Paul Charles Dominic Doherty (born 21 September 1946) is an English author, educator, lecturer and historian. He is also the Headmaster of Trinity Catholic High School in London, England. Doherty is a prolific writer, has produced dozens of historical novels and a number of nonfiction history books.

Biography

Doherty was born in 1946 and spent his early years in Middlesbrough. After A-levels, he went to Ushaw College, Durham for three years to study for the Catholic priesthood, which he did not pursue. He attended Liverpool University where he gained a First Class Honours Degree in History and at Exeter College, Oxford, where he received a doctorate for his thesis on

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...

. Doherty is a historian who lectures for a number of organisations, particularly on historical mysteries. In 1981 he was appointed Headmaster at Trinity Catholic High School in Woodford Green and a role he continues to this day. He was awarded an Order of the British Empire for his services to education in 2011.

Literary career

Doherty has published several series of historical mysteries set in the Middle Ages, Classical, Greek, Ancient Egyptian and other periods. He writes both fiction and non-fiction under his own name, both as P.C. Doherty and Paul C. Doherty, as well as under the pennames Anna Apostolou, Michael Clynes, Ann Dukthas, C. L. Grace, Paul Harding, and Vanessa Alexander. His works include ''The Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan'', the ''Hugh Corbett'' medieval mysteries, and the ''Canterbury Tales of Mystery and Murder'', which are listed below. As "Michael Clynes", Doherty wrote the Roger Shallot mysteries, set in the era of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. He has written 100 published books which have been printed in multiple languages and published around much of the world.Doherty biodata
, paulcdoherty.com; accessed 17 April 2014. In a Doherty interview with Michael Shankland, the latter says of Doherty: "I admire how this writer can use the medium of a novel to demonstrate a deep knowledge of the complex working of early 14th-century diplomacy and espionage. Paul C. Doherty seems to be one of the few writers focusing on the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

who understands the importance of the relationship between England and

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part o ...

during this era". A review of ''The Horus Killings'' at reviewingtheevidence.com opines that Doherty maintains a balance between historical description and the action of the plot on perfect pitch. "The mix is near perfect. The descriptive passages enhance the story, allowing the reader to vividly visualize an unfamiliar setting without detracting from the page-turning pace desirable in a light mystery." Harriet Klausner states in her review of this same book that "Ancient historical fiction/mystery readers, especially Egyptologists, will cherish this novel." A 2009 review by Mike Ripley, himself an acclaimed author and regular contributor of SHOTS Crime and Mystery magazine, states of Doherty's book "The Spies of Sobeck":

"A very wise literary agent (and there are some) once told me that the trick with historical mysteries was to hook the reader early on with the mystery and then give them the history lesson. They know the lesson is coming but they want to be lured, almost fooled, into listening to it. Paul Doherty goes out of his way to break this rule. His latest novel and the seventh in his 'Ancient Egyptian Mysteries' series, "The Spies of Sobeck" starts (and ends) with historical notes by the author; there's also a map and a list of characters and their position in the hierarchy of Egypt in 1477BC. So the reader is left in no doubt that they are in for a history lesson and they get one; and it is the positive master class we have come to expect from Paul Doherty. This is history red in tooth and claw and Doherty has proved, in more than fifty novels over a variety of historical settings, that when he gives a history lesson, readers sit up straight and pay attention."

In 1998 Paul Doherty was included in the ''Times'' "Murder They Write: 100 masters of crime" list published as a supplement to the ''Times'' on 18 April 1998. The list, compiled by book critics and authors, included Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler. He was awarded the Herodotus Award, for lifelong achievement for excellence in the writing of historical mysteries by the Historical Mystery Appreciation Society. ''Treason of the Ghosts'' was named one of '' The Times ''Best of this year's crime novels'' in 2000.

Documentaries

The UK Channel Five documentary, ''The Secret Life of Elizabeth I'' (2006), was based on his book of the same title. It explored Doherty's theory that Elizabeth I may have had a secret love child. He recently appeared in a ''

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television television network, network and flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel owned by the National Geograp ...

'' documentary, ''Secrets of the Virgin Queen''. The documentary examines some controversial theories as to why Elizabeth never married (2011).Secrets of the Virgin Queen
nationalgeographic.com; accessed 14 April 2014.

Bibliography

;Hugh Corbett series :Set during the 13th-century reign of Edward I of England. # ''Satan in St Mary's'' (1986) # ''The Crown in Darkness'' (1988) # ''Spy in Chancery'' (1988) # ''The Angel of Death'' (1989) # ''The Prince Of Darkness'' (1992) # ''Murder Wears a Cowl'' (1992) # ''The Assassin in the Greenwood'' (1993) # ''The Song of a Dark Angel'' (1994) # ''Satan's Fire'' (1995) # ''The Devil's Hunt'' (1996) # ''The Demon Archer'' (1999) # ''The Treason of the Ghosts'' (2000) # ''Corpse Candle'' (2001) # ''The Magician's Death'' (2004) # ''The Waxman Murders'' (2006) # ''Nightshade'' (2008) # ''The Mysterium'' (2010) # ''Dark Serpent'' (2016) # ''Devil's Wolf'' (2017) # ''Death's Dark Valley'' (2019) # ''Hymn to Murder'' (2020) # ''Mother Midnight'' (2021) # ''Realm of Darkness'' (2022) ;Matthew Jankyn series # ''The Whyte Harte'' (1988) # ''The Serpent Amongst the Lilies'' (1990) ;Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan :Set during the 14th-century reign of

Richard II of England Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father die ...

. # ''The Nightingale Gallery'' (1991) (writing as Paul Harding) # ''The House of the Red Slayer'' aka ''The Red Slayer'' (1992) (writing as Paul Harding) # ''Murder Most Holy'' (1992) (writing as Paul Harding) # ''The Anger of God'' (1993) (writing as Paul Harding) # ''By Murder's Bright Light'' (1994) (writing as Paul Harding) # ''The House of Crows'' (1995) (writing as Paul Harding) # ''The Assassin's Riddle'' (1996) (writing as Paul Harding) # ''The Devil's Domain'' (1998) # ''The Field of Blood'' (1999) # ''The House of Shadows'' (2003) # ''Bloodstone'' (2011) # ''The Straw Men'' (2012) # ''Candle Flame'' (2014) # ''The Book of Fires'' (2014) # ''The Herald of Hell'' (2015) # ''The Great Revolt'' (2016) # ''A Pilgrimage to Murder'' (2017) # ''Mansions of Murder'' (2017) # ''The Godless'' (2019) # ''The Stone Of Destiny'' (2020) # ''The Hanging Tree'' (2022) ;Sir Roger Shallot Tudor Mysteries (writing as Michael Clynes) :Set during the 16th-century reign of Henry VIII of England. # ''The White Rose Murders'' (1991) # ''The Poisoned Chalice'' (1992) # ''The Grail Murders'' (1993) # ''A Brood of Vipers'' (1994) # ''The Gallows Murders'' (1995) # ''The Relic Murders'' (1996) ;Kathryn Swinbrooke series (writing as C. L. Grace) :Set in 15th century England. # ''A Shrine of Murders'' (1993) # ''The Eye of God'' (1994) # ''The Merchant of Death'' (1995) # ''The Book of Shadows'' (1996) # ''Saintly Murders'' (2001) # ''A Maze of Murders'' (2002) # ''A Feast of Poisons'' (2004) ;Nicholas Segalla series (writing as Ann Dukthas) # ''A Time for the Death of a King'' (1994), set in Edinburgh 1567, involving Mary, Queen of Scots # ''A Prince Lost to Time'' (1995), set in France circa 1793, involving

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

# ''The Time of Murder at Mayerling'' (1996), set in Vienna 1889, involving Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria # ''In the Time of the Poisoned Queen'' (1998), set in England 1558, involving

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...

;Canterbury Tales # ''An Ancient Evil'' (1994) # ''A Tapestry of Murders'' (1994) # ''A Tournament of Murders'' (1996) # ''Ghostly Murders'' (1997) # ''The Hangman's Hymn'' (2001) # ''A Haunt of Murder'' (2002) # ''The Midnight Man'' (2012) ;Mystery of Alexander the Great (writing as Anna Apostolou) :Set in 4th-century B.C. ancient Greece. # ''A Murder in Macedon'' (1997) # ''A Murder in Thebes'' (1998) ;The Egyptian Mysteries :Centered around the character of Amerokte, the chief judge of the temple of Ma'at, who becomes the investigator of conspiracies against the 15th-century BC Queen Hatusu. # ''The Mask of Ra'' (1998) # ''The

Horus Horus or Heru, Hor, Har in Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as god of kingship and the sky. He was worshipped from at least the late prehistoric Egypt until the P ...

Killings'' (1999) # ''The Anubis Slayings'' (2000) # ''The Slayers of

Seth Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. A ...

'' (2001) # ''The Assassins of Isis'' (2004) # ''The Poisoner of Ptah'' (2007) # ''The Spies of Sobeck'' (2008) ;Mahu (The Akhenaten-trilogy) :The ancient Egyptian noble Mahu recounts the events of the age of Akhenaten and his part in them and his relationships with other personages of the

Amarna period The Amarna Period was an era of History of Ancient Egypt, Egyptian history during the later half of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty when the royal residence of the pharaoh and his queen was shifted to Akhetaten ('Horizon of the ...

. # ''An Evil Spirit Out of the West'' (2003) # ''The Season of the Hyaena'' (2005) # ''The Year of the Cobra'' (2005) ;Mathilde of Westminster series :Set during the reign of Edward II of England, featuring a lady in the service of his wife Queen Isabella # ''The Cup of Ghosts'' (2005) # ''The Poison Maiden'' (2007) # ''The Darkening Glass'' (2009) ;Political Intrigue in Ancient Rome *''Domina'' (2002), a fictionalized account of Agrippina, mother of Nero, A.D. 15-59. :Murder mysteries with investigator Claudia, a spy for both

Helena Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer *Helena, mother of Constantine I Places Greece * Helena (island) Guyana * ...

, mother of

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

, and Sylvester, presbyter of Rome (later Pope Sylvester I), in A.D. 313 when Christianity is beginning to be established openly in Rome. *''Murder Imperial'' (2003) *''The Song of the Gladiator'' (2004) *''The Queen of the Night'' (2006) *''Murder's Immortal Mask'' (2008) ;Alexander the Great Mysteries *''The House of Death'' (2001) *''The Godless Man'' (2002) *''The Gates of Hell'' (2003) ;Templar * ''The Templar'' (2007) * ''The Templar Magician'' (2009) ;Margaret Beaufort Series * ''Dark Queen Rising'' (2018) * ''Dark Queen Waiting'' (2019) * ''Dark Queen Watching'' (2021) ;Other novels * ''The Death of a King: A Medieval Mystery'' (1985) * ''Prince Drakulya'' (1986) * ''The Fate of Princes'' (1990) * ''Dove Amongst the Hawks'' (1990) * ''The Masked Man'' (1991) * ''The Rose Demon'' (1997) * ''The Haunting'' (1997) * ''The Soul Slayer'' (1997) * ''The Love Knot'' (1999) (writing as Vanessa Alexander) * ''Of Love and War'' (2000) (writing as Vanessa Alexander) * ''The Loving Cup'' (2001) (writing as Vanessa Alexander) * ''The Plague Lord'' (2002) * ''The Last of Days'' (2013) * ''Roseblood ''(2014) ;Non-fiction *''The Mysterious Death of Tutankhamun'' (2003); *''Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II'' (2003); *''Alexander the Great, the Death of a God: what – or who – really killed the young conqueror of the known world?'' (2004); *''The Great Crown Jewel Robbery of 1303'' (2005); *''The Secret Life of Elizabeth I'' (2006); *''The Death of the Red King'' (2006);

References

External links

EURO CRIME Reviews
accessed 17 April 2014.
MysteryNet.com
accessed 14 April 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Doherty, Paul C. 1946 births Living people English people of Irish descent English mystery writers English historical novelists Writers of historical mysteries People from Middlesbrough Officers of the Order of the British Empire English male novelists Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period