Geoffrey Chaucer of Canterbury Tales
fame becomes the latest historical literary figure turned sleuth, in British author Morgan's outstanding debut. Drawing on fragmentary 14th-century official records, Morgan skillfully weaves Chaucer's actual experiences as an English diplomat into a gripping tale of murder and intrigue. In 1370, with the English facing the loss of valuable territory in Aquitaine, Chaucer is enlisted to convince a French nobleman to continue his allegiance to England. The mission has a personal resonance for the poet, who was once the captive of the count in an earlier phase of the Hundred Years War. During that confinement, Chaucer fell in love with his captor's beautiful wife, and those persistent emotions only complicate his delicate political negotiations. The diplomatic challenges are compounded by a string of mysterious deaths at the hand of a ruthless assassin whose loyalties are obscure, and the negotiations are stymied when the count is killed during a wild boar hunt—at the hands of a person unknown. As unlikely a candidate as Chaucer might be for the role of detective, Morgan easily suspends disbelief. Spot-on period detail and tight plotting, plus a significant unresolved story-line, augur well for any sequel. Agent, Charlotte Howard at Fox and Howard. (Sept. 7)
