The Wicked Winter (A Roger the Chapman Medieval Mystery) [Hardcover]

Kate Sedley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1999

Despite the wintry weather, Roger the traveling Chapman is once again relishing the freedom of his calling. As he journeys west, he finds himself following in the footsteps of an itinerant preacher, Brother Simeon, whose fiery sermons are the talk of the countryside. Roger, who has met the Dominican friar before, and finds his zeal wearying, is less than enthused when they meet at Cederwell Manor, where Simeon has come to pray with Lady Cederwell and Roger to sell her his wares.

But scarcely have the two men arrived when Lady Cederwell is found dead, sprawled on the frozen earth beneath the ancient tower she had converted into her private chapel, the circumstances strangely fulfilling the prophecy of a babbling hermit Roger had met on the road. Suddenly the friar and the Chapman are united by their aim-to discover the truth behind the death at Cederwell Manor.

In this, the sixth in her atmospheric and thoughtful detective series, Kate Sedley confirms her place in the world of medieval crime fiction.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's not just the weather that's bleak in Sedley's well-told tale, her sixth set in the Middle Ages and featuring monk-turned-traveling salesman Roger the Chapman (Death and the Chapman, etc.). Unlike the others in his village, the sharp-witted, independent Roger has no patience for the preacher who has come to town. Simeon the Friar is the worst kind of fanatic: he has an answer for everything and disdains even his fellow Dominicans for being too worldly. Feeling restless again, especially after spending an evening with the preacher at his mother-in-law's insistence, Roger is eager to get back on the open road in spite of the winter chill. But the road isn't open enough, for it seems everywhere he stops people are talking of the holy man. It isn't long before Roger encounters the friar himself on his way to visit Lady Cederwell, a young and devout noblewoman who has urgently summoned him. When she is found dead, having fallen from her private chapel, foul weather and foul play conspire to keep the two men at Cederwell Manor. Roger, with his friendly and open demeanor, keeps his ears open, trying to uncover the mystery of the unhappy woman's death. Could she have been pushed by her much older husband, who is known to be in love with the widow who lives nearby? Simeon finds enough sinfulness and intrigue to fill his sermons for years. The mystery, though it has a tendency to turn gothic, is expertly plotted. But the richest rewards for readers come in the medieval worldAits lonely and isolated landscapes, austere lives and demanding religionAthat Sedley evokes with authority and empathy. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Sixth in a series set in medieval England and relating the adventures of Roger, a chapman (traveling peddler) living in Bristola widower with an infant child cared for by his mother-in-law when hes on the road. (The Eve of St. Hyacinth, 1996, etc.). Rogers latest journey has taken him toward the coast, in bitter cold weather, picking up gossip as he goes: theres much talk of the fanatical, fire-breathing preacher Father Simeon, and, as it transpires, Roger meets up with him as the Friar travels to Cederwell Manor. Hes been sent for by Sir Hugh Cederwells wife Jeanette, a pious woman with her own chapel at the top of a tower on the Manor grounds. Roger, ever on the hunt for customers, arrives with Father Simeon at the Manor, only to discover Lady Cederwell dead at the foot of the tower. The death is labeled an accident by Sir Hugh; his visiting mistress, widow Ursala Lynom; his son Maurice; Jeanettes half-brother Gerard and his wife Adela; along with the Manors extensive staff. Invited to stay at the Manor in the face of heavy snows and impassable roads, Roger is present early the next morning when Gerard is found by his wife drowned in the freezing water of a well left uncovered. Accident? Murder? A third body, the hermit Ulnoths, discovered by Roger, leaves him in no doubt and with strong intimations of the killers identitywith the motive buried deep in the past. Leisurely, literate, and robust: entertaining all the way to its striking conclusion. Best in the series to date. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312206259
• ISBN-13: 978-0312206253
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,334,289 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very good medieval mystery, June 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wicked Winter (A Roger the Chapman Medieval Mystery) (Hardcover)

Although he is a widower raising a one-year old daughter with the help of his mother-in-law, Roger Chapman feels a need to wander, especially after a long period of confinement. His job as a traveling peddler provides him with the excuse of leaving his daughter under the care of someone else. In 1476, he meets Friar Simeon, a zealot when it comes to the sins of the flesh. Roger and Simeon leave together the day after the the latter completes his sermon

Roger goes to Lynom Hall to sell his wares. The mistress of the house, Lady Ursula is having an affair with Sir Hugh Cederwell of Cederwell Manor though he is married to a pious wife. Roger next goes to Cederwell where he runs into Simeon. Lady Cederwell desperately wants to speak with the friar, but she is found dead before she can find him. A snowstorm confines everyone to the manor. Soon Lady Cederwell's half brother is found dead too. On the surface, both deaths look like accidents, but Roger wonders if the manor's lady was about to accuse her unfaithful spouse of adultery. Perhaps murder was used to silence Lady Cederwell and her sibling.

Anyone interested in medieval history needs to read THE WICKED WINTER, an insider's look into the lives of minor lords and commoners. Kate Sedley reminds her audience that it's four centuries after William's victory and still the Saxons and Normans remain partially divided. The mystery is interesting and complex due to the myriad of viable suspects. Though Monday quarterbacking will say I should have known, few readers will guess the identity of the villain though the clues are all there.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a really wicked winter for Roger Chapman!, August 5, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: The Wicked Winter (A Roger the Chapman Medieval Mystery) (Hardcover)

As if one body isn't enough, there's a second, then a third! Will the killing ever stop? In Kate Sedley's sixth Roger the Chapman medieval mystery, the author goes to the very frozen core of her adventures--the "dead" of winter! And it takes every ounce of mental firepower for Roger to sort this one out.

Roger, a traveling peddler (or chapman) who has been successful in thwarting out murderers before, finds himself weary of the homelife during one 15th century winter in England. Wanderlust and adventure in his blood soon win out and he's on the road again. This time, he encounters a very popular traveling Dominican friar, Brother Simeon, who is determined to save every soul in his sight with his ultra-conservative sermons. The two are paired together as they approach Cederwell Manor, Roger to sell his wares and Simeon to save their souls. Alas, upon their arrival they discover, at the bottom of the manor tower, the body of Lady Cederwell herself, who had sent for the erstwhile friar. Her death appears an accident but both Roger and Simeon suspect foul play. The next morning, Lady Cederwell's half-brother is found unceremoniously dumped--and very dead--in the well of the manor. Within another 24 hours, a hermit, who had befriended Roger earlier, is found dead among the frozen undergrowth.

Roger, of course, knows the murder is among those who are presently in the manor. (And it's a manor that's filled with so much "sin" that the pious Lady Cederwell had summoned the friar for his help--it seems the manor's a real Sodom and Gomorra!) The weather is so bad that no one can come and go. With his usual diligence--coupled with a charming naiveté, good humor, and strong personality--Roger considers all the ingredients to this murderous bouillabaisse and fighting time comes up with the real killer in an exciting climax to a well-written tale.

"The Wicked Winter" is probably the most thrilling of Sedley's series, which begins

with "Death and the Chapman." As with most of the series in this genre, one doesn't necessarily have to begin with the first-written, but there are a few elements included that not having read the earlier books the reader may miss out upon, but not so much as to ruin a good tale. This series continues, and Sedley and her Chapman are a good combo. Sedley has a good grasp on pacing and nuance and seems completely in control of her plot, her characters, and her theme. "The Wicked Winter" is a good read--stay bundled up and expect the unexpected!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Sixth Book in a Terrific Series, March 6, 2007

By 

J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wicked Winter (A Roger the Chapman Medieval Mystery) (Hardcover)

The Author Kate Sedley was born in Bristol and it is probably no coincidence that the majority of the Roger Chapman books take place in and around the Bristol area. Kate was educated at the Red Maid's School in Westbury-on-Trym. She is married and has a son and a daughter.

Kate Sedley's books about Roger Chapman, the pedlar come murder mystery sleuth are becoming more and more popular and rightly so. They are good entertaining reading with plots and backgrounds that have been well thought out and well researched. They are what I would call light reading (very much like the writing style of Paul Doherty or Bernard Knight, two other well known authors of medieval mysteries). This book is the sixth in the series.

Roger the Chapman has braved the wintry weather to sell his wares. Much of his business is done on the road, travelling between the big stately houses of the rich and famous. There are always sewing maids running out of needle and thread, or the cook needing new knives or the like. Even the lady of the manor will sometimes want a fine new pair of gloves, or buckles for her shoes. However when he arrives at Cedarwell Manor to sell his wares he finds his customer, Lady Cedarwell dead. Roger teams up with a man of the cloth to investigate when seems to be her premature death.