A Roger the Chapman Mystery

10 primary works

The Goldsmith's Daughter

by Kate Sedley

Published 27 April 2001

King Edward IV trembles as he decides the fate of his sibling. And Richard, Duke of Gloucester, plots, trying to find a way to save George from being put to death by their eldest - and powerful - brother, the King. So when the Duke sees his old and loyal servant, monk-turned-travelling salesman Roger the Chapman, among the crowd at the trial he recognises that he has a chance. If only the chapman-sleuth could prove that the kinswoman of the King's favourite leman hadn't poisoned her taciturn husband. If Isolda Bonifant, the daughter of a well-established London goldsmith, were innocent and her name cleared, then Edward's chief mistress - cousin of the accused Isolda - would be more than willing to do the wily Duke's bidding. But Roger the Chapman must act fast and, in a complex case like this one and with the pressure of Richard of Gloucester upon him, he can't simply rely on his intuition.

The Lammas Feast

by Kate Sedley

Published 28 June 2002

The eleventh in the highly acclaimed Roger the Chapman series It's July 1478, and business is good for Bristol's bakers during the lead up to Lammastide - 'Loaf-mass', the ancient harvest festival. But the shady Jasper Fairbrother's baking days are over when he's found face down with a knife in his back. Suspicion immediately falls on the mysterious Breton who'd arrived that day and had been seen having an argument with Fairbrother. But when it emerges that the Breton is also a suspected Lancastrian spy, Roger the Chapman wonders if suspicion of murder is merely a convenient pretext for the authorities to hunt down the Breton. True, there is no reason for Roger to take an interest in the case, and should he when he ought to be peddling his wares to provide for his new baby boy? But his curiosity and sense of justice is piqued - and before he finds out who murdered the baker, he is to become more than a little personally involved as some of the things nearest and dearest to his heart come under threat.

Nine Men Dancing

by Kate Sedley

Published 25 April 2003

The twelfth in the highly acclaimed Roger the Chapman series 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.

The Midsummer Rose

by Kate Sedley

Published 26 March 2004

Roger the Chapman is not a superstitious man.

He hears stories of murders and haunted houses around the market town of Bristol, and chooses to believe the more prosaic explanation every time. But when Roger is himself attacked in the very house where a woman murdered her violent husband thirty years previously, he is forced to admit that something strange is going on - particularly when everybody he encounters in the town denies seeing or hearing anything untoward in the notorious house that stormy night. And when his own wife refuses to believe his story, he starts to worry that he is losing his mind.

An indignant - and instinctively curious - Roger puts his detective skills into action once again to find out who made the attempt on his life. He soon learns more and more about the strange old house and about the people of the market town of Bristol, some of whom have much more to hide than he would ever have believed.

The Burgundian's Tale

by Kate Sedley

Published 10 February 2005

Things aren't going too well at home for Roger the Chapman and his wife, Adela.

Their fourth child has died only days after being born and Roger fails to conceal his feelings of relief at having one less mouth to feed. Adela naturally resents his attitude and their bitter arguments become increasingly commonplace. Roger decides that to maintain harmony at home the best thing he can do is take up his pack and cudgel and once again leave Bristol to trade his goods in the surrounding countryside.

Almost as soon as he makes this decision, he receives a message from King Edward IV's brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, summoning him to London to assist in the investigation into the murder of Fulk Quantrell, the son of one of the ladies-in-waiting to Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy, who is on a triumphant return visit to London. It seems Roger has no choice but to return to the dirty, crowded streets of London, where he soon meets a surprising number of people - royalty, servants and workers alike - who all have a motive for murder.

The Prodigal Son

by Kate Sedley

Published 16 December 2005

The latest title in the acclaimed Roger the Chapman series

When Roger the Chapman discovers he has a hitherto unknown half-brother, he has mixed feelings about the matter. But when John Wedmore is accused of being the young page who, six years earlier, robbed his mistress and murdered a fellow servant, and is thrown into prison, Roger feels obliged to investigate the charge. His enquiries take him into Somerset, to the Manor House at Croxcombe, home of the Bellknapp family.

But his search for the truth is complicated by the sudden and unexpected arrival of Anthony Bellknapp, the elder son - missing, presumed dead for the past eight years - to claim his inheritance. Anthony succeeds in antagonising almost all the Manor's inhabitants; and when he is murdered, Roger finds himself with too many suspects from which to choose. But he is convinced that the past and present killings are linked; and if he can prove the connection, his half-brother's name will be cleared.

The Three Kings of Cologne

by Kate Sedley

Published 7 December 2006

Alderman John Foster wishes to give his home city of Bristol a gift of almshouses, together with a chapel dedicated to The Three Kings of Cologne. To this end, he purchases a piece of land from the Magdalen Nunnery, but when this is cleared and dug over, the murdered body of a young woman is unearthed. This is later identified as the remains of Isabella Linkinhorne, who disappeared twenty years earlier. It was known at the time that she had three secret lovers. John Foster employs Roger the Chapman to discover the identity of these men, and to find out which one of them killed Isabella. Faced with the almost impossible task of tracking down three people of whom he knows next to nothing, Roger nicknames them Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior after the Magi - the Three Kings of Cologne...

The Green Man

by Kate Sedley

Published 3 January 2008

The Tintern Treasure

by Kate Sedley

Published 7 March 2012

In the autumn of 1483, Roger goes on an errand of mercy to Hereford, where he gets caught up in the Duke of Buckingham's rebellion against the new king, Richard III.

Taking refuge in Tintern Abbey, Roger learns of an ancient hiding-place linked to events of over a century and a half ago. But on his return to Bristol, a murder and a series of house robberies lead him to the eventual discovery of the fabulous treasure stolen from the abbey on the night he was there.

It also means danger, not only for himself, but a member of his family.

The Christmas Wassail

by Kate Sedley

Published 1 January 2013

A Roger the Chapman mystery

Christmas, 1483: Roger the Chapman is looking forward to twelve days of peace and celebration with his wife and children in Bristol. The family is particularly excited by the arrival of a troupe of mummers, who will perform their plays in the outer ward of the castle throughout the festival. But the gruesome murders of two of the town's most prominent and venerable citizens, both veterans of the French wars, scupper Roger's hopes as he is gradually drawn into the hunt for the killer.

Once again, Roger finds himself in grave danger, but it is someone else who pays the price of his inability to keep his nose out of matters that do not concern him . . .