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Friar-sleuth Brother Athelstan is caught in a politically charged race against time! He must uncover the truth behind numerous gruesome murders in this tense historical mystery set in medieval London.Normandy, 1358: The Free Company of the'Via Crucis - the Way of the Cross'sweeps into the peaceful village of Avranches, like the riders from the Apocalypse, leaving nothing but death and hellish destruction in their wake.London, 1382: Brother Athelstan is summoned to unpick the ugly truth behind a number of killings afflicting the great city. Some carried out like clean, efficient assassinations, all bearing the message'Justitia Fiat - let there be justice', others inflicting torture and humiliation upon the bodies. But the victims all have one thing in common - they were all once members of Via Crucis.With every new gruesome discovery, Brother Athelstan, with the help of Coroner Cranston, uncovers more clues which make up a most complicated riddle - but can he put together the last piece before the fate of the whole country is decided?A skilfully plotted and researched medieval mystery which will appeal to fans of C.J. SANSOM

Unlocking the Metaverse Highly comprehensive resource providing insight into how the “Metaverse,” and digital worlds in general, can be leveraged for business success Unlocking the Metaverse focuses on the strategic implementation of processes and the execution of Metaverse strategies, technologies, and innovations and provides readers with real world tools and strategies to succeed with market demands. The text provides a clear and concise description of what the Metaverse is and what its value means to readers and their companies. A continuous interaction with readers inside the book's virtual world in the Metaverse provides both structured and unstructured interactions with the highly qualified author and his guests in periodic and ongoing public events, serving as a repository of continuous learning and a sandbox for continuous innovations to be explored, analyzed, and reported. Unlocking the Metaverse covers sample topics such as: Construction documents and drawings, covering building information modeling (BIM), digital twins, virtual worlds, the metaverse, and level of experience/engagement measures Specifications changing role, covering specification manuals, lifecycle, 3D geolocation specs, and 3D search Smart contracts and tokenomics, DLT/blockchain, smart contracts, NFTs/FTs (digital building/digital asset), fractionalized ownership and digital real estate, and CBDCs, stablecoins, and crypto Future outlooks, covering machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) as a whole, and its probable applications in gaming and robotics Providing authoritative coverage of an important and fast-evolving industry, Unlocking the Metaverse is an essential resource for architects, engineers, and contractors, facility managers and operators, and property owners who want to stay on the cutting edge of new forms of technology and leverage them to increase business success.

In a post-pandemic world, amid environmental crises, and advances in technology, the dynamics of what the average city looks like have called for change, leaving governments and policymakers to reimagine urban planning and development. In Smart Cities: Reimagining the Urban Experience, Paul Doherty shares his organization's “secret sauce” recipe to marry information technology infrastructure—design thinking—with sustainable development goals (SDGs) for building smart cities. Paul dives into strategies, master plans, work templates, and real-world examples. This book will disrupt existing paradigms to offer practitioners, urban developers, and policymakers some solutions to creating greater social responsibility in a human-centric, data-driven world.

Spies, secrets and suspicious circumstances: Friar-sleuth Brother Athelstan races against time to solve impossible crimes and uncover a traitor in this gripping historical mystery set in medieval London.London. March, 1382. Deep in the shadows, a clandestine organization known as the Secret Chancery operates under the sinister leadership of John of Gaunt's Master of Secrets. When two clerks from this covert group meet their demise in suspicious circumstances, friar-sleuth Brother Athelstan is urgently summoned to unravel the truth behind their deaths.A puzzling question lies at the heart of the investigation: how did the killer manage to navigate a labyrinth of locked doors, leaving no trace behind? As Brother Athelstan delves deeper into the mystery, a terrifying threat also emerges: the possibility of treason. King Richard's spies in France are also dying, almost as if someone's discovered exactly who they are...Brother Athelstan must race against the clock to uncover the truth before he and his companions get tangled up in the hunt for the traitor, with fatal consequences for them all.

With an imposter prince claiming he is Henry Tudor, Margaret Beaufort must play the game of kings very carefully in this richly-imagined medieval mystery.“Uneasy lies the head which wears the crown”1472. Edward IV reigns triumphant over England and his rivals, the Lancastrians. But he is uneasy, for one true claimant remains: the young Henry Tudor, son of Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond. Henry's continued existence worries Edward, so he hatches a plan to bring a cuckoo into the nest – an imposter prince is presented to Margaret Beaufort as her son.Margaret is no fool and knows she must play this game of kings carefully... When she is invited to George Neville's beautiful home ‘The Moor'to help investigate some mysterious and gruesome murders she knows dark forces are at play. Whispers of a shadowy figure called Achitophel hang over the house's occupants, like the impenetrable mist that descended on the battle of Barnet the previous year and secured the crown for Edward. And as the body count increases, Margaret suspects there is a link to that fateful battle and the murderer who seems relentless in his thirst for blood...Can Margaret protect her life as well as her true son's claim to the throne?

Brother Athelstan must solve a theft from the royal treasure chamber and the murders of six executioners in this gripping medieval mystery. London. January, 1382. The Crown's treasury has been robbed. Tens of thousands of silver and gold coin mysteriously lifted from the most secure chamber in the kingdom; the five Clerks of the Dark who guarded the king's treasure brutally garrotted. Sir John Cranston and Brother Athelstan are appointed to investigate - but Athelstan has problems of his own. Clement the Key Master, who helped fashion the complex locks to the royal treasure chamber, has been found strangled in the nave of Athelstan's parish, St Erconwald's church. At the same time, six of the city's hangmen have been savagely murdered, their bodies stripped. Pinned to each corpse is a scrawled note:'Vengeance! The Upright Men never forget!'The Guild of Hangmen who frequent the majestic tavern, The Hanging Tree, on the River Thames, have petitioned for Sir John and Brother Athelstan to find the culprit. But have the sleuthing pair taken on more than they can handle... and could the two investigations be connected?

The arrival of a band of Spanish mercenaries brings new danger for Margaret Beaufort and the House of Lancaster in this richly-imagined medieval mystery. November, 1471. With Edward of York on the English throne and her son, Henry Tudor, in exile in Brittany, the newly-widowed Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, is alone, without protectors. All she can do is wait and watch, planning for a time when she's in a position to make her move. But new dangers are emerging. En route to England is a band of Spanish mercenaries known as the Garduna. With no allegiance to prince, prelate or people, they are a lethal fighting force, utterly ruthless and implacable killers. But who has hired them... and why? The discovery of the body of an unexpected visitor, found murdered in a locked room in her London townhouse, heralds the start of a series of increasingly menacing incidents which threaten Margaret and her household. Is there an enemy within? It's up to Margaret's wily clerk Christopher Urswicke to uncover the truth and ensure Margaret survives to fulfil her destiny.

A series of grisly deaths are linked to the sacred Stone of Scone in this compelling medieval mystery featuring friar-sleuth Brother Athelstan.'This abbey is a strange place, Brother Athelstan. A hall of ghosts, a place of flitting shadows. The dead throng here. I can hear them whispering as they ride the air.'During the harsh winter of 1381 murder stalks the streets of London in all its grisly forms. The city's prostitutes are falling prey to a silent, deadly assassin known as The Flayer who carefully peels his victims'skins for his collection. At the same time, Westminster Abbey, which houses the sacred Stone of Scone, is plagued by a series of hideous poisonings. Could there be a connection between these brutally violent deaths and the stone, which the English crown cherishes as a symbol of its rule over Scotland? Then there are the two former Upright Men, leaders of the Great Revolt, who are found mysteriously hanged in the Piebald Tavern, close to Brother Athelstan's parish church of St Erconwald - and Athelstan is faced with his most baffling investigation to date. Can he navigate this deadly maze of murder and intrigue and pull the various threads together?

Christopher Urswicke must unmask the traitor lurking amongst Margaret Beaufort's supposedly loyal followers in this gripping medieval mystery. October, 1471. Edward IV sits on the English throne; the House of York reigns supreme. With her young son, Henry Tudor, in exile in France, Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, shelters deep in the shadows, secretly plotting for the day when Henry can be crowned the rightful king. But as her supporters are picked off one by one, it becomes clear that a traitor lurks within Margaret's household. When one of her most loyal henchmen, Jacob Cromart, is murdered in St Michael's Church, where he had claimed sanctuary, Margaret orders her sharp-witted clerk, Christopher Urswicke, to find out who has betrayed her. How could a man be killed inside a church where the doors are all locked, with no sign of an intruder or weapon? If he is to protect Margaret's remaining supporters from suffering a similar fate, Urswicke must solve a baffling mystery where nothing is as it first appears.

A murdered priest, a missing body, stolen treasure: Brother Athelstan tackles his most challenging investigation to date. October, 1381. Brother Athelstan is summoned to the church of St Benet's in Queenhithe to investigate the murder of a priest. Parson Reynaud has been found stabbed to death inside his own locked church. Other disturbing discoveries include an empty coffin and a ransacked money chest. Who would commit murder inside a holy church? Who would spirit away a corpse the night before the funeral – and who would be brave enough to steal treasure belonging to the most feared gangleader in London? Meanwhile, the death of one of Athelstan's parishioners reveals a shocking secret. Could there be a connection to the murdered priest of St Benet's? Athelstan's investigations will lure him into the dark and dangerous world of the gangmaster known as The Flesher, whose influence has a frighteningly long reach...

'Outstanding... Doherty keeps the action brisk, the crimes baffling, and the deductions and solution fair'- Publishers Weekly Starred Review Past crimes lead to new murder in the latest gripping Brother Athelstan mystery, set in 14th century London. November, 1381. London has been rocked by a series of bizarre and brutal murders. The corpses of a number of prostitutes have been discovered, their throats slit, their bodies stripped; in each case, a blood-red wig has been placed on their heads. At the same time, a mysterious explosion rips through a royal war cog bound for Calais, killing all on board. Could there be a connection? Summoned to assist in the investigations by Sir John Cranston, Brother Athelstan uncovers rumours that the mysterious Oriflamme is responsible. But who – or what - exactly is he … and why has he suddenly reappeared after almost twenty years?

First in a brand-new historical mystery series featuring Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII and matriarch of the Tudor dynasty. May, 1471. The Wars of the Roses are reaching their bitter and bloody climax. Edward of York has claimed the English throne, and his supporters are extracting a savage revenge on all who supported the Lancastrian cause. Surrounded by enemies wherever she turns, the position of Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and mother to Henry Tudor, the last remaining hope of the House of Lancaster, is precarious to say the least. Determined to protect her son whatever it takes, Margaret must rely on her sharp-witted clerk Christopher Ulswicke to be her eyes and ears. When four bodies are discovered in a London tavern, their throats slit, and Margaret herself is suspected of being behind the crime, it's up to Ulswicke to prove his mistress's innocence and unmask the real killer.

A gleefully gruesome look at the actual science behind the most outlandish, cartoonish, and impossible deaths you can imagine What would happen if you took a swim outside a deep-sea submarine wearing only a swimsuit? How long could you last if you stood on the surface of the sun? How far could you actually get in digging a hole to China? Paul Doherty, senior staff scientist at San Francisco's famed Exploratorium Museum, and writer Cody Cassidy explore the real science behind these and other fantastical scenarios, offering insights into physics, astronomy, anatomy, and more along the way.Is slipping on a banana peel as hazardous to your health as the cartoons imply? Answer: Yes. Banana peels ooze a gel that turns out to be extremely slippery. Your foot and body weight provide the pressure. The gel provides the humor (and resulting head trauma). Can you die by shaking someone's hand? Answer: Yes. That's because, due to atomic repulsion, you've never actually touched another person's hand. If you could, the results would be as disastrous as a medium-sized hydrogen bomb. If you were Cookie Monster, just how many cookies could you actually eat in one sitting? Answer: Most stomachs can hold up to sixty cookies, or around four liters. If you eat or drink more than that, you're approaching the point at which the cookies would break through the lesser curvature of your stomach, and then you'd better call an ambulance to Sesame Street.

'Entertaining - if harrowing.'- New York Times Book Review What would happen if you took a swim outside a deep-sea submarine wearing only Speedos? How long could you last if you stood on the surface of the sun? How far could you actually get in digging a hole to China? And Then You're Dead offers serious answers to these horribly interesting questions. Paul Doherty and Cody Cassidy explore the real science behind these and other fantastical scenarios, offering insights into physics, astronomy, anatomy and more along the way. Illustrated with straightforward technical art and leavened by small doses of dry humour, And Then You're Dead is both scientifically informative and gruesomely entertaining.

Sleuthing monk Brother Athelstan discovers that past crimes can cause new murder in the latest intriguing medieval mysteryJune, 1381. The rebel armies are massed outside London, determined to overturn both Crown and Church. The Regent, John of Gaunt, has headed north, leaving his nephew, the boy-king Richard II, unprotected.Brother Athelstan meanwhile has been summoned to the monastery at Blackfriars, tasked with solving the murder of his fellow priest, Brother Alberic, found stabbed to death in his locked chamber. Athelstan would rather be protecting his parishioners at St Erconwald's. Instead, he finds himself investigating a royal murder that took place fifty-four years earlier whilst the rebel leaders plot the present king's destruction.What does the fate of the king's great-grandfather, Edward II, have to do with the murder of Brother Alberic more than fifty years later? When he finds his own life under threat, Athelstan discovers that exposing past secrets can lead to present danger.

Brother Athelstan's Canterbury pilgrimage is disrupted by brutal murder in the latest absorbing medieval mystery. Summer, 1381. The Great Revolt has been crushed; the king's peace ruthlessly enforced. Brother Athelstan meanwhile is preparing for a pilgrimage to St Thomas a Becket's shrine in Canterbury to give thanks for the wellbeing of his congregation after the violent rebellion. But preparations are disrupted when Athelstan is summoned to a modest house in Cheapside, scene of a brutal triple murder. One of the victims was the chief clerk of the Secret Chancery of John of Gaunt. Could this be an act of revenge by the Upright Men, those rebels who survived the Great Revolt? At the same time Athelstan is receiving menacing messages from an assassin who calls himself Azrael, the Angel of Death? Who is he – and why is he targeting a harmless friar? Could Athelstan's pilgrimage be leading him into a deadly trap?

A medieval mystery featuring sleuthing monk Brother Athelstan May, 1381. The Great Revolt draws ever nearer. The Upright Men openly roam the streets of London, waiting for the violence to begin. Their mysterious envoy, the Herald of Hell, appears at night all over the city, striking terror into the hearts of those who oppose them. But who is he? When his chancery clerk is found hanged in a notorious Southwark brothel, the ruthless Thibault, John of Gaunt's Master of Secrets, summons Brother Athelstan to investigate. Did Amaury Whitfield really kill himself following a visit from the terrifying Herald of Hell? Athelstan is unconvinced. In the dead man's possession was a manuscript containing a great secret which he had been striving to decipher. If he could only unlock the cipher and interpret the messages being carried to the so-called Herald of Hell, Athelstan would be one step closer to catching the killer. But can he crack the code before the Great Revolt begins?

An intriguing medieval mystery featuring sleuthing monk Brother AthelstanFebruary, 1381. A ruthless killer known as the Ignifer – Fire Bringer – is rampaging through London, bringing agonising death and destruction in his wake. He appears to be targeting all those involved in the recent trial and conviction of the beautiful Lady Isolda Beaumont, burned at the stake for the murder of her husband. As the late Sir Walter Beaumont was a close friend of the Regent, John of Gaunt orders Sir John Cranston and Brother Athelstan to investigate.In the dead man's possession was a copy of the mysterious ‘Book of Fires', containing the secret formula of a devastating weapon, the so-called Greek Fire. The manuscript has since disappeared, and Gaunt is desperate for it not to fall into the hands of the Upright Men, who are busy plotting the Great Revolt.Was Isolda really guilty of murder? Who is the terrifying Fire Bringer – and what does he want? Brother Athelstan is about to tackle his most challenging, and potentially dangerous, case yet.

An intriguing medieval mystery featuring Brother AthelstanFebruary, 1381. London lies frozen in the grip of one of the bitterest winters on record. The ever-rising taxes demanded by the Regent, John of Gaunt, are causing increasing resentment among the city's poor. When the seething unrest boils over into a bloody massacre at a splendid Southwark tavern, The Candle Flame, in which nine people, including Gaunt's tax collectors, their military escort and the prostitutes entertaining them, are brutally murdered, the furious Regent orders Brother Athelstan to get to the bottom of the matter.For not only has Gaunt's treasure trove been stolen, he has reason to believe a French spy is active along the Thames, carefully recording for his masters in the Louvre the state of English war cogs. And a professional assassin, Beowulf, who has sworn vengeance against Gaunt and his minions, also stalks the shadows. Once again, Athelstan must enter the murky world of murder, where the darkness constantly shifts and no one is who or what they seem.

'Medieval mystery fans have cause for rejoicing with the return of Brother Athelstan'Booklist on Bloodstone January, 1381.As guests of the Regent, John of Gaunt, Brother Athelstan and Sir John Cranston have been attending a mystery play performed by the Straw Men, Gaunt's personal acting troupe, in St John's Chapel in the Tower of London when the evening's entertainment is rudely interrupted by sudden, violent death. Who would have the audacity to murder two of Gaunt's VIP guests and the wherewithal to strategically position two severed heads on the stage without being noticed? The Regent orders Athelstan to find out. Could there really be a spy at the heart of the royal court? Could it be the work of the Upright Men, the band of rebels led by Wat Tyler? Could there be a connection with the mysterious female prisoner Gaunt has locked up in the Tower? Whose are the severed heads and what is their significance? Athelstan is about to tackle his most baffling case yet.

Intrighi, sospetti e cospirazioniChi ha tradito l'Ordine dei templari?La pericolosa ambizione di un uomo minaccia il Sacro Ordine dall'internoAnno del Signore 1152. L'Inghilterra è sconvolta dalla sanguinosa guerra per il trono tra re Stefano II di Blois e Enrico II detto “Fitzempress”. Nel contempo a Gerusalemme i Cavalieri Templari continuano a difendere la città dalla minaccia degli infedeli. Il leggendario Ordine, fondato cinquant'anni prima da Ugo di Payens, è ora tentato da ricchezze e opulenza e insidiato da striscianti guerre di potere. In questo clima di sospetti e cospirazioni Edmondo di Payens, francese, nipote di Eleonora, una delle fondatrici del Sacro Ordine, e l'inglese Filippo Mayele si ritrovano a dover risolvere un difficile mistero: il brutale assassinio di Raimondo, conte di Tripoli. Chi poteva volere la sua morte? Il Gran Maestro dei Templari manda Edmondo e Filippo in avanscoperta dall'Uomo della Montagna, il capo della setta degli Assassini, che crede responsabile dell'omicidio. Ma il segreto si nasconde proprio all'interno dell'Ordine dei Templari, dove qualcuno è deciso a usare ogni mezzo pur di raggiungere i propri scopi... Dalla torrida Gerusalemme alle città d'Inghilterra, Edmondo e altri cavalieri si troveranno ad affrontare pericoli e battaglie sanguinose per scoprire l'identità di colui che minaccia di sgretolare l'Ordine dall'interno, mettendo a rischio le sorti della monarchia inglese.Mistero, sangue e poteri occulti minacciano l'Ordine dei Templari Un thriller storico degno della migliore tradizione inglese Temibile assassino Potente occultista Chi è l'uomo che sparì dalla storia?«Grazie al talento di Doherty ciò che è accaduto nel passato rivive davanti agli occhi del lettore.»Library Journal Paul DohertyÈ nato a Middlesbrough nel 1946. Insegnante di Storia, dirige la prestigiosa Trinity School. Ha firmato una lunga lista di bestseller tradotti in tutto il mondo, tra cui Il Templare. I segreti della città santa; Alessandro Magno e la vittoria impossibile; Alessandro Magno e le porte degli inferi, tutti pubblicati dalla Newton Compton.

After the discovery of three savagely murdered bodies in his parish, Brother Athelstan finds himself involved in the hunt for a dangerous killer. It is clear that two of the victims, a whore and a preacher, surprised an assassin who was then forced to kill them. But who the third victim is, and why someone has gone to so much trouble to kill him, remains a mystery. And can it really have any connection with Sir John Cranston's attempt to save a women unjustly accused of stabbing a clerk?

In the late autumn of 1380, Brother Athelstan is busy enough. He and his parish council are preparing for the annual Christmas mystery play when a series of brutal murders occur at a Southwark tavern. Two young whores are found slain but their deaths are only the beginning of a series of gruesome killings which occur around the parish of St Erconwald's. A whole host of mysterious characters assemble to this pageant of murder: the Misericord, master thief and cunning man; the Judas man, a bounty hunter who tracks down outlaws and wolfheads; and finally the Knights of the Golden Falcon who assemble to celebrate their annual reunion. Brother Athelstan and Sir John Cranstone have to resolve not only these grisly deaths but also their source – the Great Robbery of the Lombard treasure which occurred in Southwark some twenty years earlier...

It's the summer of 1380 and the corpse of Edwin Chapler, clerk of the Office of the Green Wax of the Chancery, has been pulled from the Thames: Chapler has drowned, but not before he received a vicious blow to the back of the head. Then Bartholomew Drayton, a usurer and money-lender, is found dead in his strongroom, a crossbow firmly embedded in his chest: a real mystery because the windowless strongroom was locked and barred from the inside. So who killed him; And how; And are the two deaths connected; Sir John Cranston, the Coroner of the City of London, comes to survey the scene. When other clerks are murdered, each with a riddle pinned to his corpse, Cranston enlists the help of his secretarius, Brother Athelstan; and together they must pit their wits against a deadly adversary bent on murder and mayhem.

1380. As the king's parliament debates whether to grant money supplies to the Regent for his war against the French, John of Gaunt orders Sir John Cranston and Brother Athelstan to investigate the murder of the Shrewsbury representatives, as the assassin must be caught before parliament suspects the Regent himself. Unfortunately, Sir John and Brother Athelstan have their own problems to deal with: the coroner is puzzled by a thief stealing cats from Cheapside, while Athelstan is concerned by claims that a devil is prowling his parish. Against a colourful pageantry of medieval court life and the dark slums of London, Sir John and Brother Athelstan pit their wits against a bloody murder and the assassin in the House of Crows.

Winter, 1379, and a sea of trouble is besetting England. French privateers attack the southern coast on a path to threaten London itself. In response, an English flotilla of warships, including God's Bright Light, drops anchor in the Thames. During the night, however, the first mate and two of the ship's crew disappear without trace. Summoned to resolve the mysteries on board, Sir John Cranston and Brother Athelstan finds themselves in the thick of a bloody battle on the Thames as scandal, treason and murder rule the day.

In the summer of 1380 a French captain is murdered in Hawkmere Manor – a lonely, gloomy dwelling place, otherwise known as the ‘Devil's Domain', which is used by Regent John of Gaunt to house French prisoners captured during the bloody battles waged between the French and the English on the Narrow Seas. Sir John Cranston and Brother Athelstan are summoned to investigate the mysterious death but their path is riddled with obstacles. How could the murderer have entered the Frenchman's chamber when the room was locked from within? Their aide, Sir Maurice Maltravers, is more of a hindrance than a help, as he faces the misery of heartbreak. Lady Angelica, the woman he intended to marry, has been whisked away to a convent by her tyrannical and disapproving father. It soon becomes apparent that only when the lovers are reunited will any progress be made in the murder investigation…

An intriguing new Brother Athelstan historical mystery December, 1380. When the corpse of Sir Robert Kilverby is discovered in a locked room, Brother Athelstan accompanies the King's coroner to investigate. For Sir Robert had in his possession a priceless relic, a sacred bloodstone, which has now disappeared. Did Sir Robert die of natural causes or was he murdered? Athelstan is sceptical of rumours of a curse hanging over Sir Robert, but when it is discovered that a second old soldier has been gruesomely slain on the same night, the rumours no longer seem so far-fetched.

A ‘Canterbury Tales'medieval mystery - As Chaucer's pilgrims shelter for the night, it's the physician's turn to enthral his fellow travellers with a terrifying tale. When Brother Anselm and his novice Stephen are summoned to the Church of St Michael's, Candlewick, to perform an exorcism, the demons that plague the church appear to have been summoned by an infamous sorcerer known as the Midnight Man. But what has he unwittingly unleashed – and why? Is there any link to the disappearance of young women in the area? Before Anselm can get to the truth, he must first uncover the identity of the mysterious Midnight Man.

In 1376, the famed Black Prince died of a terrible rotting sickness, closely followed by his father, King Edward III. The crown of England is left in the hands of a mere boy, the future Richard II, and the great nobles gather like hungry wolves around the empty throne. As a terrible power struggle threatens the country, one of London's powerful merchant princes is foully murdered and Coroner Sir John Cranston and Dominican monk Brother Athelstan are ordered to investigate. When further deaths occur, they find themselves drawn ever deeper into a dark web of intrigue.

Autumn, 1379. The power of the crown is invested in John of Gaunt, and the kingdom is seething with discontent. The French are attacking the southern ports and peasants are planning a revolt organised by a mysterious leader who proclaims himself ‘Ira Dei', the Anger of God. His plans plunged into chaos by a series of bloody murders, Gaunt turns to Sr John Cranston to catch the assassin and recover a vanished king's ransom in gold. Together, Cranston and his ally, Brother Athelstan, face threats and attack from the powerful as well as the seedy underworld of medieval London as they attempt to bring a cunning murderer to justice.

Summer, 1379. Sir John Cranston, coroner of the city of London, is trapped into a wager with Signor Gian Galeazzo, Lord of Cremona, when challenged to resolve a certain murder mystery within two weeks. Men have been found dead in the scarlet chamber of one of Cremona's manors. They have no mark upon them; they have neither drunk nor eaten poison; there are no secret passageways or entrances to the room. And they all have an awful expression of terror upon their faces. Realising his reputation and future wealth rest upon the solving of this mystery, Cranston seeks the help of his faithful secretarius, Brother Athelstan.

December, 1377. A great frost has London in its icy grip; even the Thames is frozen bank to bank. The Constable of the Tower of London, Sir Ralph Witton, is found murdered in a cold, bleak chamber in the North Bastion. The door is still locked from the inside and guarded by trusted retainers. So how did the assassins slip across a frozen moat to climb the sheer wall to commit such a dreadful crime? Appointed to investigate, Brother Athelstan and Sir John Cranston soon discover that Sir Ralph's murder is only the first in a series of macabre killings which have their roots in a terrible act of betrayal committed many years previously.

Nell'anno del Signore 1097, papa Urbano II si alza dallo scranno che fu di san Pietro e, in un impeto di ira furibonda, si scaglia contro gli infedeli chiamando a raccolta i signori d'Europa affinché i loro eserciti si adornino della croce di Cristo e spazzino via il sacrilegio di una Città Santa sulla quale sventola la bandiera dell'Islam. Il proclama del pontefice incontra un consenso senza precedenti e, in breve tempo, un fiume di uomini in armi è pronto a muovere verso est, disposto a tutto pur di strappare ai seguaci di Maometto la terra in cui il figlio di Dio si è fatto uomo, e restituire a Gerusalemme la dignità che spetta al luogo che fu culla della cristianità. Hugo de Payens e Goffredo di Saint Omer, futuri fondatori dell'Ordine dei Cavalieri Templari, non sfuggono al fervore religioso che ha pervaso tutti i regni d'Occidente e si uniscono alle truppe guidate dal conte Raimondo di Tolosa. Davanti ai loro occhi si profilano i paesaggi di un viaggio eccezionale. Un'odissea di fede e di sangue che attraversa la storia segreta delle Crociate in un romanzo dove il mistero, l'avventura e l'intrigo cedono il passo allo stupore che avvolge il segreto più prezioso mai posseduto dall'umanità.«Semplicemente magico.»The New York Times«Un libro scritto sul filo del rasoio, emozionante e ricco di atmosfera. Una grande lettura.»Historical Novels Review«Un'opera eccezionale. Lo stile di Doherty è inimitabile, funziona sempre.»Nottingham Evening PostPaul Dohertyè nato a Middlesbrough nel 1946. Insegnante di storia, dirige la prestigiosa Trinity School. Come scrittore ha firmato una lunga lista di bestseller tradotti in tutto il mondo tra cui Il ladro di anime, Gli assassini del Graal, Gli artigli del diavolo e, pubblicati dalla Newton Compton, Alessandro Magno e la vittoria impossibile e Alessandro Magno e le porte degli inferi