The Yeoman’s Tale

The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 provides the backdrop for Trow’s solid sequel to 2021’s The Knight’s Tale. While an unknown woman is murdered by Thames River, elsewhere in London, Geoffrey Chaucer, “Court Poet and Comptroller of Woolens,” joins his fellow pilgrims on a planned journey to Canterbury. The entertainingly grumbling group, which includes a yeoman, is led by the energetic if penny-pinching owner of the Tabard Inn. The pilgrims haven’t progressed too far when they run into an army of rebels and hurry back to warn London authorities. As some members of the group fortify the Tabard, the yeoman discovers the dead woman floating in the Thames with her throat cut. It turns out she was the wife of one of the pilgrims. Chaucer investigates her death as well as the subsequent throat-slicing of another pilgrim, all while trying to keep from becoming too important to a petulant Richard II and England’s leaders as they confront Wat Tyler and the rebels. Touches of humor enhance this well-paced mystery as a string of clever clues leads to the killer’s unveiling. Fans of medieval historicals will be satisfied. (July)