The Magician's Death by P.C. Doherty

Roger Bacon was both a monk and a magician. During his lifetime, he uncovered many secrets, supposedly through magic, and wrote them down in books. The greatest of these was the Book of Secrets, written in a code that is supposedly unbreakable.

England has one copy, kept by King Edward, and France has another copy of this book, kept by one of its foremost scholars. But when King Edward decrees that his agents should "retrieve" the French copy, Hugh Corbett sends some of his most trusted men to France on the mission. But the mission ends badly- most of the men die, and Hugh's servant, Ranulf, is one of the few able to escape what turns into a huge welter of blood and dead bodies.

With the failure of the plan, King Edward feels he has no choice but to agree when the Franch approach him about bringing the best minds of both Kingdoms together to solve the mystery of the cipher that conceals the book's secrets.

But the place chosen for the delegations to meet, Corfe Castle, is currently suffering from a rash of murders of young women, and Hugh feels compelled to find the killer. But the Killer is cannier than Hugh might think, and it will be a struggle to keep his promise.

Then, as soon as the French Delegation arrives, members of it begin to die. But is the same killer preying on these scholarly men, or is it another killer entirely? And is the Killer English, or French? And what does this all have to do with a rumored student of Friar Bacon who is said to live in the area, and a group of outlaws who are starving in the forest and wish only to return to their old lives?

Hugh must find out, before his friend and mentor dies, and, perhaps, before an invasion of Corfe Castle can provide a bridgehead for a French invasion of England. But with so many people desperate for his death, will he be able to solve the mystery in time?

I liked this book a lot, not only for the great mystery, but also for bringing Roger Bacon into it, one of the greatest scientists of the Medieval era. Unfortunately, much about him is not known. Stories are told about him having mystical powers, including the ability to see into the future. And he did leave behind books, and ciphers- much like an earlier Leonardo DaVinci.

I also liked the two separate murder threads. At times, it did seem that they would end up being related, and so many red herrings were thrown at us that that it became hard to tell which clues related to what murder, and who the murderer really was, in both situations. This time, we were even led to suspect Ranulf- as one of the two agents sent to France at the beginning of the book ratted on the others. Was it Ranulf who was a traitor? Well, that one you'll have to read for yourself to find out.

I found this book enjoyable to read, with a story that stretched the usual territory of the Hugh Corbett mysteries, bringing his own subordinates and long-time friends in as possible adversaries and suspects. I'd definitely recommend it, and even though you know lots of things have gone on between Hugh and one of the killers, you don't need to know the details of the times they have clashed in the past.