Synopsis: The murder of a loyal king's man threatens the self-crowned King Henry's new regime in this second gripping medieval mystery featuring friar, sleuth and reluctant spy Brother Chandler.
January, 1400. The bowman strikes at night, slaying one of King Henry's loyal garrison men before melting back into the darkness. Was the murder the result of a personal quarrel? Or is it, as Henry's stepbrother, Swynford, fears, the start of an uprising against England's self-crowned king? Swynford orders Brother Chandler to investigate, before the spark of rebellion can set the whole country alight.
Friar, reluctant sleuth, and even more reluctant spy, Brother Chandler is a man with dark secrets and divided loyalties. To the murdered King Richard. To his paymaster, the usurper King Henry. And to beautiful, naive Mattie, a maid in the household of heretical poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who holds dangerous secrets of her own. Trusted by no one, Chandler must walk a tightrope of secrets and lies if he is to uncover the truth about the murder, while ensuring he - and the few people he cares about - stay alive.
This historical mystery set at the start of the reign of Henry IV of England, and follows on from The Hour of the Fox - so it is advisable to read the series in order.
This second Brother Chandler book opens fairly close to where the first finished - Brother Chandler is en route to Pontefract castle, in the entourage of Thomas Swynford. Richard II has been deposed by his cousin, Henry of Bolingbroke, who as assumed the throne as Henry IV. But "uneasy lies the head that wears a crown" - especially one that many feels is not rightfully his. Whilst at Pontefract, Chandler finds himself in the company of the deposed Richard, who is somewhat resigned to his fate even more so in light of a number of rebellions that set out to restore the monarch. Richard alive is a thorn in Henry's side - but how does one dispose of a monarch, even a deposed one, without questions being asked.
Finally, the deed is done, and the body of the dead monarch is being transported back to London for burial. His funeral cortege makes off at a slow pace, giving the population ample opportunity to view the corpse. But it is not an easy journey, as members of the escort are being targeted by a mysterious archer. Chandler is detailed to investigate by Swynford who is eager to produce a suspect (any suspect) and appease the wary new king.
Against this backdrop of rebellion and sedition, the character of Chaucer makes another appearance, as he is suspected of being the author of a number of heretical texts making the rounds. This part of the story is told in the first person narrative of Chaucer's maid, Mattie, who is given more of a role in this book than in the first.
There are three narratives being used to tell this story - we have the first person narrative of Mattie for Chaucer and his activities; we have the third person narrative for the bulk of the story; and added to this is the first person chronicle of Brother Chandler, who has decided to document (a true account of) events for posterity.
As I said, it is better to have read the first in the series as a number of characters make a return as does the prophecy theme. I would have preferred a bit more of an exploration of the roles of the spymasters, who I felt got the short end of the stick in this book. The ending, however, I found to be rather disappointing and has left me wondering what the author's intent is with the character of Brother Chandler. After reading both, I found myself liking the first one more than this second.
For further background on this series, read my review of The Hour of the Fox.
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