Amateur sleuth Roger the Chapman has very little to go on as once again Richard, Duke of Gloucester, calls on him to exercise his investigative skills in this 10th solid medieval mystery from British author Sedley (The Wicked Winter, etc.). Just after Christmas, 1477, Roger and his wife, Adela, journey from Bristol to London to see the festivities of the child marriage of King Edward IV's four-year-old son to the six-year-old Lady Anne Mowbray—and for Roger to attend the trial of George, the Duke of Clarence, Edward and Richard's brother, who faces possible execution. Richard is hopeful that Roger can prove the innocence of Isolda Bonifant, a goldsmith's daughter—and kinswoman of Jane Shore, Edward's favorite mistress—who stands accused of poisoning her husband, so that Jane might return the favor and exert her influence on the king in George's behalf. In the process of carefully examining Isolda and all those who were in the house the night her husband was murdered, Roger unearths some dark family secrets. That the reader may be able to deduce what actually happened on the murder night before Roger does in no way detracts from Sedley's accurate and captivating recreation of the medieval world. Detailed descriptions of London streets, houses, food and goldsmithing techniques combine with convincing characters in a lively story sure to please existing fans and attract new ones. (Dec.)
FYI:Another title in this series,
The Weaver's Inheritance, was reviewed in Forecasts, Aug. 20.
