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The Goldsmith's Daughter
Kate Sedley
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
Kate Sedley
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.
The Christmas Wassail
Kate Sedley
A Roger the Chapman mysteryChristmas, 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 . . .
The Burgundian's Tale
Kate Sedley
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.
Nine Men Dancing
Kate Sedley
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.
Midsummer Rose
Kate Sedley
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 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 . . .
Backlash
Sally Spencer
The fourth book in the acclaimed new series featuring DCI Monika Paniatowski.
DCI Monika Paniatowski has a bitter personal history with Chief Superintendent Kershaw, but that is not the only reason she doesn't want the investigation into the sudden disappearance of his wife, Elaine, landing on her desk. A young prostitute, Grace Meade, has also disappeared, and yet all resources are being channelled into Elaine's case alone. Monika determines to spend time finding Grace, but when a heavily mutilated body is discovered on the moors, it begins to look as if she has made the wrong decision . . .
Blackstone and the Great War
Sally Spencer
The new Inspector Sam Blackstone mystery . . .
France, World War One. Inspector Blackstone thought he was done with army, but when a general he served with requests he investigate the brutal murder of his grandson - a young British officer in the trenches - Blackstone feels he can't say no. Surrounded by young men over half his age, Blackstone must face the horror of modern warfare, and the prejudices of the officer class, if he is to gain justice for the murdered man.
Fatal Quest
Sally Spencer
After the dramatic events in Dying Fall, Woodend reminisces on his long career in a brand new story...
'You should have worked out by now that nobody wants this case solved!' These words, delivered by Eddie, a Liverpool thug brought down to London especially to put the frighteners on him, send a shiver down newly-promoted DS Charlie Woodend's spine. Because Eddie is right. Nobody does seem interested in bringing the killer of sixteen-year-old Pearl Jones to justice. Not DCI Bentley, Woodend's immediate boss. Not Deputy Commissioner Naylor, whose word is law in Scotland Yard. Not even the dead girl's mother herself. But Woodend cares. Working alone - sifting through the rubble of bombed-out post-war London and building up a picture of a life cut short - he is assailed by a growing anger and a deepening sorrow. He will find the murderer, he promises himself, even if that means putting his career - and perhaps even his own life - on the line.
Blackstone and The Endgame
Sally Spencer
Set-up and on the run for his life, Inspector Sam Blackstone must uncover the truth before he is convicted for murder
December, 1916. Inspector Sam Blackstone is suspicious when he is called to the office of Superintendent Brigham - the new head of special branch - and confused that Brigham seems to want to see him as little as Sam himself wishes to be there. An already stranger situation grows more strange when Sam discovers what he's there for: a German traitor wants £25,000 in exchange for secret intelligence on U-boat locations, and 'Max' has specifically asked for Blackstone to be the one to deliver the money - alone.
Blackstone, and his sergeant, Archie Patterson, are certain there's more to it than that, but Blackstone can't turn down the job - if he doesn't do it, some other poor fool will have to. But that is little comfort when, as suspected, it all goes wrong, and Blackstone finds himself on the run from his own colleagues, with Patterson languishing in a cell, looking at a twenty year stretch, if he's lucky . . .
