Member Reviews
I have been a huge fan of this series since the very first book, and Edward Marston continues to entertain with the latest instalment in the Domesday series.
Travelling to Norwich to settle yet another land dispute, Gervase and Ralph are yet again sucked into the centre of a mystery - the disappearance of two golden elephants, intended as a betrothal gift by one of the disputants in their case. From the manors of the two lords involved in the dispute, the rambunctious lady plotting them against one another and a monastery locked in the middle of a moorland, the commissioners must try to solve this ever increasing mystery, which becomes more and more imperative as the bodies of those involve start to pile up.
A fantastic read, very entertaining and a pleasure to read. A great instalment in a fantastic series.
My first time with Martson's characters and this is advanced in the series. However I love medieval mysteries and this was a solid example of the genre
I have read other books in this series but not all of them.
This did not affect my enjoyment of this book at all which is the measure of a great story teller.
Our heroes are in Norwich in their customary investigation into land disputes after the Norman Conquest and they become involved in a gruesome murder and the theft of some golden elephants.
I loved the way that we are put into a very different England, where people are looking for elephants and don't know what they look like!
As usual the calm level headed Normans help find fairness and peace in spite of some pretty nasty baddies.
Witty, charming and very fascinating is the delightful & captivating world of Mr Marston,
one of the best English wordsmiths at work today!
The Elephants of Norwich needs to be read and the series really needs to be discovered! I became an addict and I spent 3 months catching up....
Marvellous characters, sparkling dialogues and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the last sentence....
This wonderful author was definitely one of my favorite discoveries in 2021 and his terrific body of work highly and rightly deserved to be enjoyed without any moderation!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Allison & Busby for this literary treat!!
I loved this book! It has a setting in an intriguing time ((the reign of William the Conquer), great characters, and an excellent plot that kept m guessing. I can't wait to read the others in the series!
This was an interesting book. Admittedly, I do not read many books set in England because they do not interest me but I do love a book with some sort of drama and politics.
The plot was interesting enough and the characters were decent, keeping in mind the era of England the book is set in, but the mystery did not urge me very much to want to finish the book in the quickest way possible.
Overall, a solid book for those who want to read about this era of England with a bit of mystery and intrigue
My first Doomsday book of the authors. Being a huge fan of his Railway Detective series, I was looking forward to this. To be honest, I think this will be a slow grower of a series for me, but perhaps that's because Ralph Delchard was a little hard for me to like, though that's perhaps because of the time period it's set in. I look forward to the next.
My thanks to Netgalley and Allison & Busby for the reading copy.
Edward Marston seldom disappoints, and he's on great form with this book. As a devotee of Marson's other series', I did not take to the Doomsday series at first, mainly due to the rudeness and irascibility of Ralph Delchard, However, as the series progressed, his character, while still basically choleric in nature, developed a sagacity that has completely redeemed him, and the latter books are really rather good mystery yarns, This one has a bit of everything, and while the final solution appeared to come from nowhere, it's well worth a read for all that,
I don't think that Edward Marston can write a bad book or a boring mystery and this novel was no exception.
Gripping, well written and highly entertaining.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Set in the 11th century just twenty years after William the Conqueror and his Normans invaded and took over England, William’s grand survey of England is the backdrop for this historical mystery. Domesday Commissioners Ralph Delcahrd is a Norman soldier who fought at the Battle of Hastings while Gervase Bret is a talented lawyer who comes from mixed Saxon and Breton parentage. They have traveled to Norwich to settle several land disputes, the largest of which is a series of disputes between Richard de Fontenel and Mauger Livarot, bitter rivals in both the land disputes and their attempts to woo the beautiful widow lady Adelaide. Before Ralph and Gervase can get to the land disputes they are drawn into solving a theft and a murder. The golden elephants de Fontenel had offered to lady Adelaide as a wedding gift, if she agreed to marry him, have been stolen and the first suspect has shown up brutally murdered just outside the castle walls. As the investigation continues things take unexpected turns and suspects abound.
These are fascinating historical mysteries set in an unusual time period. Marston is a pseudonym for Keith Miles and the Domesday Mysteries is just one of several historical mystery series he has written. It is great to see these being reprinted
Ultimately I did quite enjoy this book but it took me a while to get into it though I don't suppose it helped that I hadn't read any previous ones in the serious. Set in the years following the Norman conquest it is the story of two Domesday Commissioners who go to Norwich to settle a land dispute between two men though this is never really tackled because of the other stuff that is going on. There is a theft and a brutal murder to be solved first.
It put my in mind of a Norman Sherlock Holmes.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book love Edward Marston books. Mystery and suspense thank you Netgalley for the ARC