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 . . . ?