Banners of Hell (Hugh Corbett mysteries, 24)
Banners of Hell is the twenty-fourth book in Paul Doherty’s Sir Hugh Corbett series of medieval mysteries. The series has now advanced to 1312, the early years of Edward II’s troubled reign. Tensions between the king and his barons are high, further fuelled by the earls’ hatred for Edward’s favourite, Piers Gaveston. The king and his family flee north, pursued by the rebellious barons led by the Earl of Lancaster. Gaveston is captured at Scarborough and later summarily executed, generating even greater unrest across the country.
Against this backdrop, Doherty presents not just one conundrum, but several. At first, I found the speed with which each mystery is introduced slightly bewildering. A series of murders is committed at the Priory in Blackfriars where Gaveston’s body is resting; an unknown arsonist is burning derelict houses in London; a blackmailer has obtained Edward’s personal love letters to Gaveston; while spies and informers abound in every household, holding loyalties either to the king or the barons. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the king’s absence, the barons are using local gangs of thieves and pirates to subdue the capital. And, to top it all, a sighting of Gaveston in the French court leads us to suspect that he may not even be dead.
To be fair to Doherty, I was impressed that he held this all together with admirable skill, and each narrative line was further explored and repeated such that any reader would be able to keep up. My interest never waned, and I was always intrigued to know how each mystery would unfold. And this novel is primarily about solving mysteries. Fans of the series who enjoy a good whodunit, coupled with a real sense of historical context and its complex allegiances, will not be disappointed.
