Death and the Chapman: A totally gripping historical crime thriller

by Kate Sedley

One man's disappearance is another man's destiny... The birth of a new medieval detective.

The political situation in 1471 is complex and the war between the Yorkist and Lancastrian factions rages on. But for Roger the Chapman, who has recently given up a monk's cell for freedom to be found peddling his wares on the open road, life goes on much as normal.

Until, that is, he gets caught up in the strange disappearance of Clement Weaver, only son of a wealthy Bristol alderman. It seems that Clement is not the only one to have vanished without a trace from London's Crossed Hands Inn...

Roger's interest is piqued and at the request of the alderman he sets off for the bustle and excitement of London, to find out just how Clement disappeared. It is a journey that carries him to a confrontation with the highest power in the land, and puts his life in mortal peril.

The first of the gripping Roger the Chapman mysteries, the memoirs of an insatiably curious ex-monk who seeks out justice for the victims of medieval miscreants, ideal for fans of Graham Brack and Paul Doherty.

226 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 16, 2021

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

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death and the Chapmanthis is the first book in the series. The series involving Roger the Chapman has been around for many years but this is the first one I have read. You quickly learn that a Chapman is the term for a itenarant peddler. Written in the first person, Roger is now on old man and is looking back on his life. He entered a monastery but knew (before taking orders) that the monastic life was not for him. The is set in 14th century and in multiple locations throughout England.