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Three Brothers, Two Plots and a Monk
No 1 Best-Seller, Howard of Warwick, goes again. It's more medieval mystery with more than a hint of humour.
After solving all those murders, Brother Hermitage deserves a reward. And one arrives in the shape of a very high-quality parchment delivered by some very high-quality servants.
Appointment to the Standing Conclave, which advises King William on mainly ecclesiastical matters, is a great honour. It is not to be sniffed at, let alone turned down. The fact that the appointment has come from Ranulph de Sauveloy, who is known to think Hermitage an idiot, is only a detail.
Wat and Cwen the weavers think this detail is going to be trouble, and they had better accompany Hermitage to the first meeting in Nottingham. When they find that no one else understands why Hermitage has been appointed, suspicions grow.
Has he been sent in his role as King's Investigator of murder? Is there dark work afoot in the fringes of the Conclave? Do some of the very important people there actually want to kill one another?
Is this simply some devious plot of de Sauveloy to get Hermitage in the right place to foil some dastardly deed? Or to investigate it once it's been done? Or is he simply being put out of the way.
Words overheard through a window and a horrible discovery in a chest set Hermitage's worries at full gallop.
Rumours that King William is to attend, while his half-brother, Robert, is already there, and the other sibling, Odo, has sent his man, turn the possibility of a plot into a certainty.
All Hermitage has to do is work out what it is and put a stop to it. Before someone gets hurt, probably fatally.
He can't really ask William's fearsome companion Le Pedvin for help, can he? They've never got on in the past.
And Mistress Aveline, Gilbert of Nottingham's daughter, she can make any situation into a nightmare.
What seemed like an honour very rapidly turns into a curse. But Hermitage should be used to them by now.
5*
'I have read every single Chronicle - Very enjoyable and entertaining'
"I like Hermitage"
"You can confidently award 5 stars to anything by Howard of Warwick even before you read it, and this book is no exception. Whatever you're reading, you have to put it down when the latest Brother Hermitage book arrives."
After solving all those murders, Brother Hermitage deserves a reward. And one arrives in the shape of a very high-quality parchment delivered by some very high-quality servants.
Appointment to the Standing Conclave, which advises King William on mainly ecclesiastical matters, is a great honour. It is not to be sniffed at, let alone turned down. The fact that the appointment has come from Ranulph de Sauveloy, who is known to think Hermitage an idiot, is only a detail.
Wat and Cwen the weavers think this detail is going to be trouble, and they had better accompany Hermitage to the first meeting in Nottingham. When they find that no one else understands why Hermitage has been appointed, suspicions grow.
Has he been sent in his role as King's Investigator of murder? Is there dark work afoot in the fringes of the Conclave? Do some of the very important people there actually want to kill one another?
Is this simply some devious plot of de Sauveloy to get Hermitage in the right place to foil some dastardly deed? Or to investigate it once it's been done? Or is he simply being put out of the way.
Words overheard through a window and a horrible discovery in a chest set Hermitage's worries at full gallop.
Rumours that King William is to attend, while his half-brother, Robert, is already there, and the other sibling, Odo, has sent his man, turn the possibility of a plot into a certainty.
All Hermitage has to do is work out what it is and put a stop to it. Before someone gets hurt, probably fatally.
He can't really ask William's fearsome companion Le Pedvin for help, can he? They've never got on in the past.
And Mistress Aveline, Gilbert of Nottingham's daughter, she can make any situation into a nightmare.
What seemed like an honour very rapidly turns into a curse. But Hermitage should be used to them by now.
5*
'I have read every single Chronicle - Very enjoyable and entertaining'
"I like Hermitage"
"You can confidently award 5 stars to anything by Howard of Warwick even before you read it, and this book is no exception. Whatever you're reading, you have to put it down when the latest Brother Hermitage book arrives."
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 31, 2025
25 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Howard of Warwick
50 books85 followersHoward of Warwick is but a humble chronicler with the blind luck to stumble upon manuscripts which describe the goings-on of Brother Hermitage and his companion Wat the weaver.
His work has been heard, seen and read, most of it accompanied by laughter and some of it by money. His peers have even seen fit to recognize his unworthy efforts with a prize for making up stories.
There are now eighteen - make that twenty - novels of Brother Hermitage, the most medieval of detectives, loose on the world and they have found considerable success with the buying public.
The most recent outpouring from the scriptorium is The King's Investigator Part II.
Tales of Hermitage continue to flow forth with few checks for accuracy. There are even short stories available for free.
There is a dedicated web page, HowardofWarwick.com.
Messages can be left care of Howard@howardofwarwick.com and Howardofwarwick can be followed on Twitter
There is even tweeting @HowardofWarwick
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 16, 2025
The last few books in this series haven't been as good as the earlier ones, but Howard of Warwick is back inform with this one.
I've just re-read Writing the Cozy Mystery so I'm seeing more clearly now how he's following the advice in that book. Stick with the same characters, keep the same locations, and bring back characters from earlier works if they improve matters.
Hermitage, Wat and Cwen attend a religious conclave in Nottingham, where Hermitage uncovers a plot to murder someone attending the conclave. Meanwhile, Wat and Cwen uncover what appears to be another plot. The two join up toward the end and all is revealed before the murder can actually be committed.
Like many others in this series, the mystery is resolved but justice isn't served. That's a little disappointing—but I'm sort of used to that now. But the leadup to the resolution is well done and the author (or translator, if you feel that way) has innovated naming his chapters, which was fun.
Read the earlier ones first, because this one makes all that worthwhile.
I've just re-read Writing the Cozy Mystery so I'm seeing more clearly now how he's following the advice in that book. Stick with the same characters, keep the same locations, and bring back characters from earlier works if they improve matters.
Hermitage, Wat and Cwen attend a religious conclave in Nottingham, where Hermitage uncovers a plot to murder someone attending the conclave. Meanwhile, Wat and Cwen uncover what appears to be another plot. The two join up toward the end and all is revealed before the murder can actually be committed.
Like many others in this series, the mystery is resolved but justice isn't served. That's a little disappointing—but I'm sort of used to that now. But the leadup to the resolution is well done and the author (or translator, if you feel that way) has innovated naming his chapters, which was fun.
Read the earlier ones first, because this one makes all that worthwhile.
February 10, 2025
An unusual entry
Of all the entries in the Chronicles, this one was rather unusual (hence, the title). There was no murder, just a plot. The subject of the plot wasn’t really known and the evidence of the plot very, very thin. It didn’t even seem like anything was going on, except for Hermitage being named to the Standing Conclave. But William shows and we do find out about the priest from Derby. So, still a typical Hermitage tale.
Of all the entries in the Chronicles, this one was rather unusual (hence, the title). There was no murder, just a plot. The subject of the plot wasn’t really known and the evidence of the plot very, very thin. It didn’t even seem like anything was going on, except for Hermitage being named to the Standing Conclave. But William shows and we do find out about the priest from Derby. So, still a typical Hermitage tale.
February 7, 2025
‘You gotta love Hermitage.
‘You missed, then,’ Cwen observed. ‘Assassinated his own foot,’ Wat noted. ‘Clever. I bet the other one will watch what it’s doing from now on.
Gwen is such an amazing character She comes up with some great retorts.
Great story as ever. Rib tickling funny. Best novel yet.
But you'll have to read it yourself to learn the biggest surprise of all. 😲
‘You missed, then,’ Cwen observed. ‘Assassinated his own foot,’ Wat noted. ‘Clever. I bet the other one will watch what it’s doing from now on.
Gwen is such an amazing character She comes up with some great retorts.
Great story as ever. Rib tickling funny. Best novel yet.
But you'll have to read it yourself to learn the biggest surprise of all. 😲
February 1, 2025
Brilliant
Old friends and possibly some new. A laugh on most pages. Characters who leap off the page they are so well written. I cannot praise it highly enough. I also can't wait for the next book.
Old friends and possibly some new. A laugh on most pages. Characters who leap off the page they are so well written. I cannot praise it highly enough. I also can't wait for the next book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews