We are thrilled to announce that we have signed the ninth book in the Master Mercurius Mysteries series by Graham Brack.
Set in seventeenth-century Europe, the series follows the adventures of a gifted cleric-turned-sleuth.
In Graham’s words:
“After eight adventures, Mercurius is very keen that there should not be a ninth. He wants a peaceful life surrounded by his books, and perhaps now that the Stadhouder is King of England he can have it. So long as William III is in England, and Mercurius stays in Leiden, he should be quite safe.
“The long vacation is approaching, and Mercurius decides to make doubly sure by not being in Leiden either. He is planning a tour of great German cathedrals, something that he has long wanted to do. He has even been learning some German in preparation.
“But then comes an invitation he cannot refuse. An old friend would like some advice on buying books for a library. It will take the whole summer, but then those cathedrals will still be there next year, and he has always wanted to spend someone else’s money on books…
“And while he is there, a baffling crime is committed — or is it?
“The Mercurius stories are a delight to write and I am grateful to Sapere Books for showing such faith in them. If he were alive today, I am sure Master Mercurius would love to see his name on the covers. After all, his multi-volume Commentary on the Nicomachean Ethics is rarely read these days, but his memoirs continue to find readers, for which I am very grateful.”
Congratulations to Graham Brack, whose absorbing historical adventure, The Moers Murders, is out now!
The Moers Murders is the eighth historical murder investigation in the Master Mercurius Mystery series: atmospheric crime thrillers set in seventeenth-century Europe.
1688, The Netherlands
Master Mercurius has just settled back into his life as a lecturer at the University of Leiden when he is once again summoned by the Stadhouder, William of Orange.
A message from William is never good news, but he is not a man you can say no to.
So Mercurius finds himself once again uprooted and at the centre of dangerous political plot.
William has decided it is time to expand his empire and launch an attack on his nemesis, the French King Louis XIV. And to keep the element of surprise on his side he has decided to march through Germany.
To keep the Germans from blocking him, William has decided to make use of Moers, the German stronghold he inherited which he is allowed to occupy and arm. But he needs someone in control there.
And that is how Mercurius finds himself as the newly appointed Governor of Moers.
William has promised that Mercurius will be executed if the secret plan is discovered, so can the Master keep it under wraps? Or will he be facing the hangman’s noose…?
Congratulations to Graham Brack, whose darkly humorous murder mystery, Murder in Maastricht, is published today!
Murder in Maastricht is the seventh historical murder investigation in the Master Mercurius Mystery series: atmospheric crime thrillers set in seventeenth-century Europe.
1686, The Netherlands
After getting Master Mercurius jailed and nearly put to death with one of his schemes, the Stadhouder, William of Orange, has finally left Mercurius in peace.
But Mercurius is not able to remain in Leiden for long. A friendly debate on the sin of witchcraft has been proposed between the University of Leiden and the University of Leuven. And the scholars are to meet part-way in the city of Maastricht.
When researching the local witch trials from 70 years ago, Mercurius comes across astonishing charges that could not possibly be true.
But the opposing side brings forth a witch-finder as a witness who is adamant that the women he charges bear the signs of the devil.
Before the debate can continue, the witch-finder is found brutally murdered. His body was left inside the library, locked from the inside with no other available exit.
Could this be the work of Satan? His wrath provoked by the investigation into local witch trials?
Or is the culprit someone grounded much more in reality…?
Congratulations to Graham Brack, whose fabulous historical mystery, The Lying Dutchman, is published today!
The Lying Dutchman is the sixth book in the Master Mercurius series: atmospheric crime thrillers set in seventeenth-century Europe.
1685, The Netherlands
Master Mercurius has once again been summoned to The Hague by Stadhouder William of Orange. And a letter from William is never good news.
King Charles II of England has died and William, with his wife Mary, is now next in line to the throne once the current king, James II dies.
But Charles II’s illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth, has put a spanner in the works.
Monmouth is being encouraged to stage a rebellion and take the English throne. William needs to stop him so as not to jeopardise his own claim, but he also wants to keep Monmouth as an ally.
So, Mercurius is ordered to travel once again to England, and this time on an even more dangerous mission. He must plant a letter containing Monmouth’s invasion plans at court so that James summons an army in response and scares Monmouth off.
The only problem is that if Mercurius is caught and tried for espionage, the punishment is certain death…
Set in seventeenth-century Leiden, The Netherlands, Graham Brack’s funny and immersive Master Mercurius Mysteries follow Mercurius — a witty university lecturer-cum-sleuth.
The first four books in the Master Mercurius series are published, and we are delighted to have signed up the next instalment: THE VANISHING CHILDREN.
In Graham’s words:
“I’ve been delighted with the response from readers to the Master Mercurius Mysteries. It’s wonderful to read good reviews, not only for myself, but also for Sapere Books, who always had faith in the stories. Being part of the Sapere family is very encouraging to any author; we enjoy our colleagues’ successes. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“The fifth book sees Mercurius sent to Amsterdam which — even in 1684 — was not a place where a minister who has led a sheltered life as he has would feel comfortable. On top of that, he has been sent to bully the city authorities into handing over their taxes in full. However, while he is there, he is approached by a local merchant who tells him that three children have gone missing, and their families have been fobbed off by Amsterdam’s powers that be.
“So begins an inquiry that makes Mercurius question his own faith as well as his suitability for the task he has been given…”
Click here to order DEATH IN DELFT
Click here to find out more about the Master Mercurius Mysteries
Following the publication of Graham Brack’s darkly funny Josef Slonský Investigations – atmospheric police procedurals set in Prague – Sapere Books recently started publishing his Master Mercurius Mysteries: 17th century crime thrillers set in Leiden, The Netherlands. Taking centre stage is Mercurius – a witty university lecturer-cum-sleuth.
The first three books in the Master Mercurius series are published or available to pre-order, and we are delighted to have signed up the next instalment: THE NOOSE’S SHADOW. The fourth book sees Mercurius free from the demands of the Stadhouder – William I of Orange – for once as he is asked for help by a poor young woman whose husband faces execution for a murder he swears he did not commit. How can Mercurius refuse?
Graham says, “I was already part of the Sapere family after Amy signed me to write six Slonský novels, so I knew Sapere Books was the right place for my Dutch series too – and Slonský will be back! We’re a very supportive bunch of writers who enjoy each other’s successes, and the Sapere team is simply excellent. I couldn’t imagine going anywhere else with the Mercurius books.”
Amy says, “I have already worked with Graham on eight published books since we launched in March 2018, and I am thrilled to have signed his next book. I hope there will be many more! Fans of his previous series are already calling for a return of Slonský, and they seem equally smitten with Master Mercurius. I thoroughly enjoy reading Graham’s books and look forward to editing many more in the series.”
Click here to order DEATH IN DELFT
Click here to find out more about the Master Mercurius Mysteries
DEATH IN DELFT by Graham Brack is the first historical murder investigation in the Master Mercurius Mystery series: atmospheric crime thrillers set in seventeenth-century Europe. Click here to pre-order.
Most crime writers have a keen sense of place. Something about a setting grabs them and tells them there is a story here.
So it was with me. When you live in Cornwall, the quickest place to get to on the continent is Amsterdam, because there is a flight from Exeter, so over the years my wife and I have been frequent visitors to the Netherlands.
The first place we went was Delft. As is well known, Delft is the city of Vermeer; but it is also the city of Antony van Leeuwenhoek, the father of modern microscopy. Not only did they live within around 250 metres of each other, they were born within a few days of October 1632. Can you imagine being a schoolteacher who had two such boys in their class?
I was turning this around in my mind when the idea came to me that people often ask whether detection is an art or a science. Well, if these two could not tell you, who could? Making them into detectives in their own right would be a bit of a stretch, but they could vie to assist a third person, and that’s how my Dutch series was born.
In the year 1671, three young girls disappear from their homes in Delft. Two come from poor families, but one is the daughter of a local dignitary. The mayor recognises that he needs help to find these girls, and writes to the nearby University of Leiden, asking the Rector to send the cleverest man he can spare.
Master Mercurius is undoubtedly clever. He is, in effect, an Oxbridge don transported to another time and country, but like many an academic he is completely wrapped up in his subject – moral philosophy – and has very little experience of the world. He does not want to let the Rector and the University down, but he is acutely aware that brains alone will not solve this mystery. Fortunately, he has Vermeer and Van Leeuwenhoek to help, and together they set out to retrieve the girls and discover the culprit. In a nutshell, that is how I came to write Death in Delft, in which Mercurius narrates – very frankly – his experiences.
I don’t think it counts as a spoiler if I say that he is successful and returns to his study with something of a reputation. Unfortunately for him, in 1674 the Stadhouder – the man we know as King William III – needs some assistance in putting down a conspiracy which seeks to remove him from power. It seems likely that someone in high places is pulling the strings, so William needs an intelligent outsider to look into the matter, and his gaze falls upon Mercurius, who is summoned from Leiden. In Untrue till Death Mercurius will find himself personally threatened – and since he is no man of action, he does not enjoy it at all.
However, success in unravelling this mystery only means that when William next needs help he thinks once more of Mercurius, so in 1676 our hero is packed off on a boat to London as part of the embassy negotiating the marriage of William III and Princess Mary. The trouble is that somebody does not want the wedding to go ahead, so in Dishonour and Obey Mercurius finds that there is more to marriage preparation than sitting down with the young couple to talk them through their vows.
Mercurius is a very reluctant detective, as he never tires of telling us. He likes nothing better than sitting quietly reading a book, ideally in a tavern where people leave him alone. As a man of the cloth, he has a strong moral sense but he is a bit squeamish about the punishments of the day. Of course, he knows that a couple of hours of misery on a scaffold are nothing compared with what awaits an unrepentant criminal in the next life, but he feels responsible for one and not for the other.
He also has no idea at all about women. He is not immune to their charms; in fact, he spends much of his time under the spell of young women, but Mercurius has a little secret.
And no, I’m not going to tell you what it is. You’ll have to read the books to find out.
