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Gil Cunningham #9
The Fourth Crow
In the ninth Gil Cunningham mystery set in medieval Glasgow, the crime-solving notary investigates the slaying of a woman found dead outside a cathedral.
Tied to St. Mungo's Cross by the cathedral, to be cured of her madness overnight by the saint, a young woman is found in the morning beaten and strangled, still tied to the cross.
Who would flout the saint's protection like this? And who is stealing cathedral property? The crows are gathering about Glasgow, watching the movements of clergy and townspeople.
Gil Cunningham must investigate the dead woman, track down the thieves, and identify the watchers in the shadows, particularly the elusive fourth person who holds the secret of what happened in the night. While his wife Alys deals with tensions within the family, Gil questions cathedral staff and apprentice boys, pilgrims and tradesmen, but he uncovers only more puzzles. And then there is another death. How are the murders connected?
Tied to St. Mungo's Cross by the cathedral, to be cured of her madness overnight by the saint, a young woman is found in the morning beaten and strangled, still tied to the cross.
Who would flout the saint's protection like this? And who is stealing cathedral property? The crows are gathering about Glasgow, watching the movements of clergy and townspeople.
Gil Cunningham must investigate the dead woman, track down the thieves, and identify the watchers in the shadows, particularly the elusive fourth person who holds the secret of what happened in the night. While his wife Alys deals with tensions within the family, Gil questions cathedral staff and apprentice boys, pilgrims and tradesmen, but he uncovers only more puzzles. And then there is another death. How are the murders connected?
277 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
8 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Pat McIntosh
33 books83 followersMcIntosh was born and raised in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Having begun to write at age seven, she credits the author who inspired her to write as "probably Angus MacVicar!" She lived and worked in Glasgow for many years before moving to the west coast of Scotland. Prior to making her mark as an author, she worked as "a librarian, a receptionist for an alternative therapy centre, taught geology and palaeontology, [and] tutored for the Open University."
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 11, 2021
Read this book in 2012, and its the 9th wonderful volume of the delightful "Gilbert Cunningham" series.
In this tale we once again will encounter Scots interwoven within this mystery of deceit and death, and which Gilbert Cunningham must find the perpetrator of a vicious murder.
Black crows are gathering over Glasgow, and tied to St Mungo's Cross by the Cathedral is a young woman possessed, to be cured from her madness by a saint overnight.
But the woman is found beaten and strangled to death, but still tied to the Cross, and who is she and where does she come from.
Gilbert starts his investigations by tracing the woman's identity and eventually find her enemies, and in that endeavour he must track down a lot of people, being they thieves, murderers, watchers from the shadows, and in particular that elusive fourth person who's responsible of what happened to that woman.
While questioning quite a few people, being Cathedral staff, apprentices, pilgrims and tradesmen, he will become embroiled in even more puzzles to solve.
With another death, and his wife Alys in full flow dealing with tensions within the family, it will come down to Gilbert to untangle this web of lies and deaths to solve this mystery.
What is to follow is an intriguing and thrilling Scottish mystery, in which it will mainly be Gilbert Cunningham who has to the sleuthing, and some nasty twists and turns, followed by a superbly executed plot, Gilbert will be able to identify the culprit of all these crimes.
Highly recommended, for this is another marvellous addition to this great series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Brilliant Fourth Crow Mystery"!
In this tale we once again will encounter Scots interwoven within this mystery of deceit and death, and which Gilbert Cunningham must find the perpetrator of a vicious murder.
Black crows are gathering over Glasgow, and tied to St Mungo's Cross by the Cathedral is a young woman possessed, to be cured from her madness by a saint overnight.
But the woman is found beaten and strangled to death, but still tied to the Cross, and who is she and where does she come from.
Gilbert starts his investigations by tracing the woman's identity and eventually find her enemies, and in that endeavour he must track down a lot of people, being they thieves, murderers, watchers from the shadows, and in particular that elusive fourth person who's responsible of what happened to that woman.
While questioning quite a few people, being Cathedral staff, apprentices, pilgrims and tradesmen, he will become embroiled in even more puzzles to solve.
With another death, and his wife Alys in full flow dealing with tensions within the family, it will come down to Gilbert to untangle this web of lies and deaths to solve this mystery.
What is to follow is an intriguing and thrilling Scottish mystery, in which it will mainly be Gilbert Cunningham who has to the sleuthing, and some nasty twists and turns, followed by a superbly executed plot, Gilbert will be able to identify the culprit of all these crimes.
Highly recommended, for this is another marvellous addition to this great series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Brilliant Fourth Crow Mystery"!
October 8, 2015
I did buy these final two books in kindle format from Amazon. It may be that I feel differently about reading them in this format, or I simply liked this book less than those that came before. I shall know soon as I will continue reading the next and last one that I know of to date. With Gil's household growing in number and the number of characters in this book, it had potential for being a most interesting book - but it was not satisfying for me. Dropped threads and lack of closure in several plot lines.
January 10, 2023
The medieval period is the time between 1066 and 1485 after William of Normandy's triumph over King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, thus Gil Cunningham and his wife Alys live in relative comfort in the fifteenth century town of Glasgow. As Blacader’s quaestor, Gil is basically the forerunner of future constabulary and seems to know everyone, and everyone knocks on his door in times of trouble and dire need. There is a huge dependency on the Church although one particularly cruel ritual backfires and causes repercussions including more murder victims within the Church itself. There are contentious family issues; what’s a drama without two cruel and scheming women? It is Gil’s job to sort out the mystery of who killed whom and why. He has a loyal dog, receives astute comments from his assistant Lowrie and gentle advice from Alys as he unravels what happened on that fatal night.
All manner of trades are questioned and scrutinised including the obligatory tavern and brothel. I particularly loved the ye olde forensics which were spot on. I thought everyone was a suspect and any of them could have committed murder. The main personalities are interesting and enjoyable to read and author McIntosh gives them memorable names but I became confused when a group of important people were bickering or the villagers talked in riddles or someone was vague because they lived by the rising and setting of the sun. And what use was the Fourth Crow vision anyway? Questions compound for Gil and answers are hard to come by until it looks like nothing will be solved. The evil perpetrators are eventually revealed although I kept thinking that a genuine tapestry of history had passed through the pages disguised as a murder mystery. Kudos to Pat McIntosh for pulling it off.
All manner of trades are questioned and scrutinised including the obligatory tavern and brothel. I particularly loved the ye olde forensics which were spot on. I thought everyone was a suspect and any of them could have committed murder. The main personalities are interesting and enjoyable to read and author McIntosh gives them memorable names but I became confused when a group of important people were bickering or the villagers talked in riddles or someone was vague because they lived by the rising and setting of the sun. And what use was the Fourth Crow vision anyway? Questions compound for Gil and answers are hard to come by until it looks like nothing will be solved. The evil perpetrators are eventually revealed although I kept thinking that a genuine tapestry of history had passed through the pages disguised as a murder mystery. Kudos to Pat McIntosh for pulling it off.
September 2, 2017
A woman tied to St. Mungo's Cross to cure her of madness is killed - or is it her? Was she really mad? Why was she killed twice?Gil Cunningham, his wife Alys, and the troupe of family and friends that help solve Gil's mysteries as the Archbishop's questator get underway in this thoroughly knotty mystery. These are really terrific mysteries, although this time I did have to use the recommended online dictionary to translate some of the Scots dialect words. It's been long enough since I read one that I didn't remember all the characters, but it didn't take long for them to creep in to my heart again.
August 2, 2020
A nicely complex and twisty murder mystery set in late fifteenth-century Glasgow. McIntosh creates a very convincing historical setting: she has evidently researched the city, its organisation, and its various occupations and activities in exhaustive detail. Occasionally a little too much such detail is inserted the story, thus slowing the pace, but generally it simply served to provide a wonderfully believable context.
My only real criticism relates to the characters: I wanted them to be more vivid, more distinct from each other (occasionally it was hard to remember who was who), and to have more developed interiority. Perhaps the central character, Gil, has already been developed in McIntosh's earlier books, but I really couldn't get a feel for his personality or motivations in this tale.
But what I loved most of all in The Fourth Crow was the Scots dialogue. McIntosh really knows what she's doing here, at least to my ear. I've recently read an American-authored Scottish romance that caused me prolonged bouts of wincing with its attempt at Scots dialect. The dialogue in The Fourth Crow was by contrast utterly convincing and lovely to read.
My only real criticism relates to the characters: I wanted them to be more vivid, more distinct from each other (occasionally it was hard to remember who was who), and to have more developed interiority. Perhaps the central character, Gil, has already been developed in McIntosh's earlier books, but I really couldn't get a feel for his personality or motivations in this tale.
But what I loved most of all in The Fourth Crow was the Scots dialogue. McIntosh really knows what she's doing here, at least to my ear. I've recently read an American-authored Scottish romance that caused me prolonged bouts of wincing with its attempt at Scots dialect. The dialogue in The Fourth Crow was by contrast utterly convincing and lovely to read.
April 25, 2020
Actually 3.5 Stars
A widow taking a vow of renouncement & living insane is tied to the cross of St Mungo for healing.... In the morning when the family comes to retrieve her, they instead find a corpse tied to the cross....
After much arguing & closer examination, the corpse turns out to be that of a local hoor. Now Gil has two mysteries to solve, the murder of the hoor and the disappearance of the widow.
Along the way there are two more murders and the discovery of goods being stolen from St Mungo's.... all related to the widow.
I liked this better than the last two I read, one which I put down & did not review. It held my interest and thankfully, not all of the characters were as loathsome as in the last two books. I like Gil & his wife Alys and how they work together as a team.
A widow taking a vow of renouncement & living insane is tied to the cross of St Mungo for healing.... In the morning when the family comes to retrieve her, they instead find a corpse tied to the cross....
After much arguing & closer examination, the corpse turns out to be that of a local hoor. Now Gil has two mysteries to solve, the murder of the hoor and the disappearance of the widow.
Along the way there are two more murders and the discovery of goods being stolen from St Mungo's.... all related to the widow.
I liked this better than the last two I read, one which I put down & did not review. It held my interest and thankfully, not all of the characters were as loathsome as in the last two books. I like Gil & his wife Alys and how they work together as a team.
October 5, 2021
It took until about the middle of the book for me to really start enjoying the story. At this point, we read the books to follow Gil and Alys and all of their friends and family and their interactions and this part felt very light, with more emphasis on the mystery elements and trying to keep track of all the other characters. But I absolutely love living in Glasgow with them and having the rich dialog swirl around my head.
July 11, 2021
Another excellent book and the Gil Cunningham series. I particularly liked the insight into the treatment of insanity of the time.
January 3, 2023
A fairly good Gil and Alys Cunningham mystery. Not my favorite of the series, but always enjoyable characters and late 15th century Glasgow.
March 13, 2017
More than anything I am amazed how an author can write in the language of the time. I am sure that this isn't word for word of how the language was spoken in this era, but it is close enough for me. Most of the time the meaning is evident; at other times not all. This particular story seemed to have so many characters that I had a hard time remembering them all. Of course, Alys seems to be the one that comes to a solution first. This time Gil might have been there a little quicker than normal. I am not sure why this is a 'Gil Cunningham Murder Mystery'. It is more like 'Alys Cunningham'. Recommend the series-start with #1 'The Harper's Quine'.
August 27, 2012
I believe The Fourth Crow is the tenth book in the Gil Cunningham Murder Mystery series, but you don’t need to have read the other books in the series to enjoy this one. In fact, this is the first Gil Cunningham Murder Mystery that I’ve read, but I’ll definitely be taking a look back at the others when I’ve time.
Pat McIntosh’s prose, descriptions and the characters’ accents easily took me to being an onlooker within the story. The fascinating historical detail of the time was such that it was so easy to imagine being there in Glasgow back in 1494, the map at the beginning also helping. I have to admit to having to re-read one or two sentences spoken by the characters, but in the main the dialect was easy enough to understand.
Despite being my first foray into the Gil Cunningham books, I still felt that I got to know the main characters quite well, even at this late point in the series. Though, I do think it would be interesting to go back through the previous books to see how they’ve developed. Even Gil Cunningham’s dog Socrates had a place in the story - a wonderful character and one to make you smile - a welcome relief from the awful murders that take place.
The Fourth Crow was a bit of a change for me. Whilst I’ve enjoyed reading a few historical crime novels of late, this one wasn’t a thriller. The Fourth Crow is an evenly paced, multi-layered murder mystery - more about the investigation and solving of the crime than of the crime itself. At just shy of 280 pages, I was able to read this in just 3 sittings and, despite the lack of thrill that many murder mysteries have, it still had me glued to the pages.
For a fascinating, historical murder mystery, why not pick up The Fourth Crow? Recommended!
Pat McIntosh’s prose, descriptions and the characters’ accents easily took me to being an onlooker within the story. The fascinating historical detail of the time was such that it was so easy to imagine being there in Glasgow back in 1494, the map at the beginning also helping. I have to admit to having to re-read one or two sentences spoken by the characters, but in the main the dialect was easy enough to understand.
Despite being my first foray into the Gil Cunningham books, I still felt that I got to know the main characters quite well, even at this late point in the series. Though, I do think it would be interesting to go back through the previous books to see how they’ve developed. Even Gil Cunningham’s dog Socrates had a place in the story - a wonderful character and one to make you smile - a welcome relief from the awful murders that take place.
The Fourth Crow was a bit of a change for me. Whilst I’ve enjoyed reading a few historical crime novels of late, this one wasn’t a thriller. The Fourth Crow is an evenly paced, multi-layered murder mystery - more about the investigation and solving of the crime than of the crime itself. At just shy of 280 pages, I was able to read this in just 3 sittings and, despite the lack of thrill that many murder mysteries have, it still had me glued to the pages.
For a fascinating, historical murder mystery, why not pick up The Fourth Crow? Recommended!
September 5, 2012
3 1/2 stars for this solid entry in a long-running series.
This series is one of my favorites in the historical mystery genre. Set in Glasgow, Scotland in the late 1400s, it is stuffed to the brim with local color. By now, we have come to know quite well Gil and his charming (and very, very clever)wife Alys. The expanded cast includes Alys's father,Pierre, Gil's assistant Lowrie, and varied and sundry family members--all of whom lend a hand in solving the mysteries. The town and church officials always play an important part, and that is especially true in this story.
McIntosh always writes mysteries that play fair with the reader. The clues are all there, the bad guy (or guys) always play a noticeable role as the story unfolds. And, as a mystery fan, I really appreciate that.
Gil really has his hands full in this one. The death of Annie Gibbs, the young woman tied to St Mungo's Cross, is just the first of several deaths. There is also the very troubling matter of rampant pilfering of goods from St Mungo's church stores. Are any of the deaths related to the thefts? Who would want to kill Annie?
The visiting characters are deftly drawn--Annie's young sisters-in-law are wonderful featherwits. Dame Ellen is a real dragon; her two young kinsmen are spoiled and hot-headed and so on.
This can be read and enjoyed without having read the others. But, as always, those who have followed along from the beginning will have a deeper knowledge of the continuing characters. I recommend starting at the beginning, but that's because I wouldn't want you to miss out on any of the fun.
This series is one of my favorites in the historical mystery genre. Set in Glasgow, Scotland in the late 1400s, it is stuffed to the brim with local color. By now, we have come to know quite well Gil and his charming (and very, very clever)wife Alys. The expanded cast includes Alys's father,Pierre, Gil's assistant Lowrie, and varied and sundry family members--all of whom lend a hand in solving the mysteries. The town and church officials always play an important part, and that is especially true in this story.
McIntosh always writes mysteries that play fair with the reader. The clues are all there, the bad guy (or guys) always play a noticeable role as the story unfolds. And, as a mystery fan, I really appreciate that.
Gil really has his hands full in this one. The death of Annie Gibbs, the young woman tied to St Mungo's Cross, is just the first of several deaths. There is also the very troubling matter of rampant pilfering of goods from St Mungo's church stores. Are any of the deaths related to the thefts? Who would want to kill Annie?
The visiting characters are deftly drawn--Annie's young sisters-in-law are wonderful featherwits. Dame Ellen is a real dragon; her two young kinsmen are spoiled and hot-headed and so on.
This can be read and enjoyed without having read the others. But, as always, those who have followed along from the beginning will have a deeper knowledge of the continuing characters. I recommend starting at the beginning, but that's because I wouldn't want you to miss out on any of the fun.
Read
July 15, 2013This is a murder mystery that takes place in medieval Scotland. (It's part of a series, which I didn't realize when I picked it up, but I was able to follow the story with no problem.) The process of solving the mystery varies not at all from a contemporary detective story. Gil Cunningham, and his wife and associates, examine the scene of the crime for clues, interview witnesses, mull through the possible motives and opportunities, and rule out what doesn't fit. I didn't actually buy that. I believe that people in past centuries were every bit as intelligent as people of today (some of them more so), but I have been taught that the patterns of logical thought are a product of the enlightenment and the scientific method. Would a 15th century investigation have been quite this systematic? I decided to suspend my disbelief on that subject, and go with the flow. I loved all the historical color: the dialects, the clothing, the details of daily life. In this story a "mad woman," whom we would call depressed, is tied to St Mungo's cross overnight as a traditional means of a cure. Except in the morning she is found dead. And except that it isn't her. She has been swapped for another woman. Who is the dead woman on the cross, and where did the mad woman go? That is only the beginning of the troubles. While I complained that I found the process of detection too modern, the actual "smoking out" of the "bad guy" happens by means of a profound religious sensibility that I did find appropriate to the age.
December 20, 2012
I love this series ... I really do. One book a year isn't enough, but I confess, this last one probably was my least favorite. I kept setting it aside and moving on to other interests. I think my biggest complaint, at least for me anyway, was that there were just too many characters in the story. I had wished that there had been fewer and the ones left were better developed. At times I found it confusing just trying to keep everyone straight.
Each book in the series can be read alone, but it does help to have read the earlier ones. The author left a couple of unanswered questions concerning Gil Cunningham's wife, Alys and her relationship with her new mother-in-law, but no doubt this will be carried on in book number ten ... which of course I will eagerly look forward to. :)
Each book in the series can be read alone, but it does help to have read the earlier ones. The author left a couple of unanswered questions concerning Gil Cunningham's wife, Alys and her relationship with her new mother-in-law, but no doubt this will be carried on in book number ten ... which of course I will eagerly look forward to. :)
September 19, 2013
I read this title out of sequence, as my library owned it, but not the two titles before it. As usual, I loved being drawn into the details of life in 15th century Glasgow. Gil Cunningham is advancing in his world, and his household increases. In this story a young woman is tied to St. Mungo's Cross to cure her madness. The next morning the body tied to the cross is beaten beyond recognition, and has been strangled after death. Deaths mount, and this mystery seems beyond solving, but with young wife Alys' help, and that of his father-in-law Pierre, Gil brings order once more. Sometimes the accented Scots' English is difficult, and the Ersche (Gaelic) can be puzzling, but it is manageable and adds to the flavor of the times.
December 2, 2014
Maister Gil Cunningham is Blacader's quaestor, the man in medieval Glasgow charged with investigating suspicious deaths and bringing the perpetrators to justice, in effect a detective. A woman has been tied to St Mungo's Cross to cure her melancholic madness, not unusual in itself, but now she is dead. Gil's investigation rapidly becomes more convoluted, McIntosh weaves together medieval Scots with early Glasweigian life where the church ordered the hours of the day and the law of the land into an engrossing mystery with plenty of twists and turns.
March 21, 2013
Another great set of crimes and puzzles for Gil Cunningham to get to the bottom of. A missing madwoman, a murdered whore, holy pilfering, and two sacrilegious murders in Holy Chapels.
My only criticism is that sometimes he's slow to put things together that seem obvious. My other qualm is the gap between books, which seem to contain juicy stories we only hear of in passing - an unexpected wedding, an expected move, and a whole adventure with the King to The Isles have been and gone since we last stopped by on Gil and Alys.
My only criticism is that sometimes he's slow to put things together that seem obvious. My other qualm is the gap between books, which seem to contain juicy stories we only hear of in passing - an unexpected wedding, an expected move, and a whole adventure with the King to The Isles have been and gone since we last stopped by on Gil and Alys.
April 30, 2015
McIntosh has such a sure hand with character and plot. By now, we know Gil Cunningham and family and how they think and act, but there's always more to discover. I find it fascinating to see how much research McIntosh has incorporated into her novels--making medieval Glasgow come alive. I can hear the characters talking and see them walking around. That's quite an achievement.
I did think that the ending came together a bit too quickly, with all of the ties tied up in the last few pages. I found myself going over who did what to keep it straight. Still, highly recommended.
I did think that the ending came together a bit too quickly, with all of the ties tied up in the last few pages. I found myself going over who did what to keep it straight. Still, highly recommended.
May 5, 2013
St Mungo's Cross is a popular place to tie your mad folk to in medieval Glasgow and one night a widowed gentlewoman is just such a case. By the morning it's a corpse tied to the cross that's been beaten to a pulp and strangled. Gil gets caught up with the investigation into the death and her family and solves it with the help of his wife Alys. I do enjoy this series for the characters as well as the murder/mystery in each book.
March 15, 2013
I really enjoyed this book and am thrilled it's a series. It's set in medieval Scotland and is full of period details including language, social mores, rituals, all kinds of fun stuff. The mystery was nicely complicated. There wasn't a lot of deep characterization because there was so much else going on but that's one of the beauties of it being a series.
May 29, 2017
I read the Fourth Crow again, it was the 9th book in the series but the only one my library had at the time and since I enjoyed it so much I started looking for the other books in the series and have made my way back to #9 and couldn't quite remember " who done it " so decided to read it again and enjoyed it even more knowing the back stories of all the characters.
September 2, 2012
It was awesome..every book is better than the one before it.
February 4, 2013
pretty dull...
October 16, 2014
Interesting book, well written and a devious plot, but the writer fails to convince me of the era this was set in. The characters could be modern day, and not 1400s.
September 23, 2015
Loved it. Very well written.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2016
I am sorry that this is currently the last book in the series!
March 27, 2016
Ok for 15th century, but a little too much repetitive dialogue for me. I think I'll pass on the rest of the series, even though Gil and his wife Alys were very engaging.
March 30, 2023
I've only read it once, so I don't remember it well! Due for a reread.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews