The Dance of Death (Roger the Chapman Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Kate Sedley (Author)

Book Description

Series: Roger the Chapman Mysteries | Publication Date: May 1, 2009

A Roger the Chapman Mystery - Roger the Chapman is far from pleased when the Spymaster General to the King commands him to accompany the beautiful but manipulative Eloise Gray on a special journey to Paris, pretending to be her husband. Roger guesses that the French king is making overtures to the Duke of Burgundy on behalf of the Dauphin a move which could wreck the relationship with Englands staunch ally and most important customer for her wool exports . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With the health of England's Edward IV in decline, potential successors jockey for position in Sedley's absorbing 18th Roger the Chapman mystery (after 2008's The Green Man). If allegations about the monarch's suspect parentage can be substantiated, then the duke of Gloucester would be the rightful heir. Timothy Plummer, the king's spymaster general, dispatches the reluctant Roger to France to find what evidence still exists on the matter. The preparations for the trip as well as the trip itself are marked by several murders, which may be the work of forces inimical to Gloucester's ambitions. Sedley does a fine job of making 15th-century England live and breathe as well as blending action and detection. Though most readers won't be surprised by the killer's identity and some may be dismayed by the abrupt ending, Sedley shows she can more than hold her own in comparison to better known medieval historical authors. (May)
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Review

Roger the Chapman has just returned from a dangerous mission in Scotland, and he's anxious to get home to his family. But before he can set off for Bristol and home, he's waylaid by the king's spymaster and commanded to undertake another mission. This time Roger is to go to France to determine if the Dauphin is planning to renege on his proposed betrothal to Princess Elizabeth and form an alliance instead with the Duke of Burgundy's daughter--a move that would threaten the fragile peace (and the lucrative trading partnership) between England and France. Roger is aghast--he doesn't speak French, he's tasked with finding an informant who is only described as "a former soldier living in Paris," and as part of his "disguise," he must pretend he's married to an attractive Englishwoman who will accompany him on his mission. To Roger, this seems to be a fool's mission, dangerous, difficult, and possibly even treasonous. Outstanding period detail, an intriguing plot, rollicking adventure, and well-drawn characters make this an entertaining new entry in Sedley's popular series. --Booklist, 1st July 2009

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 235 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers (May 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727867458
• ISBN-13: 978-0727867452
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #757,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars better than the last one..., September 26, 2009

By 

Leigh Long "mad matter" (Longwood, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dance of Death (Roger the Chapman Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This is the latest in the Roger the Chapman series and although I think is it better than the Green Man, the previous release in the series, this is still not up to the standard of the earlier books about Roger and his travels. The story itself is OK but I thought it wrapped up way too quickly at the end - it seems like the story goes on and then all the sudden you are 20 pages from the end and wonder how it will be solved with so few pages left...it wraps up too tidily for me, almost like Sedley got tired of the tale and just finished it to get it done.

I also think part of the problem in these last 2 books is that Roger has gotten away from his "roots" both literally and figuratively. In the earlier books, he traveled as a chapman, or pedlar (sic) based from his home in Bristol and so you witnessed the interplay between Roger and his wife, Adela, his neighbors and his ex-mother-in-law Margaret, who is also related to Adela. In the earlier books, you could feel for Roger - he is a simple working class medieval man and doesn't really want to be a spy, but his curious nature or "long nose" gets him into these situations. Roger was always a chapman and family man first, and being a spy was secondary.

The last 2 books have had Roger away from home traveling to Scotland in the Green Man and now to France in this latest release, but not as a chapman - he is solely a spy in these last 2 books, and so we have not had the "grounding" of Roger's family and base in Bristol. He does complain about not having been home for months, but Timothy Plummer of course convinces him he must do his duty to the Duke and the King. I think even Roger recognizes that he needs to be close to home & hearth and is weaker in spirit when he is so much away from Adela, hence his second time "straying" from his marriage vows in the Dance of Death.

I just think in the earlier books, it was easier for me to believe in Roger and identify with him as a simple chapman who is "put upon" by his circumstances, his customers, and his wife and family, and understand that he only works a spy due to his loyalties to the Duke, whom he feels a kinship with because they share a birthday. I really "felt" for Roger in the earlier books, but I just don't feel so much for him in these last two. I hope he gets to go home in the next one so he can get back to being Roger the Chapman and not so much Roger the Spy.