A Play of Treachery

Joliffe the Player #5

by Margaret Frazer

At the behest of his powerful patron, Joliffe journeys to France to act as a servant to the widowed duchess Jacquetta of Bedford - while actually training in spycraft. But when a member of the duchess's household is murdered, Joliffe learns just how dangerous secrets can be...

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Medieval, Historical, Fiction, Crime

325 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

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

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tempo has picked up in this series and now I am holding breath for the next book to arrive in my mailbox. This one took Joliffe out of England for the first time in his life, and it was far more interesting for him to leave the acting troupe and find himself in a royal household in Roen with a cast of very interesting characters - with murder to solve. He learns spycraft and warcraft and the need to utilize these new skills is required. In addition, this time period of 1436 was politically complex with England's hold on France being challenged. Good book!

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a few years since I left off with this series and forgot to go back. However, thanks to a blogger pal hosting a weekly post about books setting on our backlog at Carole's Random Life, this series was brought back to mind and I picked it up again.

I first fell in love with the Sister Frevisse mystery series set in 15th century England and then eventually picked up the spin-off series about a colorful and compelling side character, Joliffe, who helped Frevisse a few times in solving murders. Joliffe is part of a small company of actors and encounters his own murder mysteries along the way. He likes the freedom and the chance for variety and color in his life that staying put won't provide even if staying put might be a safer more lucrative option. He's quick, clever, skilled in his craft along with others and has great charm particularly when he has to get himself out of bad fixes.

In A Play of Treachery, Joliffe is called upon to pay a debt owed when his company of players received the help of a powerful man, Bishop Beaufort. He is to join the household of a recently widowed duchess in France and learn from a spymaster the craft while watching for trouble from the French within the duchess' household.

The story slowly paces along as Joliffe takes up his post and goes about obeying the directive. Deeply undercover, he is engaged in a play that is long term and promises all the excitement he could want and then some as the English hold Normandy and the French amass at the borders. Meanwhile, he feels the undercurrent of trouble inside the household that finally breaks.

Joliffe has the opportunity to be introspective in this one about 'home', his love for his traveling life even after being exposed to the luxury and comfort of a household, and the discovery that he might be good at spying, but he doesn't have a taste for the darker side.

I confess that I got impatient for the slow build to lead to the climax of the story, but I still enjoyed what I got. The medieval world the author paints through the eyes of someone of lower station yet clever- most times cleverer than his social betters- is fascinating. I like learning more about this time in history which is after Henry the V's Agincourt win, but just before the Tudors come on the scene.

The writing is great and the story of Joliffe's life as a player and now fledgling spy were the dominant aspects for me. The mystery kept my attention though it isn't introduced until late and held me riveted until the reveal.

Now, that I've reacquired my taste for the series, I'm ready to finish up the final two entries. I definitely recommend the series and the earlier series it spun from if the reader wants a vivid picture of medieval English life while getting slow-build clever mysteries.

[Pauline Calkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Joliffe has been sent (alone, without his fellow players) by his new paymaster Bishop Beaufort to Rouen to be instructed by the latter’s spymaster, Master Wydeville. No, not that Wydeville, but his father who had been the spymaster for the late Duke of Bedford. Joliffe is installed as a clerk in the household of the duke’s widow Jacquetta. Although he is not there as a player, he is playing a part, that of John Ripon—sharp-witted but not as smart or as deep as he thinks he is. He is to observe what is going on in the household while receiving arms training from a veteran of Agincourt living in Rouen. He soon becomes acquainted with the people who surround Jacquetta including Richard Wydeville—that Wydeville—and anyone familiar with the Wars of the Roses knows what Richard Wydeville and Jacquetta end up doing. Although their secret underlies the plot, it is not revealed until the end of the book.

Some interesting points are brought out in this book. First, the Duke’s marriage to Jacquetta is presented as something other (or at least more) than an older man’s wish to have a beautiful young girl warm his bed. Instead, it was a political decision by the duke to keep the sister of the Count of St. Pol out of the clutches of the Duke of Burgundy whom he sensed would soon betray his English ally. Second, Jacquetta is presented as a young, somewhat spoiled, headstrong girl who, nevertheless, remains calm and controlled when faced with the grisly murder of one of her ladies in waiting.

What doesn’t work is the plodding pace of this book. The murder doesn’t occur until the second half of the book—which is not a problem itself, but the book is just boring. Nothing much happens and the book expends far too much ink on Joliffe’s ruminations. Example: “Of course Guillemete might be lying to protect herself, not understanding it were better she and Alain could say where both were at the time Alizon died. Or she could be lying about ever meaning to meet Alain, her claim to have waited for him in the minstrels’ gallery false. Or Ydoine might be lying when she said M’dame had excused Alain from going with her.”. There are pages upon pages of this stuff. Really. In the end, Joliffe doesn’t really solve anything, the murderer revealing himself when he makes another attempt when Joliffe is present.

I mentioned at the end of my review of the previous book, A Play of Lords, that I didn’t much care for the direction that the series seemed to be taking, and this volume validates that concern. I liked reading about the relationships of the players and the preparations for the plays, but here the players are back in England, although there is one play performed. And I don’t much like Joliffe. I don’t actively dislike him, but he seems somewhat of a hollow man. He keeps ruminating (of course) about the choices he has made in life, and thinks to himself that he is happy with his life as a player, but says he wants more, whatever “more” is. Here, apparently, it is learning how to kill and avoid getting killed—and being at the beck and call of a lord. Does he miss being with the troupe? Sort of, but he doesn’t seem to miss the individuals—even though I did. The same way he doesn’t seem to miss the family he left behind when he abandoned the scholar’s life to become a player. He has a liaison with a woman but he doesn’t tell us anything about his feelings for her—he is far too busy contemplating his life choices and the possible solutions to the mystery.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifth in the Joliffe medieval mystery series revolving around an actor/writer turned spy for the Bishop Beaufort. This story takes place in Rouen, France in early 1436.


My Take
I loved how Frazer pulled the origins of the Woodville family into this story. Sigh...young love that began a dynasty. I also love the political scheming and its back-and-forth, but I do miss the banter between the players. Still, Joliffe does get to be a part of the doings of the high and mighty. He also begins to discover what he considers "home"; Joliffe is looking forward to finishing this assignment and getting back to his family of players.

Frazer really seems to know what what she's writing about in the culture, the dress, the manners, and the politics, let alone the architecture of buildings from great to small. If you enjoy medieval tales, you don't want to miss Frazer with her so-clever pen as she takes us back in time.

It's odd, I always think of New Zealand as having begun with the English and in this story, I find myself wondering just how this country did get its name when Zealand was a state on the west coast of Europe that was later absorbed into the Netherlands?

Joliffe gets to keep his hand in when he pens a psychomachia (medieval allegorical play) of Sins against Virtues---a true struggle as he must stay within his role as the timid, not-too-bright John Ripon. I must say, just "listening" to Joliffe thinking over all the possibilities was driving me mad. I kept waiting for him to get out some paper and write it all down just to keep it straight in his own head! It certainly makes me appreciate how cheap paper is today...let alone having a computer to cut-and-paste words.

I would like to read more about John, Duke of Bedford. He sounds as though he was quite the enlightened man for his time. Canny at politics and war and interested in education.


The Story
It's been a prosperous year and a good holiday season for the Lovell Players, partly due to that scheming Bishop Beaufort (see A Play of Lords ). Still, they are footless and fancy-free on the road. Until the peddler catches up with them. It seems the bishop is keeping the players under his eye and now he's calling in his marker for Joliffe's services.

Basset and company are reimbursed for losing Joliffe's services---for the next SIX months! For Joliffe is heading to Rouen in France to play secretary and learn how to be a spy as John Ripon, the widowed Lady Jacquetta's English secretary. Lessons in the various ways to kill a person, maps, and ciphers. Additional drama flares up with the young king's letters to Zealand inciting them to rebel while the murder of one of the court brings it all to a head.

Joliffe also causes respect to blossom on their part for his own skills in playing a role when he helps to rescue a hunted spy as well as his detecting abilities as he identifies spies on both sides, solves a murder that never needed it, and discovers a desperately hidden secret.


The Characters
Joliffe Southwell, a.k.a., John Ripon, the writer for Basset's troupe as well as an actor, has wandering feet and the role of a player has suited him right to the ground. However, Joliffe has always hankered after the knowing of things as well and when the Bishop provides the opportunity for Joliffe to explore more of the world, he grabs at it with just a touch of fear.

Master Richard Wydeville is Her Grace, the widowed Duchess of Bedford's chamberlain in Rouen. He is also Bishop Beaufort's spymaster there with orders to instruct Joliffe in the arts of spying. Pierres is one of his secretaries. Foulke is the primary guard for the duchess' suite of rooms. Sir Richard Wydeville is Master Richard's so-handsome son. Ivo is a man-at-arms in Wydeville's employ and teaches Joliffe the tricks of gaming and listening as well as a rough French. Tom Kechyn is another of Wydeville's spies. Joliffe's fellow clerks include George and Estienne Doguet.

Master Doncaster is a retired weaponsmaster who gives Joliffe all sorts of lessons. Perrette is also a spy with some useful tricks; she's teaching Joliffe ciphers as well as testing to see how well he does under pressure---ay-oh, is that what they call it in those days... Matilde and Jeanne are servants in Master Doncaster's house. Master Roussel is moving his family from Paris and in next door to keep them safe even as he returns to Paris to continue spying against the Armagnacs (the Dauphin's party).

Louys de Luxembourg, bishop of Therouanne, is sailing back to Normandy, his mission to mitigate the Duke of Burgundy's betrayal a failure. The bishop has some gentlemen in his train including clumsy James, the passionate and unthinking Alain Queton, Thierry, and Remon Durevis. Guillaume Cauvet is the bishop's English secretary and friendly with Joliffe.

Lady Jacquetta, the widowed Duchess of Bedford, has eight more months of mourning to sit through before she gets to have any fun. Well, that's what everyone else thinks anyway. She is also the bishop of Therouanne's niece, a member of the Luxembourg family who wishes to distance itself from Burgundy. The ladies of her court include Guillemete, Alizon, Ydoine, Michielle, Blanche, Isabelle, and Marie. M'dame is her chaperon whose intended purpose is to keep scandal from touching on the young widow and primarily results in suppressing any fun for the duchess' courtiers. Master Fouet is her choir master tasked with providing interesting entertainment that won't scandalize the countryside.

Bishop Beaufort is the bishop of Winchester and a bastard of John O'Gaunt making him uncle to the 14-year-old King Henry VI. Master Fowler is the bishop's secretary and spymaster.

The rest of the Lovell Players appear only in the beginning although they do appear throughout in Joliffe's heart: Basset, Rose, Piers, Ellis, and Gil.


The Cover
I do love Frazer's covers! They have that lovely, medieval feel. In this one, it's a mesh of masked revelers, a lady of the court, and townspeople in a Rouen street surrounded by timber-frame, multi-story buildings.

The title is accurate enough as Joliffe finds himself amidst a group of people playing at life as they betray each other, a real life Play of Treachery.

[Scot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fifth in this series by an author of fifteenth century mysteries good at giving cultural and social details of the historical context. In this one, Joliffe is sent to France, the city of Rouen, where he becomes immersed in the intrigues of the household of Lady Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford a beautiful and very wealthy young widow, niece of an influential bishop, who both the English and French forces would like to employ as an instrument in their struggles for enduring power in Normandy. Joliffe, while serving as a clerk, also is trained in the art of spying and information-gathering. The character Lady Jacquetta truly existed, and would later become the great-grandmother of Henry VIII.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Play of Treachery
Joliffe the Player #5
By Margaret Frazer
Reviewed February 13, 2024


At the end of the previous book in this series (which I am not reading in order), Joliffe agreed to become the Bishop of Winchester’s man. It is early months in the year 1436, and at the beginning of this story, Joliffe is summoned to the bishop’s residence, and from there is sent to Rouen. Ostensibly, he is to be a member of the Dowager Duchess of Bedford’s household there, but in reality he is to learn to art of spy craft from the bishop’s spy master in the Bedford household, Master Wydeville, the late duke of Bedford’s Chamberlain.

This story takes place near the end of the Hundred Years’ War, and tensions in Rouen are running high. England is losing its grip on its French holdings, won by the previous king, Henry V. His son, however, isn’t as good at statecraft. Incursions into English-held lands are happening more frequently, the Duke of Burgundy, once an ally of the English, has turned his coat and now supports the French, and no one knows who to trust as a grand game of spy vs spy seems to be going on at just about every level of society.

Joliffe assumes the guise of John Ripon, a disgraced clerk who’s being given a second chance. The character is a bit of a wimp, and Joliffe easily assumes the duties of Dowager Duchess Jacquetta’s English clerk. The tasks are not too onerous, and during his free time, Joliffe learns self-defense, ciphers, map reading, and other skills needed in his new job. He also makes friends with members of the duchess's inner circle by being able to entertain Jacquetta and her ladies with his reading.

As the story unfolds, tensions mount. Things become worse when one of Lady Jacquetta’s ladies is found murdered, and Joliffe learns the young woman had learned a secret that she was willing to pass on, but to whom? And what is this secret that is so dangerous that it has led to murder?

One of the things I liked most about this story was the author’s recreation of the lives of real people – Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Master Richard Wydeville (the late duke’s chamberlain), and his son, Sir Richard Wydeville. Because I am very familiar with these historical persons, the big reveal about “the secret” did not come as a surprise, but that didn’t detract from the entertaining way in which this part of the story was presented.

And if you’re not familiar with the Wars of the Roses, which will erupt a few years down the road, Jacquetta and Sir Richard will play important roles in that dynastic conflict. Just look up Elizabeth Wydeville, or as her surname is often spelled these days, Elizabeth Woodville.

I have only two complaints. One, and it’s a minor one, is that, as usual, Joliffe spends a lot of time ruminating. After a while, it can bog things down a bit. So when I find myself getting a little bored with Joliffe’s thought processes, I just skim those pages until I’m drawn back into the story. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen all that often, and as I said, it’s a minor issue.

The other is more serious, as in I only have one more Joliffe book to read, and I’ll be done with the series. I am not looking forward to that!

[Tom Godfrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing an historical mystery is a two-fold task, that the historical setting must be accurate and a genuine reality for the characters who inhabit the time frame, and that the mystery itself must be believably solvable by the characters given the forensic constraints. Margaret Frazer, an American, wrote two series set in 15th Century England, the Joliffe the Player books, of which Treachery is one, and the Dame Frevisse books, also very good. Joliffe is a member of a small troupe of travelling players, a fact that allows him to go anywhere unsuspected as an agent of the Bishop of Bedford. In this case, under an alias, he is sent to France pretending to be a disgraced member of the Bishop's staff. At this time, France and Normandy were still under England's rule, but their grip was fast fading. Spies were everywhere, and Joliffe's remit is to determine just who the spies are. This book is transitional in that his training in spycraft begins here, widening his scope of action in the following 15 books. All in all, an excellent example of the genre.

[Corrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

The fifth book is set in the winter of 1436, and takes Joliffe away from England for the first time in his life. On orders of his powerful patron Joliffe is placed in Rouen, France, as recently widowed duchess Jacquetta of Bedford’s servant. During his deep undercover mission he’s learning the spy trade.

I liked this one a lot. It had a different feel to it because Joliffe was away from his acting troupe and usual surroundings. The plot is slow to reveal but the historical setting was too interesting to let it bother me much.

5 Stars

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Joliffe is recruited to help with problems in Normandy he leaves his acting career behind but finds his skills will be utilized in his new position. He is working under Master Wydeville, trying to uncover who might be a spy for those opposed to the British presence there. He takes some classes in defensive and offensive fighting techniques hoping all the while that he will never have occasion to use them.
This was interesting because of the time period it is set in and how all the political forces played a part in the goings on in the recently widowed Jacquetta's household.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

We travel to Rouen, France with the actor Joliffe and the Bishop Louys staff, as Joliffe goes undercover for the Bishop of Beaufort. Joliffe serves as a secretary for the young widow of Duke of Bedford, while learning spy work, along with lessons in knife and sword play. As he tries to unravel who is friend and foe, a murder of one the young Duchess's maids occurs and now he has to figure out who and why. Complicated murder for a player undercover.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit slow in spots, but still wonderful

A worthy addition to the series. A totally different setting, a very different set of characters. But still a satisfying mystery. But I do hope that we eventually get back to the original. In any case, I'm overjoyed that I have more to enjoy.

[Karenbike Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery doesn't really start until page 200 when there is a murder. Then the plot slowly reveals who did it and why over the next 130 pages. It has nothing much to do with the politics going on at the time but the interest for me was the historical time period and that some of the characters are based on real people. Consistent plot and characters.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joliffe is sent to Rouen which, in 1436, is surrounded by the Hundred Years War. He is assigned to serve the recently widowed Jacquetta of Bedford, who has become a pawn between the rival factions trying to control her remarriage. Extracting Joliffe from the company of players offers a greater scope for plot ideas, but I missed his life as a player and the familiar members of his company.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very complicated, but interesting, piece of Joliffe’s history away from his troupe.
This book is a “ must read” for fans of this series and the Dame Frevisse series because it fills in alot of the “ blanks” about who Joliffe is.

[Vicki Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I particularly liked this book as a break from the standard murder mystery of the previous books. A change of setting to France, and focus from murder to spy made this a wonderful change. I’ve enjoyed all of this series, but this is my favorite despite a fairly slow pace.

[Susan Pola Staples · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread

[Mary Helene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immersed in a medieval world! I loved it.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joliffe is sent to France to train as a spy. The story is very well plotted but very poorly written. Lots of missing words and awkward phrasings.

[Kilian Metcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, Joliffe, I love you so. I'm so sorry that we will never learn more of your backstory, but I'm happy we have as much as we have.

Joliffe takes a big step from the small world of a traveling player into the greater world of politics at the highest level. The mighty ones have noticed his intelligence and abilities, and he is placed as a spy into the household of the Dowager Duchess of Bedford, the redoubtable Jaquetta. Married and widowed barely out of childhood, she is a woman alone in a world of greedy ambitious men. A survivor himself, Joliffe learns to admire her ability to make her way to reach what she wants.

The history goes down easy, woven as it is into the warp and woof of a cracking good mystery story. Joliffe learns the art of spy craft, discovers he doesn't like it much, especially the need to kill, and longs to return to the simple life of wandering player.

It's been a while since I read this book for the first time. I've learned so much about Jaquetta and her family and destiny since, that it is a delicious experience to see how cleverly Margaret Frazer tells her early story long before she is involved in even greater matters.

[annapi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joliffe the player's life takes an unexpected turn as the powerful Bishop Beaufort, whom he agreed to serve, sends him to France as a spy in the household of Duchess Jacquetta, the Duke of Bedford's widow. War is brewing and Paris may not hold. As well, Joliffe is to be trained in skills useful to a spy, and though he welcomes lessons in wrestling and defense, he is discomfited to be taught how to kill as well. When one of Lady Jacquetta's ladies in waiting is murdered, Joliffe must solve the mystery before scandal erupts and war overtakes them all.

Although I missed the presence of the other players, Joliffe's transformation into a real spy is no less fascinating than his previous adventures. As usual, Frazer steeps the reader in historical facts and figures, weaving her characters and story around them with her usual skill. And we can expect more, as the story ends with war about to erupt and Joliffe being sent into the thick of the turmoil for his next assignment. I'm getting antsy for the next book!

[Jobiska (Cindy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this next step in Joliffe's transition from full-time player to spy/agent. I did feel it moved somewhat slowly at first, but I know that was probably necessary to set the stage for his future ventures. In fact, I anticipated it, as this is a big departure from the stories of Joliffe solving murders while still serving as a player in his usual troupe, and I have seen enough tidbits of Joliffe's later life in the newer Frevisse books where she encounters him, so I knew the transitional work was necessary. I'll be sad if we never see Basset et al. again, but I anticipate that we will. I was intrigued by the inclusion of real-life character Jacquetta, enough to go research her a little more. I might want to read more fictionalized accounts of her life (as listed in Wikipedia)!.
Now I just have to wait sadly until a new Frevisse or Joliffe work shows up....

Now

[Patricia O'Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an actor with a traveling company, Joliffe has played many roles. But when the Bishop Beaufort asks him to play the spy, Joliffe knows his skills will be tested. The year is 1436 and young King Henry VI is trying to secure his French lands against the Dauphin Louis. Joliffe must play the role of a clerk in a French household loyal to King Henry while also training to be a spy under a weapons master. The role is not difficult and Joliffe finds himself enjoying the luxury of living in a chateau even though the war between France and England threatens all within. But the murder of a young noble woman throws the household into turmoil and it is up to Joliffe to find the murderer while protecting secrets that could change the course of the war. There is some information dump but A Play of Treachery is an enjoyable read for its likeable characters, historical accuracy and twisting plot.

[Edie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read the whole of the Chaucer-related series by Margaret Frazer, with the nuns. I loved them. And I read the first of these she has begun with the players. This one, though, if my very favorite 9so far as there are a couple others). Her descriptions of people and how they think and what they wonder about, about Joliffe and how he thinks about his place in the world -- of it had me thinking and nodding and wondering myself. Somehow she has been able, in this book, to use the language style she uses to ring true with me and my own thinkings. most excellent.

[Abra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read 5/1/13; re-read again 1/6/16; re-read again August 2017

This (and Frazer's A Boy's Tale, part of her Sister Frevisse series) is probably my favorite of Margaret Frazer's historical mysteries. The story of England's inexorable loss of French territories during Henry VI's reign is a fascinating background (as is medieval Rouen, in Normandy) to Joliffe the Player's training as a spy for the Bishop of Winchester. Both Joliffe and Frevisse are complex rounded characters, and I am still sad there will be no more stories of their lives.

[William Bradford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Towards the end of the book, as Joliffe is working on the final solution to the murder, he is described thus:
"Joliffe has rarely been satisfied with knowing the merely what of things. The why was what drew him, and mixed in with the why was always who".

This is a good nutshell statement of what makes Frazer's works so interesting. Not only are they historically fascinating, but they get deeply into the "why" of being human. Good at the first, this is one of the best at the latter.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit different than the first four books in the Joliffe the Player series, as Joliffe is separated from his troupe and sent as a spy to France for six months. Set in 1436 when tensions were high between England and France with the Duke of Burgundy switching his allegiance from England to France.

Great suspense, though a bit repetitive as Joliffe mulls over the options of who did what when and why.

[Martha Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this paperback (2009) by chance and I just loved it! Right now, there is nothing as good as inhabiting Joliffe's world; he is an actor learning to be a spy in 1436. He's surrounded by historical figures and in fact saves the life of King Henry VIII's great grandmother at the end of this novel. This little gem of a book plays with ideas of acting & dissembling and whether they lead to lying & spying. If you want a cozy and well researched medieval mystery, this will more than serve.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like every time I finish a Margaret Frazer book, I'm anxious for the next one. This one is no exception. It's a good spy story and a good murder mystery, although the murder comes rather late in the book. It's very enjoyable and I'm looking forward to see where Joliffe's adventures take him next!

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was too slow and confusing with the politics between England and France. I felt like this book spent too much time building up the scene and not enough with an actual mystery . . . although that could be my fault that I expected a mystery. The actual murder didn't occur until you were 80% finished with the book! I won't be pursuing any more of the Joliffe series.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joliffe has his debt called in by the bishop, and is sent to Rouen to spy for him. I was interested in the medieval French (or, rather, Norman) setting and the mystery is a good one, although, like Joliffe, I missed the troupe of players with whom he usually keeps company. Also, the story ends in a sort of cliffhanger that isn't resolved. But it's a fine entry in this series.