This is the first time I've read Andrew Gaddes. I am a fan of historical fiction, and a story that took place in 14th Century England with the legend of the Templar Knights quickly got my attention. It is a murder mystery that is well researched and shows the trials of women of the time.

Thomas Lester and a Dominican Fanatical Priest are both charged to solve the mystery of a vicar and a vagrant in a small village in England during the 12th century. This is a very well written mystery with unusual characters. I particularly liked the way the women in the novel were portrayed as complex, intelligent people. I'd read the next book in this series.

*A big thank-you to Andrew Gaddes, Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
An interesting historical fiction and a very promising debut by Andrew Gaddes who tells us a story set in the 14th century in a small village of Bottersford where several murders are committed and where witchcraft seems to be all around. This novel was not a page-turner for me, however, the story is engaging and its historcal background well-researched. Reading a non-fiction on this period at present, I must admit that the Author did a very good job with regard to the descriptions of the place in the society women in those days held, whether single, married or widowed. Also, a lot of factual information was craftly incorporated into this work of fiction which is an entertaining read for the fans of murder mysteries and the Middle Ages.

Andrew Gaddes introduces the reader to a dark medieval England under Edward II where Those Who Go By Night commit murder and possible witchcraft. Thomas Lester is sent by the Bishop of Lincoln to find the source of these dark deeds and to foil the Inquisititor Dominican who will try to embroil the village and castle in witchcraft and heresy charges. No one is really who they seem. The clergy are not holy and the lord's wife has secrets. There is a notorious Irishwomen living in the forest who may be a witch. Can Thomas thread the needle to find the murderer?

In the reign of King Edward II of England (1324), a foul murder is committed in the sleepy village of Bottesford. A man with a hidden past, Thomas Lester, is sent out to investigate whilst at the same time Friar Justus arrives in search of demons and witches.

The two quite naturally are at odds during the investigation, with Thomas being urged to hurry up and find who is responsible " .. lest the black friar make heretics and killers of us all ..."

England during the reign of Edward II was a place of suspicion and tested loyalties, and Edward's favourites - the Despencers - set about enriching themselves at the expense of the nobility. No-one was safe from their avarice and destruction, not even the Queen.

There is enough tension, drama, conflict and suspicion, to tease out the mystery; and throw in a few real historical figures to add to the authenticity, and you have the makings of a decent medieval murder mystery.

Secrets breed unrest!

Set in the times of Edward II, a village comes under the scrutiny of an Inquisitor, Dominican Friar Justus.
An unholy murder has been committed and witchcraft is being touted as the cause.
Hoping to keep the Inquisition away from his flock the Bishop of Lincoln sends Thomas Lester, son of a Templar Knight who had been tortured by the Inquisition during the iniquitous purge of that organization, to investigate . Thomas finds himself threading a precarious path through a maze of goings on, including more untimely deaths.
His musings on the situation shows the complexities,
"Far from having reached any useful conclusions, things only seemed to be getting more and more complicated: a brutal murderer on the loose; a mad Dominican friar set on finding and expunging heresy, whether it was there or not; a convicted witch hiding out in the woods ... Secrets were strung all over the manor and village like the gossamer strands of some great spider’s web."
A host of fascinating and dark characters keep the tension going right to the end with some questions still swirling around in my head. I must admit I was left wondering what more is in store for Thomas. A man very much hiding who he is. As the plot thickens more of his burdens are revealed.
I was going to give this story four stars but as I reflected on the plot and the interesting characters encountered along the way, I felt that this Medieval Mystery is indeed a five star read.

A NetGalley ARC

Wow. This is more than a murder mystery set in 14th century England- it's very well done historical fiction which gives the reader a full sense of place and time. Thomas Lester has been sent to the village of Bottesford to investigate a murder but he discovers so much more is going on. The pervasive influence of the Catholic Church, along with corruption, is fully explored. Oh, and there's a witch! There is, admittedly, a fairly large cast of clerical characters to keep track of but no matter. Thomas finds a love interest in Cecily, who has to put it mildly, a challenging family. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Gaddes packs a lot into this engaging book perfect for fans of medieval tales.

A gruesome murder in a sleepy 14th-century English village sets the stage for a taut drama laced with witchcraft, depravity, and long-buried secrets.

This historical fiction had a few real life events in it and some speculation.

Set in England, where the residents are still in fear of the Church. No one wants an Inquisition. When a man is viciously murdered and left on the church altar in a small village, the Bishop of Lincoln sends his trusted fixer to find out if indeed this is witchcraft or something even more sinister.

Unfortunately the Archbishop has already sent his man to oversee the investigation. And what a horrible man this guy was! But, is he a killer?

Thomas is a decent character and I quite like learning a bit of history along with my fiction. However I found it rather wordy and would have liked more background on the characters. 

November 29th 2018 by Crooked Lane Books /Netgalley Reads

Imaginative, evocative and with a clever twist. An author to watch!

(I was bothered by some minor anachronisms, but nothing as major as to take from my pleasure of reading this.)

Thanks for an ARC.

Set in the 14th century in England, a vicar is found dead in a small village of Bottesford and there are rumors surrounding his death. Some think he died of natural causes, others believe he was poisoned. Following the vicar's death, a beggar is found murdered in St. Mary’s Church and his body draped across the altar. Worried that this incident might lead to a conflict with the Dominican Order, Bishop of Lincoln sends his emissary, Thomas Lester to investigate the murders.

At Bottesford, Thomas meets the Lord of Bottesford Manor, Sir Mortimer de Bray, and his daughter Cecily who is too outspoken for her own good.

Dame Alice, one of the wealthiest women in Ireland and Cecily’s aunt has fled her home in Ireland where she has been accused by the Church of being a witch and is hiding in a little cottage in the village.

Friar Justus from the Dominican Order and the emissary of the Archbishop of Canterbury has been sent to investigate the recent murders in Bottesford. The Friar suspects both murders are connected and there may be sorcery and witchcraft involved in their deaths. Or are there?

I like the author’s style in writing this book. I thought it complemented the story well. The story moved steadily and the twists and turns were well done. The characters are believable and interesting, although some might find the actions of some of the characters outrageous. Yet these quirky characters lend some credibility to the story considering the era in which it was set, where people were superstitious and engaged in pagan practices and all manner of debauchery.

Those Who Go By Night is an interesting blend of mystery and medieval history, debauchery, blackmail, and somewhat tempered by smidgens of romance. The outcome was satisfying and unexpected, and some parts made me chuckle. I’ll be looking forward to the next book if there will be a sequel.

Overall it was an enjoyable story for me, and with the authors strong writing style, I found myself finishing it one sitting. If you like historical fiction set in the Medieval period and steeped in mystery and superstition, you will love this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very good and enjoyable historical mystery. I love mysteries set in the Middle Age and this one was perferct.
The style of writing is great, the characters well written and the plot is fascinating and entertaining.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for this ARC

Quite enjoyable read ,
This book was good overall with some great characters and a good storyline.
I would recommend it to fans of this genre .

This historical mystery takes place in Bottesford in 1324. England is ruled by Edward II who has given much of his power to corrupt favorites. Superstition is common and the Inquisition would like a foothold in England. When a man is found dead on the altar of the local church, the Bishop of Lincolnshire sends in Thomas Lester to try to find out who killed him and find a way to keep the out of his area.

Thomas arrives after Friar Justus, a Dominican who is looking for heresy and who is more than willing to use torture to force "confessions" so that he can bring in the Inquisition. The local lord definitely wants to keep the crime local and nonsecular so that he doesn't draw any attention to his lands. He managed to remain neutral in the building conflict and would like to keep it that way. However, he is not a well man and doesn't have much choice but to cave under Justus's pressure.

Friar Justus finds "crimes" wherever he looks. He is suspicious of the recent death of the parish priest who was known to have a bad heart. When the local miller is found hanging, he is sure that is more of the devil's work. Thomas is more convinced that there are rational explanations for the deaths though he isn't able to identify the killer or the motive.

The strongest part of this mystery concerned the women characters. The lord of the manor's daughter Cecily becomes Thomas's love interest as he ponders the advantages of marrying her. The lord of the manor's strange second wife Isabelle is definitely a suspicious character. Lady Cecily's maid Hunydd has her own secrets. There is also the convicted witch Dame Alice who has fled from Ireland and is hiding in a cottage in the woods.

All of the women have secrets that play into the mystery. We know that one of them is a practicing witch but it is quite late in the story before we find out which one it is. Meanwhile, a couple of the others are herbalists quite familiar with poisons.

This was an entertaining mystery which makes me extremely happy to live in the century I do. The roles of women at the time are well described and rather appalling.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Andrew Gaddes, and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

I was keen to give the work of Andrew Gaddes a try, as it explores not only a mystery, but includes a dose English history, which can be highly entertaining. When a beggar is found murdered and placed in a compromising position on a church altar in Bottesford, panic ensues in the small English town. It is the mid-14th century and Rome has a firm grasp over its congregations. Worried that something will come to pass, the Bishop of Lincoln agrees to send an emissary, Thomas Lester, to investigate and report back. However, it would seem the Archbishop of Canterbury has his own man in the region, looking to explore whether the pagan rituals rumoured to be rife in the area might need a more powerful fist to quell them. Lester comes upon a community with many colourful characters, all of whom offer plausible reasons for being the killer. As Lester works, he must worry that the killer could strike again, all the while trying to protect this corner of England from being painted in a poor light. There is little time and Lester possesses an explosive secret that he cannot let the general public discover, as it could undermine his abilities to bring order to the region. Lester’s personal and professional lives clash in this piece, pinning criminal law against that of the Church, as well as personal morals that seem to conflict with ecclesiastical tenets. Gaddes does well to offer up a decent tale that will keep the reader wondering until the very end!

I enjoy historical mysteries, as they are usually able to mix curiosity with education in equal measure. Gaddes bit off quite a bit here and presented the reader with a decent narrative, though it missed the mark for me. Thomas Lester’s character has some interesting aspects, including his ties to the Church and ability to retrieve information from most anyone he meets. He may be a Church emissary, but he is human and his personal longings cannot be completely neutralised, even with a religious background. Gaddes portrays Lester as a gritty man who seeks the truth while trying to deflect his own personal opinion on occasion, which is a struggle throughout the piece. His Templar background is sure to offer some additional flavour to an already complex character, as the reader will see throughout. Many of the other characters serve to offer interesting perspectives to fill the narrative with different angles, sure to offer up a discussion amongst those who enjoy book bantering. Witchcraft, Church resistance, and wariness of outsiders prove to be themes embedded in the many characters Gaddes offers to the curious reader. While the story seems sound and the narrative progresses nicely, I could not find myself connecting with it throughout. I am no perfect reader, but something had me skimming rather than basking in a story that could have been so enjoyable. Perhaps it was the lure of the dust jacket blurb, but I expected so much more for my personal reading pleasure. It fell short for me, though I cannot expect that others will feel the same. Try it and offer your own opinions, for Gaddes certainly has the tools for a successful novel. Perhaps I am just not seeing the diamond embedded herein!

Kudos, Mr. Gaddes, for what certainly could be a stellar piece. I can only hope that others see something I did not. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and wait to see what you serve up next to the curious reader!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and would recommend it to anyone who loves medieval historical fiction, a little bit of romance, and a murder mystery.

The author weaves in the history of the times so well that all the descriptions seamlessly fit the story. He isn’t trying too hard to stick in every detail he can about 14th century England, just because he can; his writing style just lends to second-nature historical story telling.

The characters are fun and unique. It did take me a few chapters to keep everyone straight, especially all the bishops, friars, and monks. But once I caught on, I was hooked until the very end.

This was a terrific mystery, set in the 1300s. I sometimes get a little tired of mysteries because, really, there are only so many ways to make a unique story that isn't easy to guess. But Gaddes did a great job with this story, making it fun and exciting. I loved all the strong women in this one, as well as all the bits about witchcraft. I would definitely buy myself a copy of this for my own collection.

There's a murder in St. Mary's church in a small village in Britain . It is the fourteen century where suspicion runs rampant.. The first is a beggar splayed upon the alter. Thomas is sent by the church to investigate the murder. Is it a Pagan sacrifice of something more evil? Cecily, an outspoken beauty is too smart for her own good. She and Thomas have a mutual attraction. Dame Alice, Cecily's aunt has run away to a little house on the country to hide from the Church's torment. She has lost most of her belonging and does not want to lose her freedom or her life. It's a story of muder, witches and demons. Who is the murderer? Is anyone safe? Full of intrigue and mystery. I received this book from Net Galley and the publisher for a honest review and no compensation otherwise.

I really enjoyed this novel. The writing really made you feel like you were there, and the twist caught me completely by surprise! If you're looking for a clever and engaging read, I'd definitely recommend this book.

If 14th century England intrigues you then Those Who Go By Night by Andrew Gaddes, is a tale you will love. Gaddes is obviously a medieval history buff, his descriptions of everyday life, the feudal system, clothing and even his characters' vocabulary are authentic and genuine. Geddes does not pull any punches when it comes to the influence of the Catholic church over the lives of the populace. Torture, blackmail and murder all feature in the actions of the priests in this novel. Witchcraft, paganism, and violence abound in this story. This reviewer found the characters, their jargon and the settings more intriguing than the actual story line yet Geddes has managed to leave me eager to read the sequel to his novel.
I received a free copy of this ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love historical fiction but tend to read those that are 18th century and newer. 'Those Who Go By Night' is 14th century during a time where even a suspicion of witchcraft or anything again the Church was enough to end your life. Bodies are dropping like flies in a sleepy little town and the Bishop of Lincoln wants to know why. He sends Thomas Lester who you later find out is the son of a disgraced Templar Knight. This is not a spoiler it is mentioned in the blurb on the book. The choice of Thomas plays out well in solving the murders. It also made me want to learn more about a really crazy time period in history. Hopefully Andrew Gaddes writes more!!!