A Play of Lords

Joliffe the Player #4

by Margaret Frazer

A ROYAL INTRIGUE...

In the late autumn of 1435, Joliffe and his fellow players are in London to perform for the Bishop Beaufort. But his Eminence has other duties in mind for the company. With the Duke of Bedford's passing, ambitious lords and clergymen are plotting to assume his role as advisor to the young King Henry VI - and the Bishop needs to know what his rivals are planning.
Dispatched to entertain - and spy on - England's royals, Joliffe and company encounter intrigue from various factions both within and without the kingdom. And when men who know too much begin to die in violent ways, the players start to fear for their own lives...

PRAISE FOR A PLAY OF LORDS

"An amazing wealth of historical detail. While the mystery is compelling, and rooted in a fascinating historical period, it's the details of everyday life that make the story and charactes leap off the page... Will appeal to readers who enjoy historical mystery and historical fiction." - CA Review

"Will entertain and confound you with its intricately plotted mystery and richly detailed writing... Ms. Frazer knows the fifteenth century and it shows..." - Romance Readers Connection

PRAISE FOR MARGARET FRAZER

"Prepare to be enchanted as Margaret Frazer transports you back to the 15th century." - Romantic Times

"More than just a good read. The reader comes away sadder and wiser, knowing that what tehy've read is that stuff of real life. Brava!" - Historical Novels Review

"A smooth and absorbing saga of conspiracy and treachery in 15th-century England... A tantalizing secret turns out to have stunning political implications." - Publishers Weekly

"Finely plotted and subtly shaded. Frazer has the detailed substance that brings an era to life, while her characters' psychological makeup is as cunningly wrought as the historical background." - Publishers Weekly

"Margaret Frazer has quietly claimed her place as one of the preeminent writers of historical crime fiction, delivering the whole package - a good mystery, wonderful characters, and a fascinating period of history. Her novels are a dream to read." - Aunt Agatha's Newsletter

Herodotus Award Winner.
Twice nominated for the Edgar Award
Twice nominated for the Minnesota Book Award
A Romantic Times Top Pick.

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

292 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 7, 2007

About the author

Margaret Frazer is a pen name used at first by Mary Monica Pulver Kuhfeld and Gail Lynn Frazer writing in tandem for a series of historical medieval mysteries featuring Dame Frevisse. After the sixth novel, the works are written by Gail Frazer alone, and the name has subsequently been used exclusively by her. A second series of novels by Ms Frazer set in the same time and place feature the player/minstrel Joliffe.

See also: Monica Ferris, Mary Monica Pulver

Series:
* Sister Frevisse
* Joliffe

Reviews

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The challenges of writing an entertaining play, preparing the props and costumes, and earning a living as an acting troupe is what I found to be the best part of this mystery. The history of the time (1435), the wool trade between England, Italy, and the Low Countries (especially Flanders) was interesting but insufficient to really transport me to that time and place. The characters were charming, but pat, and I could have used a family tree on the endpapers, to keep track of all the royalty that figure in the powerplay.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked: the setting.

Not so much: the (somewhat wooden) characters and the info-dumping.

Also, the mystery element came late and was almost an after-thought.

[Ronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite Joliffe story so far. Our players, now as Lord Lovell's players, have been asked to perform in London during Lord Lovell's visit at the opening of Parliament. Of course, Lord Lovell may have more up his sleeve than just sharing a good play as Joliffe is pulled Into the shadowy and complex web that is politics between England, France and anyone nearby enough to be splattered by the mud (or blood) of all the wrangling and in-fighting. No longer worried about where the next meal may come from, we get to see a lighter side of our friends-more of Rose and Ellis, Gil, Piers and Bassett. We also meet an incredible array of new characters, including Mak and his wonderful Auntie, and Ned and Peg, fellow entertainers, whom I hope to meet again in future tales. I love how Margaret Frazer provides resources at the end to those who might wish to read further Into the history. Her careful study brings this complicated era to life in a technicolor vividness all too often made gray and murky by dry telling in the history books.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Play of Lords
Joliffe the Player #4
By Margaret Frazer
Reviewed January 24, 2024



A Play of Lords is the fourth in Margaret Frazer’s Joliffe the Player series, and things are going from “normal” murder mysteries to political intrigue.

It’s the fall of 1435, and Lord Lovell and his household have moved to his London residence (Lovell Inn) for the opening of a session of Parliament. Naturally, there will be feasts, banquets, and entertainments, so Lovell’s Players have accompanied their patron.

Our hardy group of players are enjoying the opportunity to stay put for a few weeks. No wandering from village to town, but staying at Lovell Inn for the duration, and the group enjoys doing some shopping and sightseeing in between performances.

One of the highlights of their visit is seeing the various lords and their retinues as they parade through London on their way to Winchester for the opening of Parliament. Among the colorful entourages are those of various members of the Neville clan and the young Duke of York and his bride, Cecily. Although these people have little more than a walk-on role, it was fun to see some of those who will play major roles in future events that will culminate in the Wars of the Roses in a few years.

Pleased with a play Joliffe has written, a farce about the current deteriorating relationship between England and Burgundy, the troupe is requested by his Eminence, the Bishop of Winchester, Henry Beaufort, to perform for him. For the first time, Joliffe and his fellow players are in the presence of real power, for Beaufort is the king’s uncle and one of the wealthiest and politically influential men in the country – quite a step up from living hand to mouth, going from one village to another, often sleeping in the open.

Later, Beaufort asks Joliffe to rewrite the play to change the duke of Burgundy from the villain of the piece to a dupe of the French dauphin. Feelings against Burgundians are running high in London because the duke’s actions are having a direct impact on the wool trade, a very important part of the English economy, and the bishop hopes that if enough people see and hear about the play, making the duke of Burgundy into a buffoon rather than villain may help tamp down some of the anger being taken out on any Burgundians who happen to be in the city.

The bishop is also impressed with Joliffe’s ability to observe and analyze what he sees and recruits him to be his eyes and ears wherever the troupe plays. Along the way, a couple members of the troupe are attacked – not to be killed or robbed, but frightened off. Someone doesn’t want the play about the duke of Burgundy to continue being performed (the troupe is invited to perform for a number of wealthy and important persons, including the Duke of Gloucester, Beaufort’s rival for the king’s attention). Riots are being stirred up by men paid to provoke ill feelings against foreigners in general and Burgundians in particular. And before all is said and done, Joliffe has a decision to make about whether to continue in the bishop’s service.

I first encountered Joliffe in a couple of Frazer’s Dame Frevisse novels, where he is a full-fledged spy, first for Bishop Beaufort and later, for the Duke of York. Although I very much enjoyed the earlier, straight up mysteries in this series, I loved the novels that had more political intrigue and royal conspiracies and was happy to read how Joliffe evolved from being a player with a mysterious past to a spy.

As with any author who writes many books, some of Ms Frazer’s stories are better than others, but I can honestly say that I haven’t met one of her books that I haven’t liked…and that goes for this tale of intrigue and politics in 15th century London.

[Richard Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very satisfying novel.

This is book 4 in the series, and I'm glad that they are just getting better--more fun, more interesting, more complex. Joliffe is an actor in a small troupe in 15th century England. He's intelligent, a bit of a smart ass, generally ethical but no saint, friendly but not a pushover. As the series progresses, he's getting more and more focused on solving mysteries he's presented with or involved in; it's not just curiosity and gossiping leading him to solutions, but thoughtful action and deep reflection. The more intentional his investigations become, the more I like it.

[Some light spoilers.]
The players are in London for the first time in the series, playing for their sponsor, when Joliffe is asked to write a play that would help promote propaganda useful to a friend of the lord they work for. The play is a success, helping in a small way to spread a message that will smooth over a trade disagreement with Burgundy, but someone else sends goons to attack them and discourage them from continuing in this way. From that point on, Joliffe is trying to figure out what forces are on what side, and he is enlisted by Bishop Beaufort to do more of that thinking and watching and investigating in his service, pretty much as a spy.

Some of the thinking here, in the form "Maybe it's this faction trying to look like this, or maybe it's this other faction hoping to get a different outcome, or maybe it's a third group thing to make it look like the first group..." was pretty deep and I lost the thread. I'm afraid international trade, beyond the simplest level, does not make sense to me, so I just plowed through some of that, but the story is still entirely clear. The resolution makes sense and is satisfying, though (as I think I've noticed in previous books) I wouldn't mind another chapter fleshing out the consequences and final state for some of the minor characters. Much is implied, but I was enjoying the conclusion and would have liked a bit more of it.

In any case, it's a fun book, and as always the setting is well-researched and beautifully realized. Recommended for mystery readers.

[Delonna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, there's over two weeks I'll never get back. This book is supposed to be historical mystery. While it is definitely historical, the mystery part was severely lacking. The author was extremely long-winded. It wasn't until page 139 that something even remotely exciting happened. Actually, "exciting" might be a bit of a stretch. The author used the phrase "all in all" probably five times within first chapter and again in the last chapter. I couldn't keep all the relationships straight- lord this, lord that, bishop this, bishop that. I definitely ascertained that it was extremely important whom you were related to back in 1435. I guess I kept reading because I wanted to see when and where the mystery came into this story. I can't believe it's actually a series. I feel like I need to read other reviews and comments regarding this book in hopes I can have it explained to me, even thought I've already read it cover to cover. I'll never read another book by this author again.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the book to read first in the series as this #4 in the Joliffe the Player series, is more of a filler or bridge to the next books in the series.  Joliffe and company are in London and involved in the political intrigues of 1435 involving young King Henry VI.

I love the descriptions of London during this time period, and the connections with Shakespeare's plays.  Though there were some surprises, this book is low on the suspense ratio and I'll be looking for more of a mystery in the next book, A Play of Treachery.

Includes an Author's Note at the end explaining the connections to actual British history.

[Cathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Margaret Frazer has a gift of bringing to life a time long ago and populating it with characters I would want to know. The members of the players company are such a close-knit community and share each others lives just like a real family. The insights into human behavior gained through reading not just this book but all the others from this author are so valid today and yet timeless that I almost covet her ability to see people and all their frailties and yet their basic goodness and complexity. I highly recommend this author!

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually rather bland. Just about any other book in either this or the Dame Frevisse series offers a better read. The whole book seemed like it was setting situations up for later books, e.g., this, rather dull tale, is the story of how Joliffe became a spy for the Bishop of Winchester. I finished it because I have this compulsion to read every book in any series I pick up, but there really isn't much to recommend here beyond the historical setting and novels (even if not especially mystery novels) cannot thrive on setting alone.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow moving. I would have liked more mystery and less history. The characters were bland and unreal. But I love the time period.

[Pauline Calkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lord Lovell has brought Joliffe and his fellow players to London for the opening of Parliament in the autumn of 1435. The war in France is going badly, matters made even worse after the Duke of Burgundy, England’s erstwhile ally, enters into a separate peace with France. The general populace is so outraged at the traitorous duke that attacks on Burgundians have become widespread in the capital.

Joliffe had recently cobbled together a play showing the duke being seduced by the devil to renounce his allegiance to Lady Honor in favor of Mistress Greed. And it was this play that Joliffe’ troupe performs at a banquet given by the Bishop of Wincester, Henry Beaufort to the great acclaim of the assembled lords. After the performance Joliffe and Bassett, the head of the troupe, are summoned by Beaufort who, wanting to lessen the ill feelings against the Burgundians, commissions a play showing the duke merely as a dupe of the French king. The commission is welcome, of course, but the bishop wants the play in a mere five days. The best part of the book was the players’ preparation for this play: the challenge of writing an entertaining play under time pressure , preparing the props and costumes, and earning a living as an acting troupe. The politics of the day which involve the wool and cloth trade of England, Burgundy and Italy propel the mystery, but I found the mystery far less engaging than those in the first three books which involved small groups of intriguing characters. Here the murders do not occur until well into the second half of the book, and one of the victims we have never met and the other is a peripheral character we barely know. The book plods along, going into excruciating details such as when it describes every step, twist, and turn Joliffe takes when following a suspected murderer. I don’t like the way this series seems to be heading as Joliffe agrees to become an agent for bishop Beaufort.

[Bernadette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot Synopsis: The actor and playwright Joliffe and his company find themselves caught up in the conflicts of the aristocracy and clergy after being asked to write a play to sway the current political tensions. As men who know too much begin to die and the players fear for their own lives, Joliffe must uncover who stands to gain by these death and decide whether he wants to become a spy or leave London while he has the chance.

Margaret Frazer does an amazing job immersing you in a realistic, historical, medieval London. The entire book feels like an in depth history lesson, but one where you can touch, taste, see, smell, and feel everything. Frazer's captivating writing had me enjoying every chapter despite that very little ever seemed to happen. The murders are of people you don't know as a reader, and the solving of the murders was as irrelevant to me as the murders themselves were to Joliffe. The book reads as if it were the first book in a series working to world build and set up the story, which made me even more bewildered when I discovered this is the fourth book! It was a shame that ultimately the plot was slow and came off as inconsequential, as Frazer is an amazing and engaging writer.

However, if you enjoy historical fiction and want a fun way to learn about the political games and tensions in England during the Hundred Years War, it's a great read.

[Corrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Play of Lords by Margaret Frazer is the fourth book in the Joliffe the Player Series, a Dame Frevisse spin-off.

The fourth book is set in the autumn of 1435, where Joliffe and his fellow players travel with Lord Lovell’s household to London. There Joliffe spies amongst the British aristocracy as lords and clergymen vie for the coveted position of regent to the young King Henry VI. But when men who know too much begin to die in violent ways, the players start to fear for their own lives.

This one has enough political intrigue in it to make your head spin. Maybe a bit drier as the others, lagging a bit here and there, but still interesting.

4 Stars

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The setting of this book (15th c London) should be perfect for me, and the author is spot on with historical details. I know many people love these books, but this one is leaving me cold. Maybe it’s because I haven’t read previous volumes so I don’t know the main character’s backstories. Maybe it’s because not much happens in the first half, or maybe it’s because I started simultaneously listening to a volume of Dunnett’s House of Niccolò series, also set in 15th c. Europe, and she’s incomparable. I’ll try this author again another time.

[Roberta Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an historian, I am a great fan of Margaret Frazer, both her Joliffe the Player series and her Dame Frevisse series. She is able to immerse you in the period and give you, amidst the mystery, strong portraits of her two main characters, their lives as traveling player and nun and their views of the world. She also writes beautifully. I gave A Play of Lords four instead of five stars as it lags in some places but I would still highly recommend it.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“He truly, truly hated not knowing things (3775). That’s Joliffe for you. The players are in London and Joliffe has written a new play with a slant on current events. The work is popular and lucrative but perhaps draws a little more attention than is safe.

[Susan Pola Staples · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread

[Mary Helene · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 star if you're looking to read about medieval political intrigue.
4 star if you would like to read descriptions of medieval London.
3 star for the story. Not a lot of story.

[Deborah Compton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Politics in Medieval London and the players get caught up in it. A new twist is added to the Joliffe mysteries. Joliffe and his investigative skills gain attention from a powerful political players.

[Pinko Palest · Rating 4 out of 5]

maybe the best of the Joliffe novels. Very readable indeed, and quite interesting in its plot. Definitely one of more political ones

[lqmzjjx · Rating 2 out of 5]

《领主的戏剧》 一个戏剧演出团，受主教委派，因为表演了触犯某方势力利益的剧本而受到威胁。像我一样对历史知之甚少的朋友就不用看了，个人觉得有点无聊。

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Frazer's better works. This is the story of how Joliffe became a spy for Bishop Beaufort. Well plotted.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fourth in the Joliffe medieval mystery series revolving around a small troupe of players.


My Take
Oh, this was too fascinating! Not so much a mystery this time as a political assessment of the broken alliance with Burgundy and how all the maneuverings are an attempt to drive down the price of English wool. That's the gist of it.

In the meantime, we get to enjoy the grand success Lord Lovell's Players are experiencing leaving us wondering how they will make out once they are on the road again.

I suspect that the previous three stories were setting the scene for A Play of Lords, building Joliffe's reputation for figuring things out, leading to the bishop's proposition.

Frazer is just amazing in how well her words convey us back in time from the manners to the clothing and, most especially, the dialog. When she includes the wit, you can't help but fall in love. This series is a buy for me.


The Story
Lord Lovell and his household have gone to London for the opening of Parliament and he wants his Players there as well. The performance Basset and company put on that first night inspires the Bishop of Beaufort to request Joliffe write a play that makes the Duke of Burgundy look an idiot and make the Dauphin a villain to defuse tension against Burgundy in London.

Joliffe has three days. A most successful play as it causes the Lord Lovell Players to be in demand at some high and mighty households including the Duke of Gloucester's. The king's heir, no less. Being so successful does have its negatives as they discover when they're attacked on the street. Combined with the intel that Joliffe assembles from wandering the streets...well, it's not always safe to come to the attention of those who rule over you.


The Characters
Joliffe Southwell is the writer for Master Basset's troupe as well as an actor. He has been gaining quite a reputation for mystery solving which is how he came to the bishop's attention. Basset's daughter Rose sews and repairs the wardrobe as well as maintaining the props. Her son Piers does well in imp and feminine roles while young Gil is doing quite well as the newcomer. Ellis is also a good actor and loves the reluctant Rose.

Lord and Lady Lovell are wealthy, not Duke of York wealthy, but well enough that they can afford their own troupe of players. John Hyche is the gatekeeper for their London home. Mak is one of the London servants and has been assigned to ease the Players' stay in London although it turns out that Mak has more than one master.

Bishop of Beaufort is also a cardinal of England and the bishop of Winchester; he's also one of the very young king's guardians and a relative---one of John o'Gaunt's bastards. I can't figure out if Master Fowler is the bishop's door warden or spy secretary.

James "Jem" Smithcot is a constable of Farrington Ward and come to investigate the attack on the Players.


The Cover
The cover feels quite medieval in how the people are portrayed let alone it's a busy city street with people coming and going, banners flying from house fronts, and St. Paul's Cathedral towering over all.

The title says it all on several levels including the to-and-fro that Joliffe observes is indeed A Play of Lords as the lords, dukes, merchants, and bishops maneuver for the best advantage.

[Jill Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The "Player Joliffe" series by Margaret Frazer is a delight for fans of medieval history and great mystery. This fourth Joliffe story had seen Master Basset's troupe of players flourish under the patronage of Lord Lovell. They are now well-dressed, well-fed, handsomely compensated for their plays and other performances, and grown in company by the addition of Gil, a young man who loves learning his new craft. In the autumn of 1435, the players journey to London to perform for Bishop Beaufort, a Cardinal of the Church and advisor to the very young King Henry VI. Beaufort has heard of Joliffe's powers as a playwright, sleuth, and spy from Lord Lovell. He enlists Joliffe's aid in writing and performing a play to turn the tables on the volatile political balance between the Dauphin of France, young King Henry, and the Burgundian and Flemish merchants who are daily the cause of riots in London and leading England nearer to war. The English wool trade--highly lucrative to the Crown and, incidentally, Beaufort's own vast fortune--is part of the potential powderkeg, and Joliffe must concoct a play that his own small troupe can perform to sway the hearts and minds of both simple London folk and those in control of the government. He does this part of the job very well indeed, but murder takes the lives of several in power and in the know and violence threatens the acting company itself. Whether Joliffe can spy and detect as well as he can write plays and then analyze the hysteria and deaths sufficiently to satisfy arguably the most powerful man in England is the question.

[Sumi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Play of Lords is the fourth book in the Joliffe series.

This time the troupe of players are in London as part of the entourage of Lord Lovell, their patron. What seems to be a wonderful opportunity to try their wings in the greatest city in all of England is made less wonderful after Lord Lovell sends them to perform a particular plays for the Bishop Beaufort.

Beaufort tasks them to write and perform a play for him and one doesn't refuse such a powerful man lightly. In no time though they can see that by doing so they've become embroiled in the political intrigues of the day because the Bishop is using their performances of the play and Joliffe's talents to further his own ends.

The story was light on actual mystery and much heavier on the very complex politics of the period. This is the stuff that's leading up to the War of the Roses after all and we all know what a mess that was.

The most important thing, though was that this was the pivotal moment in Joliffe's life, the major stepping stone in his evolution from mere player, as he was first introducted in "The Servant's Tale", to the spy/agent that he becomes later in life (read the Dame Frevisse series by the same author).

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book finds the players in better moods as their fortunes bettered under service to Lord Lovell and the need to scramble for dirt floors to sleep on became a thing of the past. Stomachs were also better satisfied as they found good shelter at Lovell's Inn in London for term of parliament. Danger was afoot for the company as Joliffe wrote plays requested by Bishop Beaufort in the midst of political plots to gain access to young King Henry VI as well as Italian plots to impact wool trade. Player Ellis was injured in attack as the troupe returned from one of their successful plays and Joliffe became important asset for the Bishop. Frazer's research was thorough. She is missed.

[Carole Moran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent novel featuring Joliffe and Basset's group of medieval players. This novel, however, focuses mainly on the policial scene in Europe in 1435, how that was closely aligned with the wool industry, which was a main source of wealth for many, and the impact of all of this on the ruling class in England. The actual solving of two murders is a rather small, anti-climatical part of the book.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best Joliffe mystery so far, as it gets into medieval history, of which I am fond. The tensions surrounding the young Henry VI, Bishop Beaufort, Gloucester, and York--since the Duke of Bedford's death--and the ill turns of the English war to maintain its rights over Normandy and France come into the story, while not detracting from the interesting lives of the troupe of players to which Joliffe belongs. A great read.

[Mary Munroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is more richly textured than the earlier books in this series, though my one regret is that there is not more of the mystery plays here. New characters and more of the powerful and interesting Beaufort add to the complexity and interest of the story. I also enjoy Joliffe's struggle with his curiosity, having some of the same. Here as in the other books, the mystery is there but it shares the center stage with rich characterization and action.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fine book

Margaret Frazer has given us another fine story set in the 1400s. There's more history in this one as "current events" are more integral to the plot than normal. Joliffe and the troop are raising in the world and in their art. If you have reached this point in the series, you know what quality to expect. If you are new to the series, start with the first volume. Not because this one couldn't stand alone, it can. But the series is more enjoyable in order.