July 28, 2003
Careful plotting, strong characters and a wealth of period detail distinguish the latest adventure of itinerant peddler and sleuth, Roger the Chapman, from British author Sedley (The Lammas Feast). As the gloomy winter of 1478 draws to a close, Roger is returning home to Bristol when he stops for the night in a village haunted by old mysteries. Six months earlier, a local siren, Eris Lilywhite, disappeared after humiliating her betrothed by consenting to marry his father instead. At Eris's grandmother's request (and despite the hostility of Eris's mother), Roger agrees to stay in Lower Brockhurst and investigate. His efforts to connect the girl's disappearance with other events in the village, both past and present, parallel the old parlor game, Nine Men's Morris, in which two opponents each try to form a line of three markers on a rectangular grid. Roger's instincts and medieval superstition occasionally collide with his more rational, logical side. Peasant characters at times think in ways inappropriate to their humble status ("The Papal Commissioners don't venture into the wilds very often, and when they do, sand is thrown in their eyes"), but in every other respect the author is true to period. Sedley pens medieval historicals as fine as those by better known names in this subgenre, including Edward Marston, Alan Gordon and Candace Robb.
September 1, 2002
Roger the Chapman looks into the stabbing death of Jasper Fairbrother, a Bristol baker, as Lammastide ("Loaf-mass") approaches in Kate Sedley's 11th medieval mystery, The Lammas Feast, after The Saint John's Fern (Forecasts, July 15). As usual, Sedley offers an absorbing view of 15th-century English society and politics, along with an intricate plot to keep readers guessing who really did in Fairbrother.
October 15, 2002
Sedley's eleventh installment in her series featuring Roger the Chapman is exceptionally well written and wonderfully entertaining. Set in the late fifteenth century, the book presents an engaging combination of good humor, eye-opening descriptions of the living conditions, and a cast of characters who are as appealing as they are authentic. Roger the Chapman makes his living as a peddler but has an unusual talent for finding trouble. He's already been involved in several "cases" and has incurred the wrath of the local sheriff by sticking his nose in where it's not wanted. But when local baker Jasper Fairbrother is murdered, Roger has to know who killed the man. Then three other murders take place in quick succession, and Roger is convinced they are connected. He's determined to solve the case before anyone else dies. Fortunately, his nose for trouble sniffs out the unexpected and quite shocking solution to the case, and even the reluctant sheriff has to admit that Roger's deductive powers have saved the day. A fine addition for all mystery collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)
June 1, 2003
Sedley offers up another entertaining installment in her medieval mystery series featuring Roger the Chapman (that's peddler, for those unfamiliar with medieval job titles). On the way home from a successful selling trip through the Cotswolds, the erstwhile amateur detective makes a chance stop at a remote village. He is quickly drawn into investigating the disappearance and suspected murder of beautiful Eris Lilywhite, who disappeared after she foolishly promised to marry not only wealthy farmer Ned Rawbone but also his elderly father. The locals brand Eris as a fortune-seeking trollop, but her mother and grandmother are desperate to find out what happened to her. When they learn of Roger's previous investigative successes, they beg for his help. The detailed portrait of life in the fifteenth century, the charming hero, and the imaginative plot make this another pleasurable read in Sedley's stylishly written and historically accurate series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)