Midsummer Rose -Lib -Op/045 [Library Binding]

Kate Sedley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

The thirteenth in the Roger the Chapman series
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 . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Roger the Chapman finds himself caught in a summer storm as he returns from a trip. He takes refuge in an old house that was once a murder scene and is lucky to escape alive. When he regains consciousness at home, no one believes his story. Although his reputation for nosiness often gets him in trouble, he decides to satisfy his curiosity by investigating. None of Bristol's citizens admit to hearing about anything strange happening in the old house, but Roger continues his search. What he learns about the strange house, the people of Bristol, and the political intrigue of the day surprises him. There are many good citizens who have a great deal to hide. Sedley evokes the bustling atmosphere of a medieval market town well, and Roger the Chapman and his family are energetic and engaging characters. Fans of medieval mysteries need to know about this series. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Kate Sedley, a student of Anglo-Saxon and medieval history, lives in England. She is married and has a son, a daughter, and three grandchildren. "The Saint John's Fern" is the ninth novel in her critically acclaimed series featuring Roger the Chapman.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 256 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 072786078X
• ISBN-13: 978-0727860781
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,292,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! This novel will win Kate Sedley well deserved new fans, August 30, 2004

By 

D. F. Curran "dfcurran" (Missoula, MT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Midsummer Rose -Lib -Op/045 (Library Binding)

1. This book is a page turner--even if you are not yet a Roger the Chapman fan.

2. If you are a diehard fan and have read all the Roger books--this one is a wonderful surprise. We still have Roger and his fascinating world, but Sedley seems to have transcended to a higher level. The book is intriguing from the first page. And we do not find ourselves solving the mystery long before Roger and wishing he'd hurry and catch up.

3. Yes, you really should read the books in order. As many characters in this book have a history with Roger that will make the reading all that much more enjoyable.

4. And I eagerly await the next novel in this series.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Midsummer Rose' is a flower of delight and intrigue!, March 24, 2005

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Midsummer Rose -Lib -Op/045 (Library Binding)

"Midsummer Rose" is Kate Sedley's latest Roger the Chapman adventure. This time, though, Roger is not out on the road but spends this episode in great involvement at home with his family in Bristol.

But it's not all peace and quite for our genial (and "nosey") peddlar in medieval England. Early on, in seeking shelter from an early storm in what is supposed to be an abandoned house, Roger finds himself assaulted, knocked out, and the awakens to be witness to a murder. His assailants then unceremoniously dumps him into the river, where, mercifully, he is rescued before he drowns.

However, bless his heart, no one believes his story of his life-threatening assault, much less the story of witnessing a murder. His friends, family, and other acquaintances dismiss these stories as rantings from a mind damaged by either an accident or drunkenness (neither is true, of course!). Thus begins a compelling story by Sedley, probably one of the best of this series. Roger, not content to let sleeping dogs lie, begins to nose around and as usual meets up with the "usual" complications. This time, however, the obstacles come from a larger source--the investigation soon becomes clear that national and international interests of royal nature are involved here and Roger is quickly warned to stay away. But our intrepid Roger doesn't, of course, and all the political and social machinations of the time come into focus and once more Roger saves the day (and a few crowns).

"Midsummer Rose" is a fast-paced, fun read, with all kinds of intrigue, love interests, comic relief, and, of course, murder. Sedley's ability to capture the time and flavor in convincing historical detail is also a major factor in the series' success.

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Twist for Roger the Chapman, June 16, 2008

By 

J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midsummer Rose -Lib -Op/045 (Library Binding)

Kate Sedley's books featuring Roger the Chapman have gained in popularity over the years since the first book, Death and the Chapman was written seventeen long years ago in 1991. The character of Roger has blossomed over the space of a dozen or so books and the life of the monk, turned Chapman has taken many twists and turns, not least the fact that he has become a tried and trusted servant of Richard Duke of Gloucester and as such has solved many a mystery and been party to several bouts of subterfuge on behalf of his Royal patron.

In theory the author's books are best read in sequence to get the feel of Roger's growing involvement with the Duke and his associates, an involvement that Roger is not particularly happy about. However in practice reading a series of books in sequence very rarely happens and the books can be read as stand alone stories without any problem.

In virtually all of the books, Roger is out on the road plying his trade as a pedlar. Stopping at villages and the larger country houses to sell his wares of coloured threads, needles, fine gloves etc. to the lady of the house. But in this particular story he never strays from Bristol and the bosom of the family he loves dearly but also with a feeling of selfishness leaves on a regular basis to ply his trade.

In a time when tales of ghosts, ghouls and witches are prevalent, Roger has a more level headed approach to the stories that abound about such things, that is until he is caught in a storm and seeks shelter in an abandoned house, a house in which it is said that a wife murdered her violent husband many years ago. Roger finds himself the victim of an attack when he is knocked senseless and comes around in time to witness a murder. Roger soon realises that his assailants are flesh and blood and certainly not ghosts when they carry him out and throw him into the river, from which he is gratefully rescued.

The problem that Roger has is that no one believes the story of his assault, much less the murder he saw take place, putting his story down to an accidental fall or too much strong drink. Much to his dismay even his own family doubt his story. Roger's fertile mind is determined to get to the bottom of what has happened but as he begins to investigate it soon becomes clear that the interests of people in high places are being compromised and Roger is warned in no uncertain terms to stay well clear, but will Roger take heed of these instructions . . .