The Colour of Sin

Sebastian Foxley Medieval Mystery #9

by Toni Mount

Come with Seb Foxley, Rose and their enigmatic friend Kit, a priest with a shadowy past, as they join a diverse group of pilgrims on what should be an uplifting spiritual journey to Canterbury Cathedral.

Beset by natural disasters and unexplained deaths, the dangers become apparent. Encountering outlaws and a fearsome black cat, every step is fraught with peril.

Amidst the chaos, Seb finds himself grappling with the mysteries surrounding him, as well as his own demons, while Rose's reunion with her family sets off a chain of events with unforeseen consequences.

But the greatest threat lies in the shadows, where sinister forces unleash evil upon the unsuspecting pilgrims. In a world where trust is a scarce commodity and even allies may harbour dark intentions, Seb must uncover the truth and protect his fellow travellers.

Prepare to be enthralled by a tale of betrayal, intrigue and redemption as Seb Foxley races against time to unravel the malevolent secrets hidden within the heart of the pilgrimage. Who can you trust when even friends prove false?

Praise for Toni Mount's Sebastian Foxley Medieval Murder Mystery Series
"An evocative masterclass in storytelling." - Tony Riches, author of The Tudor Trilogy
"It’s superb. What a plot. What characters" - Carol McGrath, author of the She-wolves trilogy
"Toni mount gives you a real sense of actually being there"
"an excellent mystery, with multi-layers of plot"
"Much better than the average period detective story."
"Toni Mount brings characters leaping off the page… plots that twist and turn, I am in heaven when reading her books"

362 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 28, 2024

About the author

Toni Mount is a writer, teacher and speaker, specialising in ordinary lives and fascinating characters from history. She has an MA by Research from the University of Kent. Diplomas in European Humanities, Literature and Creative Writing and a first class honours degree from the Open University.

Reviews

[Pauline Calkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

When his brother Jude was gravely injured and on the brink of death, Seb Foxley prayed, vowing that if the Lord spared Jude’s life he would undertake a pilgrimage. Now, with Jude no longer in danger (but crippled and as irascible as ever), Seb plans to fulfill his oath to undertake a pilgrimage to Canterbury with his wife Rose and his two young children. A new friend, Father Christian, a local parish priest invites himself along. These six (we mustn’t forget Seb’s faithful hound Gawain) begin the pilgrimage at Tabard’s Inn, where Chaucer’s pilgrims also met, and so Seb Foxley’s Canterbury Tale begins.

Seb’s fellow pilgrims are a diverse lot, with various motives for undertaking the pilgrimage. The young and flamboyant Warenne twins are there simply because their father threatened to disinherit them if they did not. And Father Christian, who wants to be called just plain “Kit,” may be impressive in leading them in prayer, but doesn’t seem to be particularly pious. During their journey Seb begins to question whether Kit really is what he says he is. Not long after the journey begins one of their number suddenly dies. Everyone but Seb thinks the pilgrim’s death is due to natural causes. However, when a series of near fatal “accidents” follows, Seb is proved right—someone is seeking to murder one (or more) of the pilgrims.

The murder plot line may be fairly easy to figure out, but don’t get cocky because some political intrigue is deftly added to the mix. And as per usual in any of Seb’s adventures, there has to be some family problems. In this case, it is Rose’s family—a father who disowned her and his journeyman (and best drinking buddy) who raped and impregnated her. Seb’s “dearest” Rose emerges as a self-confident and resourceful woman. We learn something about Seb as well—he is subject to an irrational belief that one of the pilgrims, an old woman, is a witch and that her cat is her “fellow.” With attractive characters (and some not so appealing) and the rich evocation of time and place (unsurprising given the author’s knowledge of the period), this is an enjoyable and well written addition to the series.

[Mrs Mary A Gaze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent read

A very enjoyable book, as have all the previous books in this series. A book you don't want to put down until the end

[Rosie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so love this series of books I love the main character Sebastian Foley if you love historical fiction then you will adore these

[09/01 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant tale

Seb and his family set off on a pilgrimage to Canterbury, along with a collection of strange bedfellows.All sorts of scrapes and mishaps occur on the way.Plenty of bodies and mysterious events. Toni Mount weaves a fascinating tale, full of historical interest, brilliantly told.

[Heidi Malagisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The year is 1480 and King Edward IV sits firmly on the throne, yet the Lancasterian threat lurks in the shadow. Things have taken a drastic turn for Sebastian Foxley’s workshop and his family. It has been months since a fire destroyed the Foxley home and workshop, which also left his brother Jude injured. Seb has decided now would be the perfect time to go on a pilgrimage to Canterbury to pray at the shrine of St Thomas Becket. The pilgrimage had its perils on paper before even setting out on the road. What terrors await Seb and his monty crew of pilgrims and can they survive the trip? Toni Mount’s twelfth Sebastian Foxley Medieval Murder, “The Colour of Sin,” takes our hero on a journey beyond the streets of his beloved London into a wider world full of intrigue.

I would like to thank Toni Mount for sending me a copy of her latest novel. I have enjoyed the previous Sebastian Foxley novels that I have read, so when I heard about the latest novel, I knew I wanted to read it, even though I did not read the novel, “The Colour of Bone” before jumping into this one.

Mount begins her latest Foxley mystery in the middle of October 1480. The Foxley home is being rebuilt while Seb and Jude are not on cordial terms after the accident a few months ago. Seb has decided that now would be the appropriate time to do the one thing that he promised God he would do if Jude was able to recover; to go on a pilgrimage to Canterbury and pray for Jude at the shrine of St Thomas Becket. When Seb’s beloved Rose finds out about his scheme, she accompanies her husband and their two young children, Dickon and Julia. It was going to be a simple family pilgrimage, until Father Christian, known as Kit, tags along and helps with the children.

Like every good pilgrimage, you need a group of people to make it a success, so Seb, Rose, and Kit are joined by the guide Tanner, the Warenne twins Troilus and Tristan, and Mother Thorogood and her black cat. Seb thought that this pilgrimage would be sort of a vacation and would go as smoothly as it is written in his book. However, the journey is more treacherous than what Seb had planned as there are natural disasters, rogues, kidnappings, and plenty of plots. Even on the road, Sebastian Foxley must battle intrigue and murder plots while dealing with family drama and keeping the ones he cares for alive far from home.

This was yet another fun and intriguing medieval murder mystery that follows Sebastian Foxley and his ever-expanding household. There were so many different story strings, but Mount tied them up neatly in a bow with a dose of political intrigue, religious piety, and drama filled with love and anger. I found this a pleasurable read and I look forward to the next novel in this series. If you are a fan of the Sebastian Foxley Medieval Murder Mystery series, I would suggest you read the latest installment, “The Colour of Sin” by Toni Mount.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always a pleasure to spend time with Seb Foxley and his friends and family, and this 12th novel in the series was no different.
There were lots of historical details regarding the pilgrimage to Canterbury undertaken by Seb and fellow pilgrims, which I very much enjoyed. However I did not think the mystery was the strongest. I felt as if I was waiting for it to begin, and then it was done. I did not feel the spoiler prologue helped, taking away the suspense of which pilgrim was endangered, and also making the reader immediately privy to the true target when one of the group died unexpectedly. Father Kit remained somewhat enigmatic to the end,; will his story have implications in future novels?
It was good to see Rose outside her usual domestic confines, growing in confidence, and reconnecting with her family in Canterbury - another storyline which felt a little unfinished, making me wonder if that will be revisited too.
I cannot fault the research and attention to detail of Toni Mount, and overall found this an enjoyable read.

[Maya Ch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toni Mount “The colour of sin”

And again, no peace for Seb Foxley...
He decides to go on the pilgrimage to Canterbury to pray for his brother’s recovery. At a time his house is being renovated and basically, becomes a building site, uninhabitable for family. As well, entire family goes with Seb, subjected to multiple adventures along the road there and back.
Quite unusual story , since no fellow Londoners would participate in the adventures, no bailiff Taddeus, no Duke of Gloucester, no close neighbors. We get almost entirely new set of personages, acquired while traveling, vivid and lively and a lot of opportunities of something going amiss and requiring Seb’s sleuthing skills.

Toni Mount, having done enormous research of everyday life in medieval England, expands our knowledge of how people travelled, what they would expect on the way, how they found bed and board in unknown places. Surprisingly, there were already travel guides - books, describing possible sightseeing and places to eat and stay as well as people, able to guide group of travellers.

[K.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the whole series. Sebastian reminded me a LOT of the father from Swiss Family Robinson though🤣 The characters were all well developed, even the obnoxious ones. I found myself often frustrated on Sebs behalf, with the way he was treated, but also frustrated BY him with his constantly upright stance on morality, though I suppose this is exactly how a god-fearing man of the middle ages would have been expected to behave. The background drew me in and all the mysteries were well crafted. Loved the attention to detail, whether historical, food related or about the craft of illumination and manufacture of medieval books and artwork. Sorry it took me so long to get to this series, but devoured the whole lot in about 4 days