The Nightingale Gallery
A terrible power struggle threatens the very core of Britain... In 1376, the Black Prince dies of a terrible sickness, closely followed by his father, King Edward III in 1377. The crown of England is left in the hands of a mere boy, and the great nobles gather like hungry wolves round the empty throne.
Soon the prelates of the church and the powerful Merchant Princes of London are drawn in. One of these, Sir Thomas Springall, is foully murdered within a few days of the old king’s death. Sir John Cranston, the coroner of London, is ordered to investigate.
He is assisted by Brother Athelstan, a penitent Dominican monk. From the sinister slums of Whitefriars to the barbaric splendour of the English Court, Cranston and Athelstan are drawn into a dark and terrifying web of intrigue... The first in a scintillating historical mystery series, perfect for fans of C.
J. Sansom, Susanna Gregory and S. J.
Parris. Praise for The Nightingale Gallery 'The best of its kind since the death of Ellis Peters' Time Out 'If you like Inspector Morse, you'll love Brother Athelstan' Prima 'Evocative and lyrical descriptions' New Statesman
- ISBN
- 9780747237259
Shelved by 1 Litcadian
Reviews
Started May 23, 2025 · Finished May 25, 2025
Historical details? Great. Characters? Very fun except when the author makes them mouthpieces for what seem to be his own issues. (I googled him and went 'ah! This tracks!' so...) Mystery plot? Just a mess. A disaster. How was this recommended to people who like Ellis Peters I actually started this one before and dropped it due to just how bigoted some of the side swipes were, like far beyond what I think would have been in character considering what is shown of Athelstan's personality. Also: nightingale gallerys are not a thing in medieval Europe. Pretty blatantly appropriated from Japan, and even there they became a thing (as much as they ever were outside of legend) some time later as I understand it. And it never seemed to matter to the mystery anyway. Weird. Finally it breaks all my first book in mystery series rules (or rather, it annoyed me so much I invented the rules), as follows. 1) <spoiler>pedophilia</spoiler> is a SECOND book issue 2) must have at least one sympathetic minority if you're going to have minority villains 3) cryptic mutterings are an earned gimmick and you can do as many as you have books in the series (up to max three but you really have to earn that. This one has...SO many.)