Saint John's Fern Pb (A Roger the Chapman Medieval Mystery) [Paperback]

Kate Sedley (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Roger the Chapman Medieval Mystery | Publication Date: July 6, 2000

It is October 1477 and Roger the Chapman is surprised to find himself feeling restless again. He is driven towards Plymouth, and on arrival is confronted by the brutal murder of a wealthy old man. The chief suspect has completely vanished and Roger is on the trail.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British author Sedley (The Weaver's Inheritance; The Goldsmith's Daughter; etc.) offers a vivid picture of day-to-day life and politics in 15th-century England in her latest mystery featuring her peripatetic peddler and part-time sleuth, Roger the Chapman. Despite being recently and happily married to his second wife, Adela, Roger feels his old, familiar restlessness and sets off in October of 1477 for Plymouth, where he learns of the murder of Oliver Capstick, an elderly recluse "bludgeoned to death in his bed." Master Capstick, a wealthy tradesman, held the purse strings for a profligate great-nephew, Beric Gifford, who is the prime suspect because of his fiery temper and his refusal to marry his uncles choice. Beric seems to have disappeared after eating the leaves of the Saint John's fern, which certain superstitious souls believe made him invisible. Reports of Beric's being spotted pique Roger's curiosity and prompt him to investigate. Complications ensue when Roger becomes the scapegoat for a second murder and he must help exonerate one of his new friends. A great, black brute of a horse, a swineherd and his mettlesome, obstinate pigs loom large in his wanderings, while a signet ring and a velvet hat provide important clues. A well-laid if drawn-out plot builds to a logical if incongruous ending that should please the faithful and even win a few new converts.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Unable to resist the lure of the open road, recently married itinerant peddler Roger Chapman sets off for Plymouth to market his wares. Before long, Roger finds himself involved in investigating the brutal murder of a prominent local businessman. Since the primary suspect has apparently vanished without a trace, the neighbors are convinced that witchcraft is involved. Though possessing a healthy respect for native superstitions, Roger decides to pursue a more straightforward course. Utilizing his considerable skills of detection, he uncovers an unsavory plot hatched by a sister involved in an illicit relationship to frame her brother for the murder of their uncle. Another intelligent installment in a superbly crafted series of medieval mysteries that rival the best of Ellis Peters. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Headline Paperbacks (July 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074726810X
• ISBN-13: 978-0747268109
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,160,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a chilling and haunting tale, August 22, 2002

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Saint John's Fern: A Roger the Chapman Medieval Mystery (Hardcover)

For me, "The Saint John's Fern" turned out to be one of better Roger the Chapman mystery novels. The atmosphere was chilling and haunting and the murder mystery a gripping and intriguing one. However, I will own that I'm biased as Kate Sedley's Roger the Chapman mystery series is one of my all time favourites, and is always an auto-buy for me (I actually fork out for the expensive British Hardcovers).

Newly married to Adela (his first wife's cousin) and basking in the glow of his newly merged family (that includes Adela's young son, his own daughter, and his mother-in-law from his first marriage), one would think that Roger the Chapman would be content never to leave his new home at Lewin's Mead in Bristol. However it isn't too long before Roger feels the pull to travel (much to his mother-in-law's disappointment and chagrin). Fortunately for Roger, Adela understands her husband completely, and refuses to stand in his way. For Roger has one talent: the ability to solve knotty problems (i.e. apparently unsolvable murders). And Roger (who happens to be an ex-Benedictine novitiate) feels strongly that it is God who directs him to travel to wherever there is a wrong that needs to be put right, or a murderer brought to justice. And this time God (and his feet) sends him to Plymouth, where happenstance takes him to Bilbury Street, where Roger learns a particularly vicious murder took place a few months ago.

Five months ago, retired and wealthy fisherman, Oliver Capstick was brutally bludgeoned to death (while he slept) by his young grandnephew, Beric Gifford. Beric (and his older sister Berenice) happen to be Master Capstick's only surviving relatives, as well as his heirs. But they are also quite poor and quite dependent on the old man. And when Master Capstick tries to arrange a match for Beric with a glassmaking heiress, all hell breaks loose. For Beric happens to be in love with his sister's lady's maid, Katherine Glover, and he refuses to countenance the match his granduncle is proposing. The two have an angry and ugly falling out, with Master Capstick threatening to make Berenice his sole heir. And on the morning following this altercation, it is alleged that Beric rode over to his uncle's house and beat him to death while he slept. That Beric is guilty of the crime is not the issue -- far too many people saw him leaving the house mere minutes before the hue and cry was raised. No, the chilling bit deals with the posse's inability to apprehend Beric, and his quick disappearance from the scene of the crime. Many people believe that Beric ate an herb known as Saint John's Fern, and herb that is able (or so people claim) to render the consumer invisible. Roger, however refuses to believe in this supernatural explanation, and is sure that there is a logical explanation as to why Beric has not been found yet. And confident that that is the reason why he is in Plymouth, Roger begins his investigation, gently questioning witnesses, trying to figure out where Beric Gifford is hiding and uncover the secrets that the Gifford family is hiding.

This latest Roger the Chapman installment turned out to be a rather chilling and haunting one. (Esp haunting were the bits where Roger was sure that he was being stalked by the murderous and seemingly invisible Beric). And while it did take a while for the mystery to unfold, the story proved to be such a perplexing and intriguing one that I didn't really notice this 'flaw.' Adding to the ambiance of the novel is Kate Sedley's excellent depiction of the everyday life of the common folk in the fiftenth century -- their hardships, they generosity and their clannishness. "The Saint John's Fern" proved to be an excellent and entirely engrossing read. Not only was the mystery a puzzling and involving one, but Kate Sedley had also strewn clues all over the place so that the reader will also be able to solve the mystery along with Roger. And that made reading "The Saint John's Fern" a lot of fun as well.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Roger the Chapman is back in fine fettle!, May 6, 2003

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Saint John's Fern: A Roger the Chapman Medieval Mystery (Hardcover)

It's murder most foul. And Roger the Chapman, Kate Sedley's ubiquitous pedlar
cum sleuth, finds himself deeply involved in a most perplexing case.
Master Capstick, an aging but wealthy man, is found brutally murdered and his
great-nephew, who'd just been cut out of the will, has been charged with the homicide.
Alas, the nephew, young Beric, has disappeared! Locals are quick to point out that he has
eaten of the Saint John's fern, which makes a person invisible at will!
Thus, for half a year the chase has been on and no one is able to locate Beric.
But, of course, along trods Roger and before a day's wages can be made, he's completely
involved in this mystery.
It's 1477 and the war of the Roses is heating up. Author Sedley neatly weaves in
this historical setting to enhance the suspense that her plot has generated. In this, the
ninth installment of the Roger the Chapman series, Sedley is in fine form, perhaps with the
most exciting of all the episodes. "Saint John's Fern" is a quick and absorbing read, as the
book deftly dabbles with issues that are time-worn and time-laden. Sedley never misses a
beat! ...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars strong fifteenth century who-done-it, August 17, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Saint John's Fern: A Roger the Chapman Medieval Mystery (Hardcover)

In 1477 Roger the Chapman has enjoyed his second marriage for four months, especially the birth of his second child. However, Roger still feels restless as he senses that he is needed in Plymouth. He hitches a ride with Peter Threadgold who is traveling to see his daughter Joanna.

Roger learns from Joanna that someone viciously beat her neighbor Master Capstick to death with witnesses having seen the victim's great-nephew leaving the scene of the crime. However, when the King's men came to arrest Beric, he had vanished with many locals superstitiously believing that witchcraft through the application of THE SAINT JOHN'S FERN was used to make Beric invisible. Roger begins to investigate and that leads to attempts on his life and the insinuation that he was involved in a second homicide.

Perhaps this time Roger will appreciate home sweet home as his latest adventure turns quite personal and readers must accept his latest wanderlust. Though the mystery elements are cleverly written and nicely tied together in the climax, the story line belongs to graphic perusal of fifteenth century life in England. Roger remains a strong detective, but it is the historical elements that make Kate Sedley's latest who-done-it a winner for series fans and those readers who relish a resplendent look at medieval times.

Harriet Klausner