book and the three that follow, for the series is about the triumph of the human will no matter what it faced, no matter how familiar the face may have been that inflicted such pain. It is a story of a woman that literally handed her dream to a sibling, a woman who never thought of quitting much less did.

This is a remarkable collection by a gifted man who loved his mother enough to tell her story.

In Blood Mud, Mario & baggage are all there, but with something more this time. Not something new, but old dark currents made manifest, what's been brewing throughout the series finally poured in a glass & plopped on the bar in full view. Things, my friend, are all that they seem and always have been. Mario's fears are not only real, but have the power to bring him down. Now how to cope? His fire for justice burns hottest in his own chest, his own mind, and does its damage there. Injustice is not futility, but survival means a clawing back to the personal, to self-rescue, and Babyak, poor dupe, becomes not only an icon of what's so compelling about what Constantine does, but a metaphor for the historical & ahistorical moment that is the here & now in America. Say, for the bombing of a foreign embassy, or the incrimination of the politically expendable.

Mario has his hands full practicing self-rescue. He's learning hard lessons in the world & in his kitchen. But will Constantine leave it here? Is the retreat to the personal Mario's final response? What can one man do in his world, once he bears the weight of knowing?

As its former police chief, no one knows the failing industrial city of Rocksburg, Pennsylvania better than retired Mario Balzic. The former head cop turns to private sleuthing to relieve himself of the boredom of retirement, to escape the nagging of his spouse, and to supplement his income. Attorney Mo Valcanas hires his old buddy Mario to investigate an insurance claim that someone stole forty guns and 30,000 rounds of related ammunition.

As Mario investigates his town, he finds a myriad of suspects, some of who would not mind retiring the former police chief permanently. However, bullets and threats on his life aside, Mario suddenly suffers heart trouble as the cholesterol muddies his blood. Even as his health and his abilities diminish, Mario still needs to see justice is served before his mortality fails to allow him to finish this case.

The Balzic series is one of the best mystery collections on the market because the star suffers from all the problems of real life even as he conducts his investigations. The current tale, BLOOD MUD, shows how much talent K.C. Constantine possesses as Balzic finds mortality palely looking at him in the mirror. The investigation turns complex because of the number of suspects carving out their piece of a shrinking pie. The secondary cast such as Balzic's spouse and doctor augment the tale with humor and pathos. However, as in all the Balzic books, the lead protagonist makes it very clear that cardiac arrest or not he is the straw that stirs the plot of this entertaining novel.

Harriet Klausner

In 'Corpse Candle,' Doherty gives us Sir Hugh Corbett, King Edward I's
special envoy and close confidant, the 12th such episode in this popular series.
It is 1303 and Abbot Stephen (singular!), a close personal friend of Edward's, is found
dead in his locked chambers at the Abbey of St. Martin-in-the-Marsh. As the king's
envoy, Corbett quickly finds that there is more to the story than the death of the
abbot. As Lady Macbeth says, 'False face must hide false heart,' and to continue
the Shakespearean allusion, 'Corpse Candle' ends up with far more bodies scattered
about the place than Hamlet's Act V!

With his trusted aide Ranulf and newly acquired groom Chanson, Sir Hugh
finds his intellect and common sense broadside by the incessant deaths of members
of the Abbey. Of course, as he investigates, all these deaths are related and using his
famed logic and ability to re-construct, he is able to bring the murderer to justice.
Of course, all in good time, as the killer wreaks vengeance upon those whom he feels
are complicit in the greater crime, one that began years ago and, sadly, now plays to
its tragic, deceitful, and explosive end.

Of all the Corbett books, this one is the best researched and most carefully
laid out and presented. From its opening pages, 'Corpse Candle' holds the reader's
attention and the plot unfolds in a timely manner and pace. Few loose ends are left
and the conclusion logical and noteworthy. (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

When Abbot Stephen is found murdered, locked in his quarters from the inside, a puzzling mystery is indeed presented. Sir Hugh Corbett, keepers of the king's peace, is called in to investigate, and finds himself immersed in an investigation with far-reaching effects, and tentacles that spread many years into the past, to the Abbots old life, to tales of robber baron Sir Geofrey Mandeville's ghost galloping through the fens with a troop of spectrely horsemen, to rumours of the origins of the corpse candles, said to foretell the deaths of men, which hover and flicker at night above the marshes...

The characters in this book are very well characterised, the plot is tight and complex, and always puzzling. The writing style is invigorating. The solution is surprising and clever, and much blood is spilled before it arrives. This is without a doubt one of Doherty's very best novels, full of historical falvour, great characters, with a cracking plot. I reccomend this highly to any fan of crime fiction, not jsut historical fiction.

Stephens' friend King Edward I wants secular answers so he sends his loyal Royal Clerk Hugh Corbett to investigate the homicide. Hugh and his able assistants begin to uncover secrets about Abbot Stephens that expands the list of suspects even as the killer murders more brothers leaving the calling card of the Devil's Mark behind.

Perhaps the leading medieval mystery writer of today (besides Corbett, there are Brother Athelstan and Canterbury Tales), P.C. Doherty provides a tremendous lock door fourteenth century who-done-it. The key to a Doherty tale are all here in CORPSE CANDLE. The characters are deep, believable, and enhance the feel for the era that is vividly described yet interwoven into the plot. The hero is a courageous intelligent person whom readers will respect. With all that inside a strong investigation with myriad of suspects, but complex so that the audience struggles with deciding whom is leaving behind the Devil's Mark.

Harriet Klausner

That's easy to conclude, as the setting of this tenth mystery in this series is in the university town of Oxford! P.C. Doherty has put his super sleuth, actually the "king's clerk," Sir Hugh Corbett, to work solving a tiresome problem for his friend and majesty King Edward I in "The Devil's Hunt." Severed heads of beggars are found in the wood around Oxford --witchcraft, Satanism, and rituals of the "old ways" spring to mind and Edward will have none of it. In addition, the Bellman has posted several notices around town warning that his revenge will know no bounds. He is determined to avenge the death and degradation of de Montfort, Edward's enemy in a civil war some 40 years earlier. And corpses of college officials begin appearing, reflecting the handiwork of this unknown Bellman.

Hugh is called out of retirement and agrees to help the king. Thus, with his trusty assistants Ranulf and Maltote, Corbett strikes out for Oxford and for what he hopes is a quick solution to the king's problem.

Unfortunately, it is not so simple. More murders occur and the plot (and blood) thickens.

Naturally, by the time this tenth installment of the Corbett series comes to a close, all is well for the king. There are some sad turns of events in store for readers who have followed this series, however. Doherty's plot seems far more researched, more complicated than some of the earlier works. His ability to juxtapose the events of the late 13th century with modern thought and reasoning--not to mention writing styles!--is well documented. He clearly is able to make modern audiences appreciate that time period for what it was--oftentimes cruel, far less refined, and justice at the caprice of the king. He captures the tone and atmosphere of medieval England quite well.

The author, who writes under a number of other names as well--Michael Clynnes,

Paul Harding, Paul Doherty, Anna Apostolou, to name a few--seems a dedicated historian and well worth the time spent in reading his exciting--and convincing-- historical mysteries. His eleventh Corbett edition ("The Demon Archer") awaits.

(Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

While I cut my teeth on Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael, Doherty's Hugh Corbett is a character of greater dimension and breadth than the good Brother ever was. And Corbett's supporting cast has always been superior to the cardboard cutouts in the Cadfael series. My only complaint with Doherty is that his villains are sometimes a bit thinly drawn, but overall I have devoured the series greedily. I only hope there is more to come.

King Edward II orders his royal clerk, Sir Hugh Corbett, to investigate the three mysteries at Oxford. Especially of interest to his highness are the antics of the Bell Man, who seems to relish invoking the ghost of the deceased rebel Simon de Montfort. More murders occur and Corbett soon finds himself in perilous danger even as he knows he must continue his inquiries or else fall into disfavor with Edward.

The tenth Corbett novel is a brilliant historical mystery that brings to life Medieval society in a very compelling manner. This will propel readers to want to peruse the previous nine tales. Corbett is a great sleuth and the multiple who-done-its are well designed and fun to read. However, it is the grime of the era (Flynn never seemed dirty) that makes P.C. Doherty's tenth book a compelling read for fans of historical fiction, especially the Middle Ages.

Harriet Klausner

Read Chesterton because he is a great master of language and will raise your standard of good writing and good mystery! I'm online now looking for more Chesterton....

The level of suspense that moves Wicked Games is just right. It keeps you reading - you won't want to put this book down - but it's not a draining because the book operates on more levels than simply a suspenseful story. Aside from the violence and suspense at the heart of the story is the relationship between Jane and Julia which becomes a source of tension and conflict in the novel. And characters like the zany Cordelia keep us laughing even as we sit on the edge of our seats.

Wicked Games is a great addition to the Jane Lawless series, and a great introduction to Jane Lawless for those who haven't read Hart's previous novels. Gay and lesbian fiction fans are rewarded with superb writing and a fabulous heroine. Fans of general mystery and suspense novels are likewise rewarded.

I must say that I absolutely loved this book! The author does an excellent job of capturing Bishop Hill and its Swedish traditions. The characters are wonderfully three-dimensional, and I think that she did a wonderful job of sympathetically portraying a family working with an Alzheimer's sufferer. Plus, the story is gripping and believable, with detectives who are human and quite believable.

Am I gushing about this book? You bet! This is a great book, and I highly recommend it to everyone.