The Eve of Saint Hyacinth

Roger the Chapman returns to London town in the summer of 1475 for a few badly needed days of rest and entertainment after a busy spring spent peddling wares - and solving two murders - along England's southern coast. But, as is often the case for Kate Sedley's popular monk-turned-peddler and amateur sleuth, the hand of Fate interrupts Roger's plans with another case of murder and betrayal that demands his immediate attention. King Edward IV is making his troops ready to invade France with a great show of strength, and though rumors abound that the king is reluctant, London is teeming with the energy of the march. But as the campaign approaches, a spy infiltrates the Duke of Gloucester's household - the duke is one of King Edward IV's two brothers - and narrowly escapes exposure by killing the only man who can identify him. All information indicates that the spy is the tool of a conspiracy to assassinate the duke before the king's invasion. Motive and method, no one knows - only that the duke's death is promised by the eve of Saint Hyacinth. It is an uneasy time between France and England, and between the king and his brothers, who disagree on England's goals with France. Roger, who proved his loyalty to Gloucester in a case a few years ago, is the only one the duke trusts to uncover the traitor and the powers behind him.