A.E. Marston

Page Updated: 05/03/03

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A.E. Marston - Page 2

The Wildcats of Exeter

The Foxes of Warwick

The Hawks of Delamere

The Stallions of Woodstock

The Serpents of Harbledown

Paperback - Headline (1999)

First British Edition Headline (1999)

The Wildcats of Exeter
His business completed, Nicholas Picard rides home in the gathering dusk of the Devonshire countryside. Lost in his thoughts, he does not see the danger ahead. And by the time he is aware of the snarling wildcat it is too late. They find his body in the woods - the claw marks on his face a hideous indication of his attacker. But the laceration to his throat is the work of a human hand.
The discovery of Picard's death complicates an already difficult case for Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret. The murdered man was involved in one of the land disputes they are in Exeter to adjudicate and new claims are now made on the property in question. Picard's wife, Catherine, views herself as the obvious benefactor but his mistress and the mother of a previous owner have other ideas. So determined is each woman to prove her claim that the commissioners soon begin to wonder if this piece of land could have driven one of them to murder. But the root of the mystery lies far deeper than avarice…

First British Edition Headline (1999)

Paperback - Headline (1999)

The Foxes of Warwick
Henry Beaumont, constable of Warwick Castle, keeps a renowned pack of fox-hounds: quick, brave and ruthless at the kill, just like their master. Yet one December hunt turns up a very different fox, when, to the horror of the riders, the dogs uncover a corpse in the woodlands - the crushed estate of the old Saxon thane, Thorkell, and a former member of Beaumont's own household. Enraged, Henry swears to find the killer.
By chance, justice is already on the way, in the form of Domesday commissioners Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret, sent to adjudicate land disputes in the Warwick area. To their minds, the man Henry has arrested seems an unlikely villain; Boio, Thorkell's blacksmith. is bear-like but gentle. With no evidence, how can Henry be so adamant about Boio's guilt? And is Reynard's death linked to his forthcoming evidence in the land disputes? With dissent already brewing between their two new commissioners, haughty Philippe de Trouville and wise Archdeacon Theobald, and with Beaumont baying for blood, Ralph and Gervase have little time to save Boio's neck…
Inspired by genuine entries in the Domesday Book, the Delchard & Bret series will appeal to crime and history lovers alike.

Paperback - Headline (1998)

First British Edition Headline (1998)

The Hawks of Delamere
Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, leads a hunting party into the Forest of Delamere. Notoriously passionate for the sport, he is anxious to demonstrate the superiority of his fine hawk, which, he boasts, has the same predatory instincts as its master. But as the bird hovers over its prey it is pierced by an arrow and falls to the ground. The ensuing search for the perpetrator of this heinous crime yields two poachers and the enraged Earl orders their immediate execution. But who is the hooded figure who flees deep into the forest? And who is the hidden witness, crouching petrified but undetected?
Meanwhile, Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret, Domesday commissioners for the King, have been called from Winchester to settle a series of disputes between the Church and the State and are to be guests of the Earl during their stay. Exploring their new surroundings, they discover a well-guarded prisoner in the castle dungeons. While the Prince of Gwynedd remains under lock and key the Earl can live free from the threat of a Welsh uprising. So why is Idwal, the over-zealous Welsh churchman, hiding the true reason for his visit to the city? And whose arrow is responsible for the second gruesome death in the Forest of Delamere?
T he Hawks of Delamere is Edward Marston's seventh Domesday crime novel. Inspired by genuine entries in the Domesday Book, this thrilling and richly evocative eleventh-century tale will appeal to crime and history lovers alike.
'Another outstanding medieval mystery brimming with intrigue, suspense, and authentic historical detail' Booklist.
'Abrim with energy, heroism, tenderness, chicanery and suspense while crisply evoking a vivid picture of the era' Kirkus Reviews

First British Edition Headline (1997)

Paperback - Headline (1998)

The Stallions of Woodstock
See Review by Michael Jecks
Volume VI of the Domesday Books
Three powerful Norman lords and a dispossessed Saxon thegn watch their steeds race close to the forest of Woodstock, each lusting for a win. But the first horse past the post has an empty saddle and his rider is lying in a copse with a knife in his back…
Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret, Domesday commissioners on behalf of the King, are guests of the Sheriff of Oxford while they settle a land dispute. But soon their attentions are focused on a stretch of grass outside Woodstock where a murderer's secrets are to be found. The solution will not be easy; from the powerful lords with their dynastic ties, to the downtrodden Saxons, living beneath the heavy Norman yoke, Oxfordshire is teeming with malice, hatred and struggles for power, and more than one man has reason to wish the rider of the black stallion unseated from his horse. But who would go as far as murder?
An engrossing, finely crafted historical mystery that evokes the cruelty and the beauty of the eleventh century. Praise for A. E. Marston's acclaimed Domesday series:
'Marston draws a resonant and historically accurate picture of life during the period, creating lively and appealing protagonists as well as believable deep-dyed villains' Publishers Weekly
'If you enjoy the Cadfael stories then you should enjoy this one. Watch out for more from Marston' South Wales Evening Post

Paperback - Null (1997)

The Serpents of Harbledown
Volume V of the Domesday Books
Domesday commissioners Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret arrive in Canterbury prepared for a pleasant visit; their mission is straightforward and Ralph has his new wife, Golde, with him. Even the pompous Canon Hubert and meek Brother Simon are delighted to be in the environs of the renowned and revered Archbishop Lanfranc.
But tragic news disrupts them; a young girl, Bertha, has been found dead near the village of Harbledown, a snake bite sunk into her neck. Her death devastates those who knew and loved her. Gervase Bret cannot accept this is mere accident - but who would want to kill so kind and Christian a girl? The trail leads Gervase to the leper who found Bertha's body, and to a perplexing clue. Then another gruesome murder convinces Ralph and Gervase that they must look for a force more vicious and repellent than a mere snake. The incarnation of evil is among them - a Satanic serpent in human form - and, unless it is stopped, it is bound to strike again...