Copyright © 1994 P. C. Doherty

The right of P. C. Doherty to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

First published as an Ebook by Headline Publishing Group in 2012

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

eISBN: 978 0 7553 7040 5

HEADLINE BOOK PUBLISHING
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About the Author

Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough. He studied History at Liverpool and Oxford Universities and obtained a doctorate for his thesis on Edward II and Queen Isabella. He is now headmaster of a school in north-east London and lives with his family in Essex. Paul’s first novel, THE DEATH OF A KING, was published in 1985 and since then he has written prolifically, covering a wealth of historical periods from Ancient Egypt to the Middle Ages and beyond. He has recently published his 100th novel, THE LAST OF DAYS.

To find out more, visit www.paulcdoherty.com

Praise for Paul Doherty

‘Teems with colour, energy and spills’ Time Out

‘Paul Doherty has a lively sense of history . . . evocative and lyrical descriptions’ New Statesman

‘Extensive and penetrating research coupled with a strong plot and bold characterisation. Loads of adventure and a dazzling evocation of the past’ Herald Sun, Melbourne

‘An opulent banquet to satisfy the most murderous appetite’ Northern Echo

‘As well as penning an exciting plot with vivid characters, Doherty excels at bringing the medieval period to life, with his detailed descriptions giving the reader a strong sense of place and time’ South Wales Argus

‘Doherty excels at historical detail, bringing Ancient Egypt to life in the descriptions of daily life and characters drawn from every caste’ Publishers Weekly

‘The historical mystery genre is still thriving and Paul Doherty’s The Mask of Ra is the best of its kind since the death of Ellis Peters. As ever, Doherty dazzles us with his knowledge and intimate feel for ancient Egypt’ Time Out

‘Deliciously suspenseful, gorgeously written and atmospheric. A great read’ Historical Novels Review

‘First rate; Doherty has a formula which works every time’ Nottingham Evening Post

‘Medieval London comes vividly to life’ Publishers Weekly

‘Resurrectionist magic’ New York Times

‘I really like these medieval whodunnits’ Bookseller

‘Historically informative, excellently plotted and, as ever, superbly entertaining’ CADS 20

‘This rich tale . . . seeps authenticity and is written with wonderfully efficient style. A gem of an historical thriller’ Huddersfield Daily Examiner

‘The maestro of medieval mystery’ Books Magazine

By Paul Doherty

Canterbury Tales by Night

An Ancient Evil

A Tapestry of Murders

A Tournament of Murders

Ghostly Murders

The Hangman’s Hymn

A Haunt of Murder

Hugh Corbett mysteries

Satan in St Mary’s

The Crown in Darkness

Spy in Chancery

The Angel of Death

The Prince of Darkness

Murder Wears a Cowl

Assassin in the Greenwood

Song of a Dark Angel

Satan’s Fire

The Devil’s Hunt

The Demon Archer

The Treason of the Ghosts

Corpse Candle

The Magician’s Death

The Waxman Murders

Nightshade

The Mysterium

Egyptian mysteries

The Mask of Ra

The Horus Killings

The Anubis Slayings

The Slayers of Seth

The Assassins of Isis

The Poisoner of Ptah

The Spies of Sobeck

Sir Roger Shallot mysteries

The White Rose Murders

The Poisoned Chalice

The Grail Murders

A Brood of Vipers

The Gallows Murders

The Relic Murders

Mathilde of Westminster mysteries

The Cup of Ghosts

The Poison Maiden

The Darkening Glass

Templar

The Templar

The Templar Magician

Mahu (The Akhenaten trilogy)

An Evil Spirit of the West

The Season of the Hyaena

The Year of the Cobra

Constantine the Great

Domina

Murder Imperial

The Song of the Gladiator

The Queen of the Night

Murder’s Immortal Mask

Kathryn Swinbrooke mysteries

(as C L Grace)

Shrine of Murders

Eye of God

Merchant of Death

Book of Shadows

Saintly Murders

Maze of Murders

Feast of Poisons

As Vanessa Alexander

The Love Knot

Of Love and War

The Loving Cup

Nicholas Segalla mysteries

(as Ann Dukthas)

A Time for the Death of a King

The Prince Lost to Time

The Time of Murder at Mayerling

In the Time of the Poisoned Queen

Mysteries of Alexander the Great

(as Anna Apostolou)

A Murder in Macedon

A Murder in Thebes

Alexander the Great

The House of Death

The Godless Man

The Gates of Hell

Matthew Jankyn mysteries

(as P C Doherty)

The Whyte Harte

The Serpent Amongst the Lilies

Standalone Titles

The Rose Demon

The Haunting

The Soul Slayer

The Plague Lord

The Death of a King

Prince Drakulya

Lord Count Drakulya

The Fate of Princes

Dove Amongst the Hawks

The Masked Man

The Last of Days

Non-fiction

The Mysterious Death of Tutankhamun

The Strange Death of Edward II

Alexander the Great: The Death of A God

The Great Crown Jewels Robbery of 1303

The Secret Life of Elizabeth I

The Death of the Red King

About the Book

Chaucer’s pilgrims, quarrelling amongst themselves, are now in open countryside enjoying the fresh spring weather as they progress slowly towards Canterbury. A motley collection of travellers, they each have their dark secrets, hidden passions and complex lives. As they shelter in a tavern from a sudden April shower they choose the Man of Law to narrate the next tale of fear and sinister dealings.

In August 1358, the Dowager Queen Isabella, mother of King Edward III, the ‘She Wolf of France’, who betrayed and destroyed her husband because of her adulterous infatuation for Roger Mortimer, lies dying of the pestilence in the sombre fortress of Castle Rising, where her ‘loving’ son has kept her incarcerated. According to the Man of Law, Isabella dies and her body is taken along the Mile End Road and laid to rest in Greyfriars next to the mangled remains of her lover, who has paid dearly for his presumption in loving a queen. Nevertheless, as in life so in death, Isabella causes intrigue, violence and murder. Nicholas Chirke, an honest young lawyer, is brought in to investigate the strange events following her death – and quickly finds himself at his wits’ end trying to resolve the mysteries before a great scandal unfolds.

To Peter Randall (also a clerk);
Education Officer, in grateful thanks
for all his assistance and the many
good laughs we’ve shared over
the last twelve years.

History has always fascinated me. I see my stories as a time machine. I want to intrigue you with a murderous mystery and a tangled plot, but I also want you to experience what it was like to slip along the shadow-thronged alleyways of medieval London; to enter a soaringly majestic cathedral but then walk out and glimpse the gruesome execution scaffolds rising high on the other side of the square. In my novels you will sit in the oaken stalls of a gothic abbey and hear the glorious psalms of plain chant even as you glimpse white, sinister gargoyle faces peering out at you from deep cowls and hoods. Or there again, you may ride out in a chariot as it thunders across the Redlands of Ancient Egypt or leave the sunlight and golden warmth of the Nile as you enter the marble coldness of a pyramid’s deadly maze. Smells and sounds, sights and spectacles will be conjured up to catch your imagination and so create times and places now long gone. You will march to Jerusalem with the first Crusaders or enter the Colosseum of Rome, where the sand sparkles like gold and the crowds bay for the blood of some gladiator. Of course, if you wish, you can always return to the lush dark greenness of medieval England and take your seat in some tavern along the ancient moon-washed road to Canterbury and listen to some ghostly tale which chills the heart . . . my books will take you there then safely bring you back!

The periods that have piqued my interest and about which I have written are many and varied. I hope you enjoy the read and would love to hear your thoughts – I always appreciate any feedback from readers. Visit my publisher’s website here: www.headline.co.uk and find out more. You may also visit my website: www.paulcdoherty.com or email me on: paulcdoherty@gmail.com.

Paul Doherty