jmatkinson1's review against another edition
4.0
In the Mid-17th century three girls disappear in the town of Delft. When one is found dead the town's Mayor contacts the University in Leiden asking for help, Master Mercurius is dispatched. The weather is bitterly cold and there is little hope of survival for the other two girls if he cannot solve the crime.
This is a simple and quite entertaining historical detective novel. The setting is unusual in that it is in a Dutch Republic that is just starting to be prosperous and where religious conformity is everything. The only discordant note for me was the shoehorning of known figures into the narrative, there was no great need to place Vermeer and Van Leewunheok into the story, I felt it was a novel device too far. In fact the story bounces along at a pace and this si a quick and undemanding read.
This is a simple and quite entertaining historical detective novel. The setting is unusual in that it is in a Dutch Republic that is just starting to be prosperous and where religious conformity is everything. The only discordant note for me was the shoehorning of known figures into the narrative, there was no great need to place Vermeer and Van Leewunheok into the story, I felt it was a novel device too far. In fact the story bounces along at a pace and this si a quick and undemanding read.
mdpbernal's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.5
seismatic's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. No, no, rounded up. Not my kind of book per say, BUT for what it is: a light murder mystery read that’s funny (I definitely snorted a couple of times) with a fun setting (I don’t think I’ve ever seen “Rijswijk” or “Scheveningen” mentioned in a book before).
This isn’t a book that will blow your mind or your heart, but I enjoyed it.
This isn’t a book that will blow your mind or your heart, but I enjoyed it.
brch16's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
A great historical mystery that tells a tale of fiction while weaving in real parts of history. Truly enjoyed the read.
cj_mo_2222's review
5.0
In 1671, Master Mercurius is a minister at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. Since he is educated and has a knowledge of God’s law, he is summoned to Delft by the mayor to assist in an investigation into three young girls who have disappeared. The body of the first girl to be abducted is discovered dead and time could be running out to locate and save the other two. Master Mercurius looks into the cases, with help from the scientist van Leeuwenhoek and the artist Vermeer. Master Mercurius discovers several secrets in the course of his investigation which could provide the answers he is looking for, all while keeping a big secret himself.
As a big fan of Graham Brack’s Josef Slonsky series, I was intrigued by the premise of this new series set in the Netherlands in the 17th century. Master Mercurius is an intelligent cleric who is able to apply logic and insight into the investigation of the young girls who were abducted. Sometimes historical mysteries set in this time period can be dry and hard to muddle through, but that is certainly not the case with this book. The author uses vivid descriptions to establish the setting and the era without resorting to a tedious, awkwardly worded narrative. “Death in Delft” is easy to read. The author includes plenty of interesting historical background in the story, but keeps it fun. The book is full of humor as Master Mercurius makes observations about things he sees and people he meets in Delft.
The suspense builds as Master Mercurius uncovers and follows up on several different leads. There are some clues, but I was still surprised by the ending. I was entertained by this book from the beginning until the very end. I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.
I received this book through the courtesy of Sapere Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
As a big fan of Graham Brack’s Josef Slonsky series, I was intrigued by the premise of this new series set in the Netherlands in the 17th century. Master Mercurius is an intelligent cleric who is able to apply logic and insight into the investigation of the young girls who were abducted. Sometimes historical mysteries set in this time period can be dry and hard to muddle through, but that is certainly not the case with this book. The author uses vivid descriptions to establish the setting and the era without resorting to a tedious, awkwardly worded narrative. “Death in Delft” is easy to read. The author includes plenty of interesting historical background in the story, but keeps it fun. The book is full of humor as Master Mercurius makes observations about things he sees and people he meets in Delft.
The suspense builds as Master Mercurius uncovers and follows up on several different leads. There are some clues, but I was still surprised by the ending. I was entertained by this book from the beginning until the very end. I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.
I received this book through the courtesy of Sapere Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
‘It was every bit as awful as I expected.’
1671, Delft. Three girls have disappeared. One has been found dead in a shallow grave. The other two are still missing. Can they survive? It’s January, and the weather is bitterly cold.
Master Mercurius, a member of the university faculty in Leiden, is called to Delft to investigate the disappearances. Protestantism is dominant in parts of northern Europe and Master Mercurius is an ordained Protestant minister, who happens to also be a Catholic priest. This makes him an interesting character with a wide perspective – which is what he will need to get to the bottom of this case.
And while Master Mercurius is gathering the information he needs to solve this case, he also spends some time with the painter Johannes Vermeer and his family, and with Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (one of my personal heroes of science).
Can the other two girls be found? Who has abducted them and why? The story proceeds at a fairly unhurried pace, including a lot of information about 17th century life in Delft as Master Mercurius conducts his (not always welcome) investigations).
I really enjoyed this novel. It is different (in many ways) from Mr Brack’s Josef Slonský novels and just as enjoyable. I am now looking forward to the second book in the series.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
1671, Delft. Three girls have disappeared. One has been found dead in a shallow grave. The other two are still missing. Can they survive? It’s January, and the weather is bitterly cold.
Master Mercurius, a member of the university faculty in Leiden, is called to Delft to investigate the disappearances. Protestantism is dominant in parts of northern Europe and Master Mercurius is an ordained Protestant minister, who happens to also be a Catholic priest. This makes him an interesting character with a wide perspective – which is what he will need to get to the bottom of this case.
And while Master Mercurius is gathering the information he needs to solve this case, he also spends some time with the painter Johannes Vermeer and his family, and with Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (one of my personal heroes of science).
Can the other two girls be found? Who has abducted them and why? The story proceeds at a fairly unhurried pace, including a lot of information about 17th century life in Delft as Master Mercurius conducts his (not always welcome) investigations).
I really enjoyed this novel. It is different (in many ways) from Mr Brack’s Josef Slonský novels and just as enjoyable. I am now looking forward to the second book in the series.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
secre's review against another edition
4.0
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.
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.
icemanbb's review
4.0
I was struggling between a 3-star and 4-star for this and decided to go with 4 stars for Master Mercurius's wit. e.g.
"I once went to France and everywhere else has seemed so much better since then."
The story was engaging and the storyline twists were believable. There is a fair amount of theological material in the story but with Mercurius being both a Catholic priest and a Protestant minister, his wrestling with the conflicting dogmas made for a much more likable character. The clues that lead to solving the "crime" are slowly pieced together.
I liked this well enough that the 2nd book in the series is in my TBR (To Be Read) pile.
"I once went to France and everywhere else has seemed so much better since then."
The story was engaging and the storyline twists were believable. There is a fair amount of theological material in the story but with Mercurius being both a Catholic priest and a Protestant minister, his wrestling with the conflicting dogmas made for a much more likable character. The clues that lead to solving the "crime" are slowly pieced together.
I liked this well enough that the 2nd book in the series is in my TBR (To Be Read) pile.
annakr5's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5