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Roger the Chapman #3
The Weaver's Tale
When the disreputable brother of a respected nobleman is hanged for murdering a man who later turns up alive, Roger, a fifteenth-century English peddler, senses foul play among the gentry.
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Kate Sedley
52 books106 followersBrenda Margaret Lilian Clarke, known by her pen name Kate Sedley, was an English historical novelist best known for her Roger the Chapman mystery series. Born in Bristol in 1926, she also published as Brenda Honeyman and Brenda Clarke.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
August 23, 2022
I am reading while on the road so my review will just emphasize that I like Sedley’s writing and her protagonist, Roger the Chapman.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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The period is during the end phase of England’s War of the Roses. Roger almost “catches his death from cold” before finding a good Samaritan to take him in. Then the mystery of a likely innocent man recently hanged helps Roger find focus during the raw winter months.
4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The period is during the end phase of England’s War of the Roses. Roger almost “catches his death from cold” before finding a good Samaritan to take him in. Then the mystery of a likely innocent man recently hanged helps Roger find focus during the raw winter months.
4*
May 28, 2020
This is the third book in a series of medieval mysteries, featuring Roger the Chapman a peddler who travels the country peddling his wares and solving mysteries, occasionally for Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III). This tale, however, has no Ricardian connection. Here, Roger returns to Bristol where his first adventure began. It is winter and Roger is feeling ill. A friar he meets along the way advises Roger that he should take a wife and establish a home where he can hunker down during the winter months.
Roger intends to go back to his hometown of Wells, but loses his way and ends up in Bristol instead where he collapses from illness. Two Bristol women , widow Margaret Walker and her daughter Lillis, take pity on him and nurse him back to health. Margaret's father, a weaver, had vanished the previous year, was presumed dead and another local man hanged for his murder. Her father later reappears, but he has suffered a severe beating resulting mental incapacity. He cannot explain where he has been, and before he dies he can only say he was kidnapped and sent to Ireland. Many of the townspeople, evidently transferring their own guilt in hanging an innocent man, shun Margaret and her daughter, suspecting that they must somehow have been complicit in some nefarious scheme of the father . Roger agrees to help the two women by solving the mystery.
Early on, it is relatively easy to guess who the actual murderer is, but the tale is very entertaining and contains interesting information about the weaver’s trade. It is also very important book in the series because it establishes Bristol as Roger’s home and introduces many characters who will reappear in later books.
Roger intends to go back to his hometown of Wells, but loses his way and ends up in Bristol instead where he collapses from illness. Two Bristol women , widow Margaret Walker and her daughter Lillis, take pity on him and nurse him back to health. Margaret's father, a weaver, had vanished the previous year, was presumed dead and another local man hanged for his murder. Her father later reappears, but he has suffered a severe beating resulting mental incapacity. He cannot explain where he has been, and before he dies he can only say he was kidnapped and sent to Ireland. Many of the townspeople, evidently transferring their own guilt in hanging an innocent man, shun Margaret and her daughter, suspecting that they must somehow have been complicit in some nefarious scheme of the father . Roger agrees to help the two women by solving the mystery.
Early on, it is relatively easy to guess who the actual murderer is, but the tale is very entertaining and contains interesting information about the weaver’s trade. It is also very important book in the series because it establishes Bristol as Roger’s home and introduces many characters who will reappear in later books.
August 8, 2022
A just-for-fun historical mystery read.
June 29, 2018
Otra novela en la que el asesino se ve quién es desde casi el inicio de la historia. El problema de estos libros es que en los años 90 hubo un boom de estas historias detectivescas en la Edad Media, y la mayoría llevadas a cabo por sacerdotes o ex sacerdotes, así que el tema ya está muy usado y he leído pocos libros que me hayan llamado la atención después de El nombre de la rosa, que fue la que originó todo.
Aún así, estas novelas son cortitas y no se hacen pesadas de leer, cosa que se le agradece a la autora, aunque el protagonista para mi gusto es bastante simplón...
Aún así, estas novelas son cortitas y no se hacen pesadas de leer, cosa que se le agradece a la autora, aunque el protagonista para mi gusto es bastante simplón...
October 18, 2015
I read this book without reading the first 2 books featuring Roger the Chapman. I did feel that this worked fine as a standalone novel though. I will admit it took me a couple of tries to get through the book because the writing style just isn't what I typically read. Once I got into however, I had no problem devouring it.
I enjoy the character of Roger and will keep an eye out for more of the books in the future. I kind of saw him as a medieval Sherlock Holmes. The author did well creating the world and keeping events and characters true to the time period. The inconsistency I have found in many books set in this period is that while they keep the obvious things like technology true to the era, they fail to realize that societal interaction and culture was different as well. I felt the author did well avoiding that pitfall.
I enjoy the character of Roger and will keep an eye out for more of the books in the future. I kind of saw him as a medieval Sherlock Holmes. The author did well creating the world and keeping events and characters true to the time period. The inconsistency I have found in many books set in this period is that while they keep the obvious things like technology true to the era, they fail to realize that societal interaction and culture was different as well. I felt the author did well avoiding that pitfall.
September 16, 2010
Not a bad little mystery. Roger is a peddler in 15th-century England who keeps stumbling into mysteries no one else can solve, in this case the murder of someone who later turns up alive, although the local scapegrace has already been hanged for it.
The setting's more realistic, more warts-and-all than in Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series. But oh, how it makes me miss Peters' evocation of character and place.
The setting's more realistic, more warts-and-all than in Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series. But oh, how it makes me miss Peters' evocation of character and place.
May 8, 2018
I have mixed feelings about this instalment in the Chapman series. Whilst it does contain my hoped and looked for development in that Roger, now that he has a few years of travel under his belt is world wary enough to recognise the evil that men (and women) do, it also has some dubious consent issues and the out and out fridging of an inconvenient young woman.
I was pleased with the fact that Roger as an amateur sleuth is now at the point where he can decipher the clues well enough to sometimes get there a few pages before I do, and in this case to use knowledge which would have been common at the time, but is not so now, to fit together the final piece of the puzzle. I also appreciate that he no longer assumes guilt or innocence based on a pretty face, pleasant demeanour or standing in the community. All of which speak well for the rest of the series and his growing standing as a solver of mysteries. One assumes they will get more complicated as the series progresses and will require more thought on the part of the reader, something I welcome.
However as indicated earlier, the dubious consent scene does give me pause. It is not rape, <> but the circumstances are less than ideal and portray the very young woman in question is a fairly unflattering light, when in truth she is in some ways responding to the world in which she lives and the mores of her time which place such an emphasis on marriage and fecundity for a woman. <>
Nevertheless, even with that act as the start of their connection, the fact that Roger reconciled himself to the future as it unfolded gave me hope that it would be taken in context for their future together. So the fridging of the character as almost an afterthought in the last paragraph of the novel was somewhat of a disappointment. <>
Still on a detective front there is much to be pleased about, I just hope that Roger becomes less of a callous youth as the novels progress.
I was pleased with the fact that Roger as an amateur sleuth is now at the point where he can decipher the clues well enough to sometimes get there a few pages before I do, and in this case to use knowledge which would have been common at the time, but is not so now, to fit together the final piece of the puzzle. I also appreciate that he no longer assumes guilt or innocence based on a pretty face, pleasant demeanour or standing in the community. All of which speak well for the rest of the series and his growing standing as a solver of mysteries. One assumes they will get more complicated as the series progresses and will require more thought on the part of the reader, something I welcome.
However as indicated earlier, the dubious consent scene does give me pause. It is not rape, <> but the circumstances are less than ideal and portray the very young woman in question is a fairly unflattering light, when in truth she is in some ways responding to the world in which she lives and the mores of her time which place such an emphasis on marriage and fecundity for a woman. <>
Nevertheless, even with that act as the start of their connection, the fact that Roger reconciled himself to the future as it unfolded gave me hope that it would be taken in context for their future together. So the fridging of the character as almost an afterthought in the last paragraph of the novel was somewhat of a disappointment. <>
Still on a detective front there is much to be pleased about, I just hope that Roger becomes less of a callous youth as the novels progress.
April 22, 2024
This book is exactly as advertised- it has a mystery and it is a historical fiction. If you are looking for a light, easy read that gently sets you in medieval England and bring you back without fuss, this is it. You don't have to read the other books in the series (I didn't); it doesn't require any previous knowledge and only gives a hint of a spoiler.
The historical part is very well done- the setting is immersive, and the first-person voice is very well done. Kate Sedley does a great job of bringing the modern reader into Roger's world while not letting Roger slip into ours. It's one of the most believable first-person person historical fictions I've ever read.
The fiction part is fine- the characters are also believable, mostly likeable, but I just wasn't that invested in them. They were decent people, but more of acquaintances than friends. The writing is clean and makes for an easy read, but if you are looking for suspense or tension, there was only a shadow of that.
The mystery part was dull. I figured it out in the second chapter, then spend the rest of the book waiting for a twist that never came. Watching Roger put the pieces together was more an exercise in thinking about how an investigator in that setting would be able to gather and present evidence. Roger is not a brilliant investigator, but he never pretends to be- he's just a man living his life, occasionally needing to solve mysteries.
This was the first I'd read in the series. If I find the others at a used book sale, I'll probably pick them up to read when my brain is exhausted and doesn't want heavy reading. It is an easy reading.
The historical part is very well done- the setting is immersive, and the first-person voice is very well done. Kate Sedley does a great job of bringing the modern reader into Roger's world while not letting Roger slip into ours. It's one of the most believable first-person person historical fictions I've ever read.
The fiction part is fine- the characters are also believable, mostly likeable, but I just wasn't that invested in them. They were decent people, but more of acquaintances than friends. The writing is clean and makes for an easy read, but if you are looking for suspense or tension, there was only a shadow of that.
The mystery part was dull. I figured it out in the second chapter, then spend the rest of the book waiting for a twist that never came. Watching Roger put the pieces together was more an exercise in thinking about how an investigator in that setting would be able to gather and present evidence. Roger is not a brilliant investigator, but he never pretends to be- he's just a man living his life, occasionally needing to solve mysteries.
This was the first I'd read in the series. If I find the others at a used book sale, I'll probably pick them up to read when my brain is exhausted and doesn't want heavy reading. It is an easy reading.
March 14, 2024
The Hanged Man
Roger the Chapman #3
By Kate Sedley
Reviewed March 20, 2024
Book 3 in the Roger the Chapman series gives us the story of how Roger met Lillis, his short-lived wife and the mother of his daughter, and his mother-in-law Margaret Walker, who is a regular in future stories.
It is winter, 1474. Christmas is over, the New Year has arrived, and Roger is on his way home to Wells. Unfortunately, he doesn’t make it as he finds himself sick with a fever and stumbles his way to Bristol instead, where he is taken in by a widow, Margaret Walker, and her daughter Lillis, who nurse him back to health.
To repay these ladies for their kindness, Roger agrees to look into what happened to Margaret’s father, who the previous year disappeared, was presumed dead, and another local man convicted and hung for murder. Three months later, Margaret’s father shows up just as mysteriously as he disappeared, but bearing obvious signs of mistreatment and with no memory of where he’d been other than to repeat he had been abducted by slavers and taken to Ireland.
Shortly thereafter, Margaret’s father dies a second time, this time for real. Through no fault of their own, Margaret and Lillis are ostracized by most of the towns’ folk out of a misplaced sense of guilt over the obvious wrongful execution of another man, as if the women were in some way responsible.
And so Roger begins his investigation into just what happened and who done it.
As with all Ms Sedley’s books, this one is written in a style that is easy to read yet with plenty of historical background to help the reader feel transported back to another time and place.
A bit of a spoiler alert here.
In this book we are also introduced to Lillis, who Roger marries, but for anyone who has read other books in the series knows, the marriage is short-lived as Lillis dies giving birth to their daughter, Elizabeth. Although Lillis struck me as a rather flighty young lass, it is her mother Margaret with whom Roger develops long-standing bonds of family.
Roger the Chapman #3
By Kate Sedley
Reviewed March 20, 2024
Book 3 in the Roger the Chapman series gives us the story of how Roger met Lillis, his short-lived wife and the mother of his daughter, and his mother-in-law Margaret Walker, who is a regular in future stories.
It is winter, 1474. Christmas is over, the New Year has arrived, and Roger is on his way home to Wells. Unfortunately, he doesn’t make it as he finds himself sick with a fever and stumbles his way to Bristol instead, where he is taken in by a widow, Margaret Walker, and her daughter Lillis, who nurse him back to health.
To repay these ladies for their kindness, Roger agrees to look into what happened to Margaret’s father, who the previous year disappeared, was presumed dead, and another local man convicted and hung for murder. Three months later, Margaret’s father shows up just as mysteriously as he disappeared, but bearing obvious signs of mistreatment and with no memory of where he’d been other than to repeat he had been abducted by slavers and taken to Ireland.
Shortly thereafter, Margaret’s father dies a second time, this time for real. Through no fault of their own, Margaret and Lillis are ostracized by most of the towns’ folk out of a misplaced sense of guilt over the obvious wrongful execution of another man, as if the women were in some way responsible.
And so Roger begins his investigation into just what happened and who done it.
As with all Ms Sedley’s books, this one is written in a style that is easy to read yet with plenty of historical background to help the reader feel transported back to another time and place.
A bit of a spoiler alert here.
In this book we are also introduced to Lillis, who Roger marries, but for anyone who has read other books in the series knows, the marriage is short-lived as Lillis dies giving birth to their daughter, Elizabeth. Although Lillis struck me as a rather flighty young lass, it is her mother Margaret with whom Roger develops long-standing bonds of family.
December 31, 2023
So I read this book back in March. And yes I still remember parts of it. I remember that I was really into this story for some reason. The author had brought the setting to life very well and the various characters in here was just so interesting too. And yes, I liked the fact that the peddler was trying to help this family. He didn't have to but he wanted to. At the time I was reading this I know it had totally captivated my imagination and I had flew through this one fast! Some books just speak to you for unknown reasons and this one did that to me.
And of course there is the mystery aspect. How do you solve a mystery back then? They sure didn't have the tools that we have these days so I certainly found that part of it very interesting. Of course I kept reading to find out what would happen next. If I recall on part he did this because of who he knew? Hmnn....i think I even recall who the crook was!
I had not read the other books before this one. And I had no trouble reading this at all. It just pulled me right in. I don't recall if I had tried another one from this series or not (I may have) but this one was the one I had loved. That much I remember!
And of course there is the mystery aspect. How do you solve a mystery back then? They sure didn't have the tools that we have these days so I certainly found that part of it very interesting. Of course I kept reading to find out what would happen next. If I recall on part he did this because of who he knew? Hmnn....i think I even recall who the crook was!
I had not read the other books before this one. And I had no trouble reading this at all. It just pulled me right in. I don't recall if I had tried another one from this series or not (I may have) but this one was the one I had loved. That much I remember!
April 1, 2022
This was a very light but still engaging story of Roger the Chapman, forced by illness to recover in 1474 Bristol and there to solve the mystery of what happened to the father of a widow with a predatory daughter, who rescues and cares for him. The father reappeared and soon died after initially being believed murdered for which “crime” the dissolute brother of a wealthy man was executed. Roger wanders Bristol and Gloucester gradually gathering clues until the obvious suspect confesses. It's good for period detail but it does lack substance
July 24, 2022
a great series.
I like Roger Chapman. I like the author who knows so much about his time. I was amazed to find out almond milk is not a new invention. I like the lack of violence and suspense…neither of which suit me. This is not a cozy mystery but a typically British mystery. Compare to Cadfael, Sr Fidelma, and stories by Paul Doherty…though he can be more specific about the horrors of life some centuries ago. Ellis Peter and Peter Ellis as well as Margaret Frazer and Kate Sedley are more gentle with my sensibilities. Thank you all.
I like Roger Chapman. I like the author who knows so much about his time. I was amazed to find out almond milk is not a new invention. I like the lack of violence and suspense…neither of which suit me. This is not a cozy mystery but a typically British mystery. Compare to Cadfael, Sr Fidelma, and stories by Paul Doherty…though he can be more specific about the horrors of life some centuries ago. Ellis Peter and Peter Ellis as well as Margaret Frazer and Kate Sedley are more gentle with my sensibilities. Thank you all.
May 31, 2025
Many pieces
This mystery was an intriguing combination of historical details--Lollardy, tin miners, cloth production, and the art of framing someone for murder. I enjoyed watching Roger put the pieces together one by one, although the culprit went down rather too easily in the end.
This mystery was an intriguing combination of historical details--Lollardy, tin miners, cloth production, and the art of framing someone for murder. I enjoyed watching Roger put the pieces together one by one, although the culprit went down rather too easily in the end.
February 17, 2017
Engaging story. The plot was rather contrived and some of the solutions seemed a bit too convenient. But I enjoyed the book despite the weakness in the story. The premise was unique and the characters were interesting.
January 3, 2024
Another excellent story
Yes, I did guess who was behind it all and why, but that in no way stopped my enjoyment in reading this book. Watching Roger put it all together and bring it all to an end was very good reading. I look forward to the next one.
Yes, I did guess who was behind it all and why, but that in no way stopped my enjoyment in reading this book. Watching Roger put it all together and bring it all to an end was very good reading. I look forward to the next one.
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October 9, 2021
Excellent
Once again the author captures the imagination and attention to the characters and storyline with a very suitable finale to the culprit!
Once again the author captures the imagination and attention to the characters and storyline with a very suitable finale to the culprit!
October 30, 2021
I am enjoying these Roger the Chapman stories!
December 21, 2021
Very good realy enjoyed this one, the best so far of the chapman books
June 8, 2022
Great read
Fantastic read, great characters and a great story. Medieval who done it at its best. Can't recommend the Roger the chapman mysteries highly enough.
Fantastic read, great characters and a great story. Medieval who done it at its best. Can't recommend the Roger the chapman mysteries highly enough.
June 15, 2025
Fairly uneventful and relatively dull
July 13, 2026
3.5 stars
Our Roger looks into the mystery surrounding the hanging of man whose alleged victim shows up 4 months later.
Our Roger looks into the mystery surrounding the hanging of man whose alleged victim shows up 4 months later.
October 28, 2014
15th century, Bristol. A chapman, who has a knack for mysteries, finds himself down with a cold. He receives care by two ladies, who acquire his services to make sense of a puzzling series of events.
This story is a light mystery, focused on reconstructing an impression of the everyday life of commoners in the 15th century and less carefully worked on its crime-mystery elements.
I give it a 3.6 stars (4 rounded) for I found it to be an enjoyable and easy read.
Things to love:
1) the historical elements are well researched and something to savour throughout the book. They are in the right amount to enable readers to get the feeling that they are sucked in that era, yet not quite as prominent as to feel that you are reading anything else but a novel.
2) believable, complex character
3) taking the risk to make one of the main characters (Myrtle) flawed and downright dislikeable from some aspects, yet giving you reasons to empathize with her.
4) good writing style (for this reason I'm decidedly going to read this book again)
Things to dislike (this might be slighty, just slightly SPOILERY!):
1) If you want a story with a twist then this book is not for you! The-who-did-what is predictable. But to be honest I think that is how it was meant to be with this book. The mystery is more about how exactly did all the events occur and this information is brought bit by bit.
2) the pace: though enjoyable in terms of the story, in terms of mystery resolution it could be considered slow. And everything gets a little rushed in the final pages.
3) the romance - if I can call it that - seems forced. Chapman's whole approach to that seems rather "convenient" and so does its resolution.
4) while the chapman is quite methodical for his era, when he brings all the pieces together he makes several assumptions. We then learn that the assumptions were correct.
Overall not a priority read, but something really enjoyable to read in the bus, or in little breaks you do from other heavier reads.
This story is a light mystery, focused on reconstructing an impression of the everyday life of commoners in the 15th century and less carefully worked on its crime-mystery elements.
I give it a 3.6 stars (4 rounded) for I found it to be an enjoyable and easy read.
Things to love:
1) the historical elements are well researched and something to savour throughout the book. They are in the right amount to enable readers to get the feeling that they are sucked in that era, yet not quite as prominent as to feel that you are reading anything else but a novel.
2) believable, complex character
3) taking the risk to make one of the main characters (Myrtle) flawed and downright dislikeable from some aspects, yet giving you reasons to empathize with her.
4) good writing style (for this reason I'm decidedly going to read this book again)
Things to dislike (this might be slighty, just slightly SPOILERY!):
1) If you want a story with a twist then this book is not for you! The-who-did-what is predictable. But to be honest I think that is how it was meant to be with this book. The mystery is more about how exactly did all the events occur and this information is brought bit by bit.
2) the pace: though enjoyable in terms of the story, in terms of mystery resolution it could be considered slow. And everything gets a little rushed in the final pages.
3) the romance - if I can call it that - seems forced. Chapman's whole approach to that seems rather "convenient" and so does its resolution.
4) while the chapman is quite methodical for his era, when he brings all the pieces together he makes several assumptions. We then learn that the assumptions were correct.
Overall not a priority read, but something really enjoyable to read in the bus, or in little breaks you do from other heavier reads.
May 17, 2014
Well-researched, plausible mystery. This volume takes place in or around Bristol. The protagonist is a travelling salesman in the late 15th century: a chapman, carrying goods in a pack. Looking for a place to winter over, he is taken in by a spinner and her daughter who nurse him back to health. In repayment for their kindness, he agrees to investigate the mysterious disappearance and reappearance of the Mistress's father. The author clearly knows her social history of the period and the book is made more interesting by the inclusion of a myriad of details of daily life. Not quite as good as the Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series, but still quite enjoyable.
August 12, 2014
Après le décevant Cape de Plymouth, ce Corde au cou relance mon intérêt pour les enquêtes de Roger le colporteur. Outre une intrigue bien ficelée et bien inscrite dans son contexte historique et religieux, se déroulant toujours dans l'Ouest de l'Angleterre, chose peu courante, cette enquête donne du relief au personnage principal et incite à lire la suite de ses aventures.
August 18, 2011
These medieval mysteries show life the way it probably was during the early middle ages in England. The clever "detective" is a chapman, a skilled peddler and mender of all things who travels from town to town. This episode begins when he stumbles with fever and ends up in the arms of a weaver's daughter--and has to unravel the mystery of the weaver's death. The puzzle is engaging, and the characters will involve the reader. The book's a bit PG 13, with an only marginally positive ending.
September 14, 2012
Third entry in the medieval series in which Roger the chapman (peddler) solves strange mysteries. Great period detail! Roger stops in Bristol on his way to Wells for the winter and ends up helping a woman and her daughter solve the mystery of the older woman's father's disapperance and reappearance a year later, after a Bristol man had already been hanged for the older man's murder! Roger never gets out of Bristol.
March 29, 2010
essentially, this is in the "fine but forgettable" category. tho there's a whole bit with a girl forcing herself on the protagonist which is really bothering me a lot (the characters probably wouldn't think of it as rape, but I can't get past that assessment of the situation). So, um, yeah, I'm glad I'm done.
April 19, 2015
Enjoyed this late medieval mystery. I'd read the first two books in the Roger the Chapman series ages and ages ago, so this was a nice return. I had a good idea of who-done-it and part of the how by mid-book, but that didn't quell my enjoyment. Robert is an interesting young man, the story is vividly written and just pulled me in. I'll read more in this series.
April 1, 2016
Otro libro de Kate donde acompañamos a Roger a través de un nuevo misterio.
Robert fue condenado a la horca y muerto, por un crimen que cometió, es cosa de Roger descifrar lo que pasó la noche en que William desapareció y así desvelar una intriga insospechada.
Envidia y muerte con una pisca de amor.
Robert fue condenado a la horca y muerto, por un crimen que cometió, es cosa de Roger descifrar lo que pasó la noche en que William desapareció y así desvelar una intriga insospechada.
Envidia y muerte con una pisca de amor.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews