Where goes the King’s Investigator, there goes death; by murder, usually.

The author of the Best Selling The Heretics of De’Ath and other tales too numerous to be polite does not know when to stop.

Despite his protestations that disaster is inevitable, Brother Hermitage travels to Lincoln to sort out a library. It’s the task of his dreams, even if he’s reasonably confident that someone will get murdered in the process.

And there are several candidates. One of those troublesome Norman soldiers in the tavern? The king’s tenant-in-chief, Lord Colesvain, who has just forced the whole town to build his house for him? Colesvain’s objectionable son, Picot, who has a rather unhealthy interest in “illustrated” literature?

But a library should be safe enough; apart from the librarian obsessed with books on sorcery and magic, obviously.

Delving in the bottom of a box of books delivered from a long-lost monastery, Hermitage discovers the great Hermes Parchment and the whole world goes mad.

Hermitage, Wat and Cwen become embroiled in events that were pretty embroiled to begin with. There are wise men of the woods who turn out to be no such thing, and suggestions of an evil secret hidden in the parchment’s pages just waiting to be released.

And a dead body turns up. Just as Hermitage said it would. Told you so.

It’s yet another outing for the world’s most medieval detective.

“very good indeed, brilliant,” BBC Coventry and Warwick
5* Hilarious
5* Like Pratchett does 1066
5* Laugh out loud with a good mystery.
1* Stupid