Nine Men Dancing

Roger the Chapman #12

by Kate Sedley

In the bitter winter of 1478, Roger the Chapman takes to the roads once again to sell his wares. His long-suffering wife Adela is happy to let him go, on condition that he promises to return by the feast of St Patrick in March. Having sold most of his goods, Roger starts on the long road home, keen to surprise Adela by arriving home early for once. However, on the way, he stumbles upon the tiny village of Lower Brockhurst where he is immediately made welcome at the village alehouse. Overhearing conversations regarding the recent disappearance of a local girl, Roger's investigative instincts are instantly aroused, and he determines to stay awhile in order to try and solve the mystery. Had she really just vanished? Or had something much more sinister taken place? But Roger soon realises that there is more to the girl's story than meets the eye, and that the village harbours dark secrets that some people would do anything to prevent being discovered.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Medieval, Fiction, British Literature

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2003

About the author

Brenda Margaret Lilian Clarke, known by her pen name Kate Sedley, was an English historical novelist best known for her Roger the Chapman mystery series. Born in Bristol in 1926, she also published as Brenda Honeyman and Brenda Clarke.

Reviews

[Spuddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

. #12 Roger the Chapman mystery in which Roger is heading home to Bristol with a nearly empty pack, stops in a small village of Lower Brockhurst. There, he hears of an ancient mystery of two travelers who were set upon and killed but not robbed more than a hundred years previously, and a more recent puzzle, when a local beauty disappears after declaring that she will not be marrying young Tom Rawbone, but instead has been betrothed to his father, Nathaniel. Running away into a violent storm, she's not heard from or seen again.

Roger, always with a nose for a mystery, is asked by Eris Lilywhite's grandmother to see if he can look with the fresh eye of an outsider and find out what happened to her. No one believes she ran away, given that she had just schemed her way into the role of future mistress of the local manor. By all accounts, Eris was not at all well liked, despite her beauty, and though the obvious suspect in her disappearance would be young Tom Rawbone, there are plenty of other people who are not at all sad to see the back of her, wherever she might have gone. With the clock ticking--as Roger has promised his wife Adela that he will be home in time for St. Patrick's Day feast--and a host of sometimes conflicting clues to sort through, Roger must come up with a solution so he can set for home. He can't help but feel that the two mysteries, decades apart, are tied together somehow.

The mystery was terribly easy to sort out, but as always, I love this series for the historical sense of time and place, the author's easy-reading writing style and the characters, not so much for the mysteries themselves. Loved this one as much as previous entries!

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Roger the Chapman mysteries! Think 1478 in merry olde England. Add some humorous encounters with villagers as Roger goes about peddling his wares, and you have a delightful book!

I'm not reading the series in order, and it is not necessary to enjoy each stand-alone book. The only thing is, this one has Hercules the mongrel dog, who has been traveling with the chapman for some time, it seems. And in this one Roger has a (ahem) different wife than in an earlier book, plus three children.

If you love mysteries, try this series by Kate Sedley.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger has traveled to Gloucestershire to peddle his wares in the winter and is returning home to Bristal when he stops for the night in a small village and learns of a young woman's disappearance several months earlier. He agrees to try and solve the mystery. The characters are interesting and the story is engaging. Yes, it was obvious where it was headed but I still enjoyed it.

[Indroneel Das · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly good, given that this is the 11th book in the series. The plot was pretty obvious half-way through the book, and there were no twist in the tale. Which is good - I love a straight forward story that verifies the obvious.

[Cheri Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book....as always.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can describe my reaction to this book in one word - bored. I've read and enjoyed every book in this series up to this point, but this one was a yawner. It picked up a little about half way through, but during the first half of the book, I had to struggle to keep reading. Also, I don't mean to be picky, but the use of the expression "light at the end of the tunnel' (p. 229 of the hardcover edition) is not appropriate for a book set in the 15th century. In all fairness though, I fully intend to finish this series and I'm hoping that this book was an anomaly.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger the Chapman (pedlar) is talked into searching for a flirtatious young woman who disappeared right after announcing her engagement to her fiance's father! Fun to read, lots of medieval period detail and good writing.

[Robert Kradoska · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting tale

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun historical mystery series. Love the voice and setting.