Paul Matthews

When a Norman knight named Peter le Calve is foully murdered, his severed head stuck on the rood screen of Exeter cathedral, it's up to Sir John de Wolfe, the county coroner, to find a motive for the killing. And just what is his unscrupulous brother-in-law, the disgraced ex-sheriff and Prince John-sympathiser, Richard de Revelle, trying to hide?

Another mystery featuring Devon's first County Coroner, the 12th Century Crowner John. In June 1195 an officer of the Royal Forest is killed, followed shortly after by another. What is the motive and why is the sheriff, Sir Richard de Revelle, taking such an interest in the case?

Exeter, 1195. High-spirited young knights, drunken squires, pickpockets and horse thieves are pouring into the city for an exciting one-day jousting tournament. Not even a serious altercation between Sir Hugo Peverel, a manor lord from nearby Tiverton, and a mysterious Frenchman, Reginald de Charterai, can spoil the fun.

Two days later, however, Sir Hugo’s body is found in a barn, stabbed in the back. De Charterai seems the obvious culprit, but the county coroner, Sir John de Wolfe, soon discovers there’s no shortage of people who wished the almost universally hated Hugo dead. All three of his brothers have a motive: two for his title, and one for Hugo’s attractive young wife, Beatrice. Mistreated Beatrice had good reason herself to despatch her cheating husband – as did several prominent villagers whose lives Hugo ruined. With so many suspects to choose from, Sir John is confronted with one of the most difficult cases of his distinguished career.

May 1195, and Sir John de Wolfe is called upon to unravel the mystery of a series of murders, all the victims brutally slain. The common factor is a Biblical text, left at each murder scene, which reflects the alleged sin of the victim. So the killer must be literate and Bible-learned, this can only mean one thing. The murderer is a priest...

Bermondsey Priory, 1114. A young chaplain succumbs to the temptations of the flesh - and suffers a gruesome punishment. From that moment, the monastery is cursed and over the next five hundred years murder and treachery abound within its hallowed walls... Even the poet Chaucer finds himself drawn into the dark deeds and violent death which pervade this unhappy place.

A mysterious book of prophecies, written by a sixth century Irish monk, has puzzled scholars through the ages. Foretelling wars, plagues and rebellions, the Black Book of Bran is said to have predicted the Black Death and the Gunpowder Plot. But only one thing is certain: whoever comes into possession of the cursed book meets a gruesome and untimely end...

The life of the temperamental, acerbic Henry Nagle is turned upside down when he mysteriously inherits a lavish apartment and several offbeat new acquaintances, including a red setter named Agnus, a dyspeptic descendant of Robert Louis Stevenson, and a top-sided waitress, who demand his attention. Contains some offensive language.

When a body is discovered in the harbour town of Axmouth, Sir John de Wolfe, the county coroner, is summoned to investigate. The manner of the young man's death is a matter of some dispute - but, as Sir John soon discovers, it was no accident...

Exeter, 1195. Renovations at the new school in Smythen Street are disrupted by the discovery of a mummified corpse - and Sir John de Wolfe, the county coroner is called to investigate. With the victim's identity unknown and the motive a mystery, the murder remains unsolved. But then comes news of a second violent death - and Crowner John is forced to track down a 'noble outlaw' in order to find the answers.

With the county of Devon ravaged by an outbreak of the 'yellow plague', Sir John de Wolfe, the county coroner, must divide his time between visiting his brother William who has been struck down by the disease, and dealing with a series of brutal murders in Exeter which appear to be linked to a revival of heresy in the city.

In 1716 a Cornish cabin boy is captured by Barbary corsairs, and taken in chains to the slave markets of Algiers. This book looks at Thomas Pellow's life and at the lives of thousands of Europeans captured and sold by fanatical Islamic slave traders.

In Exeter, 1195, a prominent guild-master falls dead over his horse, after complaining of chest pains. When a straw-dolly with a spike through the heart is found under his saddle, his wife accuses a rival of having an evil spell cast. Gradually, in a climate of fear, several women are accused of witchcraft, including Crowner John's mistress.