Master Mercurius Mysteries

A man who nobody liked has been murdered . . . but who had a motive to kill? 1680, Leiden, The Netherlands After a successful trip to England to secure the Princess Mary's hand in marriage to William of Orange, Master Mercurius is back at the University of Leiden. And once more, he finds himself embroiled in a local mystery. A farmer named Wolf was stabbed to death outside his home, and his neighbor Jaco has been arrested for the murder. But Jaco's wife Sara is convinced her husband is innocent, and Mercurius believes her. As Mercurius gathers the facts, it soon becomes clear that Wolf was a deeply unpopular man. But is that enough of a motive for murder? With the shadow of the noose looming over Jaco, Mercurius is running out of time to catch the killer and stop an innocent man from hanging in his stead.

Three Jewish boys are missing . . . but why is nobody investigating? 1680, Leiden, The Netherlands The Dutch Stadhouder, William of Orange, has summoned Master Mercurius-and that is never good news. Mercurius has gained a reputation for himself with William for successfully undertaking diplomatic missions. And William is now paranoid that his own subjects-and the English exiles living in the Netherlands-are plotting against him. Mercurius is sent to gather information, but he soon finds himself caught up in another mystery. Three Jewish boys have vanished, and the local magistrates are doing nothing to investigate their disappearances. Mercurius quickly realises something sinister is going on and promises to unravel the mystery before he has to return to Leiden. Who is abducting the young children? Are more at risk? And is the Stadhouder right to fear a plot against him . . . ?

Will Mercurius make it out of the English court alive? 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 jeopardize 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 . . .

Are the sins of the past threatening the present . . . ? 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 seventy 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 . . . ?

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 center 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?