Thank you to Netgalley for a pre publication copy. In return for an honest review #deathindelf #netgalley

Master Mercurious is summoned to Delft by the mayor when a body of young girl is found buried in a farm and two others missing. Will he be able to solve the crime and bring justice?

Someone wanted to get into reading and asked me to recommend a historical murder mystery and I thought the synopsis fitted the bill although not my usual read.

This book was a cosy mystery that you follow from start to finish with confidence the crime will be solved.

Furthermore I did find that the author 'named dropped' a lot of dutch places. Which is lovely to get to know the area but soon detracts from the flow of the writing when you get about 3 or 4 place names per page at times.

The first in a series that has quickly run to seven books.

A cross between Brother Cadfael and Inspector Maigret in theme and substance. Graham Brack is no Georges Simenon but the commitment to finding the truth and understanding the different stations in life reminded me of the French Detective. The religious angle is quite interesting at a difficult time in history. The Netherlands might be more forgiving and tolerant of belief. But this is an interesting time to be alive and for a historical context all things Dutch seems a good place to set a murder mystery.

I quickly warmed to the protagonist who is recalling his on life through a written memoir. Here he recounts his visit to Delft to assist the Mayor following the kidnapping of three young girls.

Master Mercurius is both a priest and an outstanding mind teaching at University in nearby Leiden. I enjoyed his logical thinking; his willingness to include others and his diligence to find the truth. Self deprecating, unorthodox and humorous he is a character any reader will be happy to spend time. When it is during the fascinating mystery in a location of fear and fortitude. 17th century Delft is an happening place though and the descriptions of his daily tasks and interviews bring the place marvellously to life.

A stunning debut and happily others thought so too as. the author was encouraged to pen a few more which I look forward to with enthusiasm.

Graham Brack https://grahambrackauthor.com is the author of more than a dozen novels. Death in Delft was published in 2020. It is the first book of six in his Master Mercurius Mysteries novel series.

I categorize this book/novel as G. The main character is Master Mercurius, a cleric from a University in Leiden.

The mystery is set in the Netherlands of 1671, where three young girls have disappeared. The Mayor of Delft has reached out for assistance in the investigation. Mercurius is sent to offer what learned assistance he can. Only one body has been found, so there is still an active hunt for the two other girls.

Mercurius must hunt for clues and try to locate the girls. It is feared that their bodies might soon be found as well.

While this is not a hard-core mystery, I enjoyed the 7+ hours I spent reading this 245-page novel of historical fiction. The author does paint a good description of medieval Europe. This novel reminds me of the Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters, though those are a bit grittier. The cover art is plain, but appropriate for the novel. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

4.5 "charming, intelligent, humorous" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Sapere books for an e-copy of this novel. This was released April 2020 and I am providing my honest review.

You cannot ask for more in this near perfect historical murder mystery.

Master Mercurius who is a Protestant academic and minister (as well as secret Catholic Priest) is called to Delft to investigate the murder of a young eight year old girl and two other eight year old girls that have gone missing. This is interesting enough but the author has done so much more here.

The author has created a most fascinating historical recreation of what life was like for the various socioeconomic strata of Dutch society as well as the roles of men and women and children. He carefully takes us through the investigative process while at the same time vibrantly creating scenes with various townfolk including Vermeer (yes that one) and Van Leeuwenhoek (the father of microbiology) in 1671. These vignettes are moving, informative and hilarious in equal measure. In addition, we are invited into the heart and soul of Master Mercurius who faces several ethical dilemmas, grapples with lust and well-intentioned lying and has a playful relationship with the Almighty Father. The murder mystery is almost a plot device in order to invite the reader into a closer look at 17th Century Dutch culture and daily life and he succeeds masterfully.

Some of the scenes were so laugh out funny that I will leave you one quote by eleven year old Aleydis who is one of Vermeer's many children. Here, she is accompanying Master Mercurius to a convent to see if the religious life is right for her future. On the way she tells him:

"And St. Agatha of Sicily had her breasts cut off rather than renounce her Christianity"
(Mercurios replies) "Yes but that is no reason to court...."
(Aleydis interrupts him) "I would gladly give my breasts to God, Father, because if I take a vow of chastity, I would have no need of them."

The murder mystery itself is quite interesting and through the investigation we learn more about Delft society and the deduction process of Master Mercurius. The ending is very satisfying and the author entices us by dropping tidbits of what might lay ahead for this most sweet, intelligent and slightly irreverent cleric. I am not one for mystery series but I have already the second in the bunch.

Delft 1671

Three young girls have disappeared in as many days and now a body has been found in a shallow grave on farmland. The mayor and town elders are desperate to apprehend the offender and save the remaining two girls so they send for Master Mercurius, an ordained minister and academic. With the help of local artist, Johannes Vermeer, Mercurius uncovers a secret which was the catalyst for the abductions and together they form a plan to rescue the girls and bring the abductor to justice.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. The writer's descriptions of the period are so good that I could smell the canal as I walked the rain soaked cobbles leading to the tavern. The characters were excellent and by the time I finished the story I felt that I genuinely knew them all though I will say that Lucie was my favourite. I recommend this book wholeheartedly to lovers of mystery and historical fiction and I look forward to reading the next instalment.

Many thanks to Sapere Books, NetGalley and Graham Brack for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

I was sent a copy of Death in Delft by Graham Brack to read and review by NetGalley. What an absolute delight! This novel is everything you could wish for in a murder mystery novel. It is well written in the first person with a very likeable protagonist. It’s a rather short book (I whizzed through it) so there’s nothing laboured about it and it’s quite light-hearted despite the genre - it is also incredibly amusing at times. The novel is listed as ‘Master Mercurius Mysteries Book 1’ and I am very much looking forward to reading all the following books in the series.

War ein klassisches drei Sterne Buch für mich.
Schnell gelesen, aber nicht wirklich etwas, das aus der Masse heraussticht

Thanks to Sapere Books, Netgalley and the author for an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had never read anything by this author before but the premise really appealed to me. The story is set in Delft, The Netherlands, in the 17th Century. Master Mercurius is the protagonist - a unique man who is ordained as a Protestant minister and a Catholic priest. To keep his position as a Lecturer at the University of Lieden he must not reveal his Catholic position - throughout the novel his internal conflict and wry humour adds an amusing layer to the story.

He is sent to Delft to investigate the disappearance of 3 young girls who have disappeared, one being found dead in a field. As he gets to know the residents of Delft and uncovers the mystery he meets two of the most influential people of that time, Jan Vermeer the renowned painter and Van Leeuwenhoek who is recognised as the father of microbiology. They both aid him in his search for the kidnapper/killer.

I found this novel so entertaining and thought provoking. I found myself engrossed in the story and falling in love with the people of Delft - so much so that I started to google pictures of the town immediately after I put the book down.

As this book was advertised as 'Book 1' , I am eagerly awaiting the next instalment of the series. In the meantime, I think I will go and read the rest of this author's works.

The first book in a new murder mystery series and off to a great start. The mystery kept me guessing and I can't wait to learn more about the characters

This novel is well researched, and well written with descriptive detail. I really liked the characters and enjoyed the mystery.
Many thanks to Sapere Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story is told by Master Mercurius looking back through his diary. In 1671 he is a cleric at the university in Leiden. He has been asked for as “a quick wit, a knowledge of God’s law and abundant energy” to go to Delft to help the mayor investigate the disappearance of 3 young girls. Unfortunately 1 of the girls is found buried in a field with a cross over her.
Mercurius is an unusual cleric hiding the fact he is a Catholic and also ordained as a Protestant Minister. He makes a friend in artist Vermeer who’s work will help in the investigation. This is a glimpse into life in 1600’s Holland and Mercurius is a character you connect with and would like to follow in future endeavours.
I was given an Arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

In 17th century Netherlands Master Mercurius is a cleric at a university charged with finding a murderer in Delft. A man has abducted three girls and murdered one of them leaving the upstanding men of Delft to try and help Mercurius. His help comes from several sources but Vermeer is perhaps his favourite. The artist provides an alternative eye for detail and a sympathetic ear.

With flashes of humour and delving in and out of Dutch history, lifestyles, religion and poverty there is a lot going on in this book. I found it a bit of a slow start but once Mercurius gets going he rattles along the cobblestones to his conclusion. Looking forward to his next investigation.

Very well written book. The author clearly did his research. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get through it though. The mystery was not compelling enough for me to want to continue reading.

Loved this book. An excellent murder mystery set in the time of Vermeer which had me going off at a tangent to find out all about him. This gave the plot an extra dimension as it was so well researched. Humorously written and very easy to read and invest in the various characters. It has opened my eyes to a new period of history and a new country that i knew very little about. That isn't that the sign of a good book that it leads you onto learn new things whilst thoroughly enjoying the fictional story?

I've not read any of his other books but will definitely do so now. Thoroughly recommend this book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 4 stars
I feel very lucky to have received this first entry into Graham Brack’s new Master Mercurius historical mystery series. It is a bang up start in a mash up of my two favorite genres, Historical Fiction, and Mystery. The story is set in The Netherlands in 1671, specifically in the town of Delft. The authorities have asked for some help in solving a murder on one young girl, and the disappearance of two others.

The mayor asks for help with the murder investigation, and the Rector sends Master Mercurius. They look to him solve the murder, and find the two remaining girls before they freeze to death in the bitter winter weather. Mercurius is a member of the faculty at the University in Leiden. In order to teach at the University, he has to be an ordained Protestant minister. The Netherlands is a Protestant country at that time after all. However, he has a secret. He is also been secretly ordained in the Catholic faith while on a trip to France.

During the course of his investigation, he comes across real Dutch historical figures of the time. The artist Vermeer helps by drawing the crime scene for instance. The author has such a wonderfully light touch with language used in the book. There is just enough archaic language used to remind you this is not a modern story. However, not so much of it that it overwhelms the reader’s language comprehension. I also enjoyed the wit and humor sprinkled through what could have been a heavy-toned book.

Overall, this is a great start to a new series. I would recommend it to both Historical Fiction, and Mystery readers. I enjoyed this so much that I have already pre-ordered the next book in the series, “Untrue Till Death”. August 10th, 2020 is the current publication date. I suspect that if you read this first book in the series, you will also be compelled to pre-order the second one as I was. Well done, Graham Brack!
‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Sapere Books; and the author, Graham Brack, for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not having come across any of this authors works before, I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into here but Death in Delft proved to be a entertaining read that was a change of pace from my recent titles. An introspective and tightly plotted historical mystery brought together with an edge of dry humour, this caught and held my attention from the first page to the last.

Three children have gone missing in Delft, one of then found dead in a hastily marked grave, Master Mercurius is sent to investigate. I liked the fact that this was set off the beaten track and personally felt that Brack succeeded in his mission to bring this small seventeenth century Dutch community to life. He portrays the attitudes of the time well not just in the way Mercurius sees the world, but in how those around him interact and live. Mercurius is a man of the cloth and is, through a quirk of the times, ordained as both a Protestant and Catholic priest. There is some shrewd religious commentary here that brings an additional depth to the proceedings, but Mercurius is also a very down to earth character with a wry and perceptive sense of humour that shines through at some unlikely moments. It makes for a rich and vibrant setting for this novel, one which explores attitudes to religion, being born out of wedlock and holding a different set of religious values to those around you.

The mystery elements of the novel are well done as well; Mercurius meets a variety of the town folk during his investigation and hints, red herrings and solutions are spread throughout the book. I realised what was going on mere pages before Mercurius himself, which is a mark of a well scripted plot; not too obvious but equally not relying on a shock reveal you couldn’t have seen coming. The various characters are strongly portrayed as well, with differences and similarities depicted across the social scale.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this and will certainly look out for more novels by Graham Black. It’s well researched, intricately plotted and has characters that spring to life off the page. I believe he has written a series set in contemporary Prague, so that’s certainly where I’ll be looking never, although I hope he continues this into a full series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.

In 1671, Master Mercurius (of the University of Leiden) is sent to Delft to investigate the disappearance of three young girls. Three 8 year old girls have been abducted and one found dead. Master Mercurius is an interesting character. He is an ordained priest in the Reformed church as well as a secretly ordained Catholic priest. I enjoyed this historical mystery. The setting and time period were well evoked and I liked that the story took place over the space of one week. The structure of the book was of an older Mercurius writing his remembrances with the book opening with a prologue and ending with an epilogue. There wasn't a ton of action, but the plot moved along without seeming to drag too much. This is a reissue of a book that came out in 2014 under the title, "The Allegory of Art and Science" and was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award.

Graham Brack immerses us in a seventeenth century murder mystery in Death in Delft. Master Mercurius is called from the University of Leyden to help the Mayor of Delft solve the death of a young red haired girl and find two other missing girls. He is helped by the painter Vermeer and scientist Van Leeuwenhoek. Intricate plot and interesting historical setting.

Death in Delft by Martin Brack is the first in a new series. Set, not surprisingly in Delft in 1671 the plot is based around 3 young girls who have been abducted, one turns up dead and our hero Master Mercurius a protestant protest who is also a secret catholic, is called on by the mayor to try to solve the murder and find the two remaining girls before they are killed.

As a crime novel this might be quite standard fare though well executed, what makes this more interesting is the rich imagery of 17th century Delft, the currents of repressed religion post reformation and the insertion of the painter Johannes Vermeer and the scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek who discovered protozoa into the plot. The novel is in the form of a journal by Mercurius and has a dry humour running through his dialogue with the reader.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this, I’ll give the next one a go.

I had recently read a historical murder mystery and found it to be disappointing. So, going in, I wasn’t expecting much out of this one either. But that was before I encountered the self-deprecating style of the narrator.

The protagonist is a cleric who’s secretly Catholic but owes his job and living to his being ordained as one of the Protestant clergy. He’s sent to the city of Delft when three serial murders — all young girls — take place.

Even though the theme of the book is a gruesome one, the narrator’s humor helps make the book less darker. He’s witty and smart too and willing to keep an open mind while mocking others who don’t.

Aside from a likable protagonist, the smooth flow of the plot and the writing are two other reasons why I enjoyed reading this book. We also have the pleasure of reading about Vermeer and Leeuwenhoek as characters!

Now imagine how big of a dolt you have to be if you read Vermeer and fail to recognize that it isn’t a character named after the great artist but the artist himself! Anyway, it took me quite a while to get there but I did.

I didn’t get we were talking about the Leeuwenhoek either. Not until I read the word, animalcules. That’s when I squeed! This guy was observing blood cells and yeast cells way back in the 1600s. He was partyin’ with Peter the Great as the two geeked out over eel tails! Here’s another interesting write-up on his findings on yeast.

All in all, a really fun read by a new author, which made me see what else they have written. I’m going to try it all!

I requested this book on Netgalley and I’m so glad I did!