Master Mercurius Mystery Books In Order

Publication Order of Master Mercurius Mystery Books

The “Master Mercurius Mysteries” are a set of novels by mystery author Graham Brack. According to the author, he has been writing for as long as he can remember though he never once deemed himself an author growing up. As a teenager, he attended Robert Gordon Aberdeen and soon after graduated with a pharmacy degree. He then proceeded to attend the University of Glasgow and graduated with an Ethics and Medical Law master’s degree. Since he has a background in a range of subjects, he has written on soccer, rugby and medical law over the years. It was during his time studying for his undergraduate degree that he met the woman that would then become his wife. Once the two lovebirds left college, they got married and moved to Cornwall. Graham would go on to work for several companies as managing director and also worked for the conglomerate “Pharmacy Management” as Head of Integration and Communications. During his time with the company, he was charged with integration, market intelligence, cross fertilizing streams and the writing of report and journals. He now lives in Northampton shire with his wife and children.

The British author who hails from Sunderland is best known as the author of the “Josef Slonsky Investigation” series. According to several interviews, Graham got into writing in 2010 when he decided to participate in the Debut Dagger Competition by the Crime Writers’ Association. It was at this competition that he introduced Lieutenant Josef Slonsky that would become one of his most popular characters. The character was introduced in the novel “The Behavior of Left Handed Dwarves” which would garner critical acclaim. He knew it was his time to shine when an independent small house publisher named Sapere Books contacted him. His debut work which he had self-published was retitled and also become a bestselling work under traditional publishing. This was all the confidence boost he needed and he went on to write the “Josef Slonsky Investigation” series. “Death in Delft” the first of the “Master Mercurius Mystery” series was published in 2020. In addition to the series of novels, he has also published several short stories in a range of anthologies and short story collections.
The lead of the “Master Mercurius Mysteries” is a Dutch detective that lends his name to the series. At the start of the series, he is thirty something old man who is an ordained minister and university lecturer that happens to be very intelligent but totally naive when it comes to how the world works. He never tires of telling people that he is a reluctant detective. He would rather be let alone reading a book in solitude rather than be out there investigating some bizarre mystery. As an ordained minister, he possesses a strong sense of ethics and morals even though he is often squeamish about the punishments that are given to offenders. But he knows that the several hours a person spends miserable on a scaffold could not compare with eternity if they did not repent before leaving this life. Still, he feels responsible for those who repent but he cannot do anything to ensure they do not get published just like the unrepentant ones. When it comes to women, Mercurius is a total knave though their charms have always held a certain appeal. Moreover, he spends much of his time in thrall of young women but has a secret that he has kept for years.

In “Death in Delft” the first novel of the “Master Mercurius Mysteries,” the story opens with the news that three girls were kidnapped. Only one body was recovered dumped in a shallow grave with the two other girls not yet found. The crime shocks the residents of the small community of Delft and the mayor wants to catch the people responsible as soon as possible so as to avoid the spread of panic. The January weather has turned bitterly cold and the weather man believes that it is set to get even colder. Given such weather, most people believe the two other girls must be dead too even though the man responsible for the crimes has not yet been apprehended. The mayor asks a gifted cleric named Master Mercurius who works for the local college to help. The cleric works with Vermeer a local artist who uses his talents to draw portraits and sketches of criminals and crime scenes. Will they be able to find the killer before it is too late or will he take even more victims?

Graham Brack’s “Untrue Till Death” sees Master Mercurius’s peaceful life disrupted when he is assigned what is seemingly a simple task by the Rector. Once he is done, he is to make a presentation to William III of Orange the Stadhouder who is currently in The Hague. Even though he is reluctant to take up the task the Rector is his superior and he cannot defy him. Moreover, he knows the Stadhouder as a clever man who might know of his secret and he does not want it to come out. When he meets William, he learns that the assignment he was given was a pretext and that the Stadhouder wanted him for something else. He had heard of his success in apprehending the criminal in Delft and his knack for resolving the toughest mysteries. William has been informed of a conspiracy and needs Mercurius to look into one of his supposedly loyal supporters at the university that may not be what he seems to be. He has always tried to remain above the fray and has never aligned with either the proponents or opponents of the crown. As such, he is dismayed when he learns that he may have to take on a diplomatic assignment that he believes he is ill suited for.

The third novel of the Master Mercurius Mysteries is “Dishonour and Obey” that is set two years after the cleric cum detective found himself working on a murder case. He has been enjoying the tranquility when he is summoned by William of Orange the Stadhouder. This can only mean that he is required for another assignment. William is planning to marry and is interested in the niece of King Charles II of England named Princess Mary. Since Mercurius is an ordained cleric William wants him to go to England and smooth the way for him. But upon his arrival in England, he learns that he may be up against people that are more than his match. Given that he is representing Stadhouder, Mercurius could find himself in the cross fire.