The Day of the Serpent - (A Brother Chandler Mystery) by Cassandra Clark

About the Book

January, 1400. The bowman strikes at night, slaying one of King Henry's loyal garrison men before vanishing into the dark. Was the murder personal? Or is it the start of an uprising against England's self-crowned king? Friar and reluctant spy Brother Chandler is ordered to investigate, before the spark of rebellion can set the country alight.

Book Synopsis

The murder of a loyal king's man threatens the self-crowned King Henry's new regime in this second gripping medieval mystery featuring friar, sleuth and reluctant spy Brother Chandler.

January, 1400. The bowman strikes at night, slaying one of King Henry's loyal garrison men before melting back into the darkness. Was the murder the result of a personal quarrel? Or is it, as Henry's stepbrother, Swynford, fears, the start of an uprising against England's self-crowned king? Swynford orders Brother Chandler to investigate, before the spark of rebellion can set the whole country alight.

Friar, reluctant sleuth, and even more reluctant spy, Brother Chandler is a man with dark secrets and divided loyalties. To the murdered King Richard. To his paymaster, the usurper King Henry. And to beautiful, naive Mattie, a maid in the household of heretical poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who holds dangerous secrets of her own.

Trusted by no one, Chandler must walk a tightrope of secrets and lies if he is to uncover the truth about the murder, while ensuring he - and the few people he cares about - stay alive.

Combining rich historical detail with deep characterisations and enthralling mystery, this medieval puzzler is a perfect choice for fans of sleuthing monks and nuns like Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael and Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma.

Review Quotes

Readers who favor the political tensions and historical aspects of Ellis Peters's "Brother Cadfael" mysteries will further appreciate this [novel]-- "Library Journal on Murder at Whitby Abbey"

Excellent . . . A Standout in the crowded medieval mystery field-- "Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Murder at Whitby Abbey"

The history is meticulously researched and depicted . . . Brother Chandler's sleuthing may appeal to nonfiction readers looking for variety in their reading just as much as the fans of Clark's popular Abbess Hildegard of Meaux series-- "Booklist on The Hour of the Fox"

The mystery is a slender thread woven through rich historical detail in this intriguing introduction to a conflicted hero-- "Kirkus Reviews on The Hour of the Fox"

The story grips. Readers will want to see more of this highly original protagonist-- "Publishers Weekly on The Hour of the Fox"

About the Author

Cassandra Clark is an award-winning scriptwriter for theatre, radio and television, and the author of nine previous novels in the Hildegard of Meaux medieval mystery series. Running wild near the ruins of the Abbey of Meaux in the East Riding as a child became her inspiration for the series while the discovery in a dusty archive of the Chronicle of Meaux written in 1395 is the secret source for her research.