The Stone of Destiny

In Doherty’s strong 20th 14th-century historical featuring Brother Athelstan (after 2019’s The Godless), the brilliant, compassionate Dominican friar and his coroner friend, Sir John Cranston, investigate the death of Brother Robert, who collapsed while singing at London’s Westminster Abbey. Another monk sniffed his mouth and detected poison. Brother Robert is just the first Benedictine monk to be eliminated at the abbey. Is it relevant that Westminster houses the sacred Stone of Scone, the ancient ceremonial object revered by the Scottish nation and stolen by Edward I, the ruthless English king, in the previous century? Meanwhile, a horrific killer known as the Flayer stalks defenseless “women of the streets.” As the body count rises, Brother Athelstan uses his knowledge of Londoners great and humble, as well as his sharp observational skills, to draw connections between apparently unrelated events. With consummate skill and pacing, Doherty answers the plot’s mysteries in a series of startling revelations, and the atmosphere of a London driven by ambition and greed is palpable. The prolific Doherty shows no sign of losing steam. [em](Mar.) [/em]