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Thomas Chaloner #12
The Executioner of St Paul's
The plague raging through London in 1665 has emptied the city. The only people left are those too poor to flee, or those who selflessly struggle to control the contagion and safeguard the capital's future.
Amongst them, though, are those prepared to risk their health for money - those who sell dubious 'cures' and hawk food at wildly inflated prices. Also amongst them are those who hold in their hands the future of the city's most iconic building - St Paul's Cathedral.
The handsome edifice is crumbling from decades of neglect and indecision, giving the current custodians a stark choice - repair or demolish. Both sides have fanatical adherents who have been fighting each other since the Civil Wars. Large sums of money have disappeared, major players have mysteriously vanished, and then a unidentified skeleton is discovered in another man's grave.
A reluctant Chaloner returns to London to investigate, only to discover that someone is determined to thwart him by any means - by bullet, poison or bludgeon - and he fears he has very little time to identify the culprits before he becomes yet another victim in the battle for the Cathedral's future.
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 21, 2017
38 people are currently reading
242 people want to read
About the author
Susanna Gregory
85 books430 followersSusanna Gregory is the pseudonym of Elizabeth Cruwys, a Cambridge academic who was previously a coroner's officer. She is married to author Beau Riffenburgh who is her co-author on the Simon Beaufort books.
AKA Simon Beaufort
She writes detective fiction, and is noted for her series of mediaeval mysteries featuring Matthew Bartholomew, a teacher of medicine and investigator of murders in 14th-century Cambridge.
These books may have some aspects in common with the Ellis Peters Cadfael series, the mediaeval adventures of a highly intelligent Benedictine monk and herbalist who came to the Benedictine order late in an eventful life, bringing with him considerable secular experience and wisdom combined with a deal of native wit. This sets him apart from his comparatively innocent and naíve monastic brethren. His activities, both as a monk and a healer, embroil him in a series of mysterious crimes, both secular and monastic, and he enthusiastically assumes the rôle of an amateur sleuth. Sceptical of superstition, he is somewhat ahead of his time, and much accurate historical detail is woven into the adventures. But there any resemblance to the comparatively warm-hearted Cadfael series ends: the tone and subject matter of the Gregory novels is far darker and does not shrink from portraying the harsh realities of life in the Middle Ages. The first in the series, A Plague on Both Your Houses is set against the ravages of the Black Death and subsequent novels take much of their subject matter from the attempts of society to recover from this disaster.
These novels bear the marks of much detailed research into mediaeval conditions - many of the supporting characters have names taken from the documentation of the time, referenced at the end of each book - and bring vividly to life the all-pervading squalor of living conditions in England during the Middle Ages. The deep-rooted and pervasive practice of traditional leechcraft as it contrasts with the dawning science of evidence-based medicine is a common bone of contention between Matthew and the students he teaches at Michaelhouse College (now part of Trinity College, Cambridge), whilst the conflict between the students of Cambridge and the townsfolk continually threatens to escalate into violence.
Another series of books, set just after the Restoration of Charles II and featuring Thomas Chaloner, detective and former spy, began with A Conspiracy of Violence published in January 2006, and continues with The Body in the Thames, published in hardback edition January 2011.
AKA Simon Beaufort
She writes detective fiction, and is noted for her series of mediaeval mysteries featuring Matthew Bartholomew, a teacher of medicine and investigator of murders in 14th-century Cambridge.
These books may have some aspects in common with the Ellis Peters Cadfael series, the mediaeval adventures of a highly intelligent Benedictine monk and herbalist who came to the Benedictine order late in an eventful life, bringing with him considerable secular experience and wisdom combined with a deal of native wit. This sets him apart from his comparatively innocent and naíve monastic brethren. His activities, both as a monk and a healer, embroil him in a series of mysterious crimes, both secular and monastic, and he enthusiastically assumes the rôle of an amateur sleuth. Sceptical of superstition, he is somewhat ahead of his time, and much accurate historical detail is woven into the adventures. But there any resemblance to the comparatively warm-hearted Cadfael series ends: the tone and subject matter of the Gregory novels is far darker and does not shrink from portraying the harsh realities of life in the Middle Ages. The first in the series, A Plague on Both Your Houses is set against the ravages of the Black Death and subsequent novels take much of their subject matter from the attempts of society to recover from this disaster.
These novels bear the marks of much detailed research into mediaeval conditions - many of the supporting characters have names taken from the documentation of the time, referenced at the end of each book - and bring vividly to life the all-pervading squalor of living conditions in England during the Middle Ages. The deep-rooted and pervasive practice of traditional leechcraft as it contrasts with the dawning science of evidence-based medicine is a common bone of contention between Matthew and the students he teaches at Michaelhouse College (now part of Trinity College, Cambridge), whilst the conflict between the students of Cambridge and the townsfolk continually threatens to escalate into violence.
Another series of books, set just after the Restoration of Charles II and featuring Thomas Chaloner, detective and former spy, began with A Conspiracy of Violence published in January 2006, and continues with The Body in the Thames, published in hardback edition January 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 15, 2020
Set during the plague in London. Almost didn't finish this one.
December 29, 2018
This excellently written and very enjoyable book by the author Susanna Gregory is the 12th instalment of the really exciting "Thomas Chaloner" series.
Once again I'm happy to say that the historical details concerning this tale has been researched very accurately by the author, and that the story-telling is as always of a superb quality, for the author makes the reader immediately feel at home with the surroundings and with all the characters involved within this great read.
All the characters, whether they are real or fictional, come all wonderful to life within this fine book, while also the atmosphere of these times and the places during the reign of King Charles II come all real life-like off the pages.
The book, after a short prologue which is set in AD 1645, is set in the year AD 1665, with the month of September to begin with, and that year AD 1665 is also the year of the Great Plague.
The story itself is about the horrible secret in and around St Paul's Cathedral, during these times of the Great Plague, when all of a sudden an unidentified skeleton is found in another man's grave.
Thomas Chaloner has to return to London to investigate this secret only to be thwarted by any means by someone who's determined to kill him whichever way possible.
What follows is a suspenseful adventure in which Thomas Chaloner has to try hard to find the culprit of this horrible crime, while at the same time he has to do everything he can to avoid becoming victim himself, and all that in a battle for the Cathedral's future.
Very much recommended, for this is another thrilling tale in which "Thomas Chaloner Thrives Again"!
Once again I'm happy to say that the historical details concerning this tale has been researched very accurately by the author, and that the story-telling is as always of a superb quality, for the author makes the reader immediately feel at home with the surroundings and with all the characters involved within this great read.
All the characters, whether they are real or fictional, come all wonderful to life within this fine book, while also the atmosphere of these times and the places during the reign of King Charles II come all real life-like off the pages.
The book, after a short prologue which is set in AD 1645, is set in the year AD 1665, with the month of September to begin with, and that year AD 1665 is also the year of the Great Plague.
The story itself is about the horrible secret in and around St Paul's Cathedral, during these times of the Great Plague, when all of a sudden an unidentified skeleton is found in another man's grave.
Thomas Chaloner has to return to London to investigate this secret only to be thwarted by any means by someone who's determined to kill him whichever way possible.
What follows is a suspenseful adventure in which Thomas Chaloner has to try hard to find the culprit of this horrible crime, while at the same time he has to do everything he can to avoid becoming victim himself, and all that in a battle for the Cathedral's future.
Very much recommended, for this is another thrilling tale in which "Thomas Chaloner Thrives Again"!
January 23, 2017
This was terrific. I'm so sad it's over and now I have to wait another year for the next book! :(
March 9, 2017
Enjoyed this. Love all of her books.
February 8, 2020
This is the 12th book in the Thomas Chaloner series. London is fully gripped by the plague. Anyone with any money has upped and left, for the safety of the countryside and villages outside the capital. However, Chaloner is sent back into the centre of the city, to investigate the discovery of a skeleton which has been found in the crypt of St Gregory’s church, just bellow St Paul’s Cathedral. Chaloner immediately notices that there’s a head wound which is the obvious cause of death. But who do the bones belong to? And why are they hidden in the tomb of someone who is yet to be buried? On questioning the members of the clergy in both the church and the cathedral, Chaloner is able to identify the skeleton to be that of a cleric, who went missing 20 years ago, along with a hoard of money that had been saved up by a group of men called “ Agents of God”. They had collected this money in the hope that the crumbling cathedral could be knocked down and rebuilt. And it was presumed that when Kerchier went missing along with the money, that he’d stolen it and run away.
So, now Chaloner needs to discover who killed Kerchier, why, and where the money is now.
There are several other murders which are committed in and around the cathedral, all with the same head injury as Kerchier. Although mysteriously, the victims all also show signs of poison too. The more enquiries he makes, the more complicated the investigation becomes. Working his way down a list of suspects, he eliminates them one by one. There are so many crimes being committed in London, and the mayor is trying his best to punish people, and keep the city under control, but it’s an impossible task. There are villains selling forged certificates of health which would enable Londoners to leave the city, possibly contaminated with the plague which would spread it further afield. There are also villains supplying fake medicines which prevent and protect people from the plague. Chaloner thinks that these crimes are linked somehow to the murders, and also to the cathedral, but he can’t figure out how.
He must solve the mystery before the plague is spread outside of London, and before any other innocent people become a victim of “The Executioner of St Pauls”.
I really enjoyed reading this book, as I have done with all of Susanna Gregory’s titles thus far. However, I worked out who the killer was pretty quickly, which did disappoint me. Still a good read though.
So, now Chaloner needs to discover who killed Kerchier, why, and where the money is now.
There are several other murders which are committed in and around the cathedral, all with the same head injury as Kerchier. Although mysteriously, the victims all also show signs of poison too. The more enquiries he makes, the more complicated the investigation becomes. Working his way down a list of suspects, he eliminates them one by one. There are so many crimes being committed in London, and the mayor is trying his best to punish people, and keep the city under control, but it’s an impossible task. There are villains selling forged certificates of health which would enable Londoners to leave the city, possibly contaminated with the plague which would spread it further afield. There are also villains supplying fake medicines which prevent and protect people from the plague. Chaloner thinks that these crimes are linked somehow to the murders, and also to the cathedral, but he can’t figure out how.
He must solve the mystery before the plague is spread outside of London, and before any other innocent people become a victim of “The Executioner of St Pauls”.
I really enjoyed reading this book, as I have done with all of Susanna Gregory’s titles thus far. However, I worked out who the killer was pretty quickly, which did disappoint me. Still a good read though.
July 24, 2025
Susanna Gregory wrote this book, set in the plague stricken London of 1665, four years before a new pandemic shut down the city (and many other) in 2020. She captures extremely accurately the psychological and economic results of a “lockdown” even though, she admits in the historical notes at the end that, in 1665, the city was not locked down in the way she portrays in the book.
Chaloner, a fairly generic proto-investigator (widower, slightly quirky about birds, ex-military, good at working out mysteries, likes music a lot) arrives in a city where food is scarce and there is price gouging and profiteering. People are resorting to all sorts of quack remedies, rumours and conspiracy theories abound, essential services such as grave digging and funeral services continue but only just. Some people are fearful and walk around masked, but there are also people who think they will not catch plague through sheer willpower, and London Treacle. The city is kept just about running by a battling mayor who tries to deal with the criminality and distress as best he can. All rather familiar.
Of course in 1665, the daily death toll was horrendous and people were placed in plague pits around the city. A backdrop which enables a serial killer called The Executioner to operate as who will notice one more death amongst so many? Chaloner does as it becomes clear that the victims have died by violence not disease and that he is on the killers list. As the murders increase, he has to find the killer before he enacts his final deadly plan.
With more red herrings than the King’s fishponds, Gregory keeps you guessing until the final reveal and the ending with old St Paul’s looming over the action as both setting and motive is fast paced and tense.
I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for this but in the end went for 4 as I appreciated both the historical research evident in this book, evoking a strong time and place, and the way that Gregory so ably writes about life in a pandemic, four years before any of us had the experience of living through one for real.
Chaloner, a fairly generic proto-investigator (widower, slightly quirky about birds, ex-military, good at working out mysteries, likes music a lot) arrives in a city where food is scarce and there is price gouging and profiteering. People are resorting to all sorts of quack remedies, rumours and conspiracy theories abound, essential services such as grave digging and funeral services continue but only just. Some people are fearful and walk around masked, but there are also people who think they will not catch plague through sheer willpower, and London Treacle. The city is kept just about running by a battling mayor who tries to deal with the criminality and distress as best he can. All rather familiar.
Of course in 1665, the daily death toll was horrendous and people were placed in plague pits around the city. A backdrop which enables a serial killer called The Executioner to operate as who will notice one more death amongst so many? Chaloner does as it becomes clear that the victims have died by violence not disease and that he is on the killers list. As the murders increase, he has to find the killer before he enacts his final deadly plan.
With more red herrings than the King’s fishponds, Gregory keeps you guessing until the final reveal and the ending with old St Paul’s looming over the action as both setting and motive is fast paced and tense.
I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for this but in the end went for 4 as I appreciated both the historical research evident in this book, evoking a strong time and place, and the way that Gregory so ably writes about life in a pandemic, four years before any of us had the experience of living through one for real.
February 2, 2022
I picked up 'The Executioner of St Paul's' by Susanna Gregory, having no idea it was the twelfth book in a series about a reluctant spy for the Secretary of State. Still, it could easily be read as a stand-alone book. Thomas Chaloner is such a charming character (and you all know by now I'm a sucker for a well-written, lonely man with a tragic past). Historical crime fiction is a genre I read years ago before I moved to fantasy and stupidly forgot all about sketchy murders in old monasteries; honestly, I don't even know what happened. How did I forget about it altogether? It's a genre that has it all: royal spies, religious zealots, and political plotting!
The story, though, is set a few months before the Great Fire of 1666 that destroyed more than half of London, including the old St Paul's Cathedral that becomes an unusual crime scene in this book.
When a large sum of money has disappeared, and a significant player has mysteriously vanished, Chaloner gets set to investigate why an unidentified skeleton is discovered in another man's grave.
There is murder and many characters, and because the plot carries on for what feels like forever, I wanted to give up more than once. In the end, curiosity got the best of me, and I finished the book just because I wanted to know whodunit.
I'm not saying the book is terrible; on the contrary, it's a beautiful story, masterfully written and researched in great detail (at times, I truly felt like I was there, strolling in the street of London next to Chaloner). Still, some descriptions are TOO LONG, and the plot can get quite confusing. Because too much importance was given to the world around the characters, I lost interest in the mystery around the murder, and the killer's revelation fell painfully flat.
I was never on the edge of my seat, and that's why I will probably give it three and a half stars, and I won't read the rest of the series.
The story, though, is set a few months before the Great Fire of 1666 that destroyed more than half of London, including the old St Paul's Cathedral that becomes an unusual crime scene in this book.
When a large sum of money has disappeared, and a significant player has mysteriously vanished, Chaloner gets set to investigate why an unidentified skeleton is discovered in another man's grave.
There is murder and many characters, and because the plot carries on for what feels like forever, I wanted to give up more than once. In the end, curiosity got the best of me, and I finished the book just because I wanted to know whodunit.
I'm not saying the book is terrible; on the contrary, it's a beautiful story, masterfully written and researched in great detail (at times, I truly felt like I was there, strolling in the street of London next to Chaloner). Still, some descriptions are TOO LONG, and the plot can get quite confusing. Because too much importance was given to the world around the characters, I lost interest in the mystery around the murder, and the killer's revelation fell painfully flat.
I was never on the edge of my seat, and that's why I will probably give it three and a half stars, and I won't read the rest of the series.
March 12, 2021
I have read almost all of these Thomas Challoner books, and though they are light, fluffy reading, while read, I can't help wondering how on earth this woman ever secured a publishing deal. While these are not exactly high-literature, they are extremely badly-written books. It is never actually mentioned in connection with these books, but I assume that they are supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, and more parody than serious, because if not, then there is the first problem. Also, this writer never shows when she can tell. We keep hearing how proficient a spy Thomas Challoner is supposed to be, and also how good a spymaster John Thurlow was, but neither of these characters actually evinces these accomplishments. In fact, all we see with each is the exact opposite. She skirts over any action that might actually show some expertise in either so all we get is blunt statement where we could actually have action.
April 9, 2018
This is the latest in this Charles 2nd restoration series. I have read them all in order and enjoyed every one. Thomas Chaloner is a great character thrown into impossible situations in complex plots with a wide assortment of bad guys. In this latest one, London is suffering with an outbreak of the plague. The government and anyone with any money has left the city for safer, small towns, but poor Chaloner is sent in to find out who murdered a man some 20 years ago who is associated with a conflict around whether to rebuild St. Paul's cathedral or tear it down and start over. Feelings on both side are running high. This is a complex but fascinating plot with lots of interesting period detail. Comes across as totally authentic, not to mention suspenseful. Highly recommended to all lovers of British historical fiction.
January 25, 2019
I generally enjoyed this book, but the plot dragged at times and the book had way too many characters to keep track of (around 40) and I ended up having to create a Word file to try to keep track of them all. My only other complaint is the same as for most of this author's books (the Chaloner and Bartholomew series) - there is always a scene at the end where the "bad guys" capture the "good guys" and are ready to kill them, but instead they all spend several pages explaining what went on and answering questions until the "good guys" ultimately escape. In this book it took fourteen pages for this and it got ridiculous. All that being said, however, I look forward to reading the thirteenth book in the Chaloner series and any more that may come out in the future.
March 19, 2020
I haven't read the other in the series, but I'm happy to find another series to delve into. Here's an intricate mystery set during the Plague in London (very timely) featuring Thomas Chaloner, a spy working for the Earl of Clarendon. He's sent to find out about some bones recently discovered buried in the wrong crypt. His investigation stirs up a hornet's nest, and now he has to dodge criminals and schemers who want to stop his investigation. The book gives great descriptions of plague behavior and of life in London ( and of church bell-ringers) right before the Great Fire. The tale lopes along at a steady pace until the end, when it's a page turner extraordinaire.
August 21, 2017
excellent, as are I think all of the previous Tom Challoner series of novels. although I feel a little that the pots and twists are a tad difficult to follow, I love the intrigues and the characters and the setting of London after the reformation, I think the author seems to really bring the images of old London to life that one can almost smell the plague and the fires. as always, I will look forward to another Tom Challoner saga
August 17, 2018
There's nothing wrong with the writing here, but there's just too many characters with not a lot to distinguish between them and a too-long plot. It's a sort of CJ Sansom lite, but I'm sure I'm not the first person to make that comparison. Read if you think you're going to take a run at it, don't if you're likely to be more in a pick up/put down environment would be my advice.
November 15, 2024
This was going to get a 4* rating but it dragged on and on and by the last few chapters I'd forgotten who had died and couldn't care less who had killed them. I find the plots of Susanna Gregory's books and the well-researched historical settings interesting, such a disappointment that my enthusiasm fizzled out.
June 17, 2025
I enjoyed this a lot as it had many different characters due to many of the usual Londoners being away due to the Plague.
It was interesting to see the measures taken during the Plague in 1665 and compare them to our own experience of COVID-19. Masking, social distancing, and crank remedies are nothing new, it seems.
It was interesting to see the measures taken during the Plague in 1665 and compare them to our own experience of COVID-19. Masking, social distancing, and crank remedies are nothing new, it seems.
January 31, 2019
I like the historical aspect of the book which dealt with the plague in London in 1665. I found there to be too much dialogue which was used to drive the plot. This seeemed disjointed to me and there were a lot of characters. I had to push myself a little to finish it.
March 12, 2021
Set during the Great Plague, it was eeriely prescient of the current situation with travel restrictions, laws against large crowds gathering, and everyone wearing masks.
The mystery itself was twisty and turny, as good as always.
The mystery itself was twisty and turny, as good as always.
December 14, 2017
Very good read
January 3, 2020
Challenging
A difficult plot to follow at times but lots of London life during the plague that filled out the story.
A difficult plot to follow at times but lots of London life during the plague that filled out the story.
April 4, 2021
Love Susannah Gregory books. I’ve read them all.
June 2, 2025
Too many red herrings and possible culprits. I could not keep track of the,cast of characters.
January 14, 2020
Conflict on how to save St Pauls, Plague locks down London and a body is found in a crypt. Chaloner is sent to London to solve the 30 year old murder with problems from differing factions There are different series, Chaloner definitely worth reading
November 19, 2017
I have a soft spot for this series and this mystery was as good as the others. Our friend Thomas is called on (1665) to solve a mystery in St Pauls, a body is found and believed to be the missing clergyman who vanished twenty years previously. Thomas is called to investigate and reluctantly arrives in the city of London. The citizens are terrified of the plague, and resort to spurious medicines and costumes. The clergy of St Pauls have a monopoly of London Treacle and sell it at extortionate prices. Law and order is breaking down. More murders occur, which seem to have a link with the clergy laity, and bellringer's of St Pauls. We are pointed to many suspects in the cathedral and in the city of London. Thomas believes the solution centers on St Paul's. A Medieval cathedral in desperate need of repair. One group supports the idea of a New cathedral designed by Wren. Or secondly the repair, and full restoration of the medieval cathedral to its former glory.
It is a well crafted mystery with good historical facts. Dr Wiseman has fled London (who I have grown to like) as has the court of Charles. Thomas is helped by his old boss and mentor. Thurlo was the spy master of Cromwell, and it is good to see Thurlo's character develop. Allowing the reader a glimpse into the past of this secretive man.
In all a good historical mystery, which introduces the reader to the city of London. The city that existed before the (1666) great fire of London.
It is a well crafted mystery with good historical facts. Dr Wiseman has fled London (who I have grown to like) as has the court of Charles. Thomas is helped by his old boss and mentor. Thurlo was the spy master of Cromwell, and it is good to see Thurlo's character develop. Allowing the reader a glimpse into the past of this secretive man.
In all a good historical mystery, which introduces the reader to the city of London. The city that existed before the (1666) great fire of London.
January 15, 2018
12th book in series of Thomas Chaloner. At first OI thought it wasn't as interesting as the others I've read but it improved and got me into trying to work out sho was teh executioner. at one point thought I'd guessed but no, it couldn't be, but in the end it was. I do like her historical facts at the end.
Thought I'd read it but still enjoyed it and hadn't remembered who did the planning etc
Thought I'd read it but still enjoyed it and hadn't remembered who did the planning etc
July 19, 2017
Chaloner does it again!!
Another great historical romp with Chaloner and Co, it was nice too see him finally work with Thurloe. A great period in history brought to life by Susanna Gregory. Highly recommended by this reader, just have to wait patiently for the next one.
Another great historical romp with Chaloner and Co, it was nice too see him finally work with Thurloe. A great period in history brought to life by Susanna Gregory. Highly recommended by this reader, just have to wait patiently for the next one.
January 29, 2017
Loved it as I love all her books.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews