The Night of the Wolf
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The ruthless reign of Henry IV and the clerical tyranny of Archbishop Arundel keep Brother Chandler and his friends under constant threat in this gripping medieval mystery featuring friar-sleuth Rodric Chandler.
"Clark’s use of period detail is unparalleled, and the plot remains taut and brisk til the end" Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Chester, 1400. Riding for his life, with a copy of Chaucer's heretical Canterbury Tales in his possession, friar-sleuth Brother Chandler is ambushed on the road and wakes up in a stranger's house.
Is his 'rescuer', wool merchant John Willoughby, friend . . . or foe? Willoughby declares that he, like Chandler, has renounced the self-crowned King Henry IV and will help Chandler get his dangerous belongings to safety. He seems trustworthy, but Chandler knows that if he's caught by the King's merciless censors together with the Tales, he'll be burned at the stake.
But then Willoughby's young wife perishes in a terrible accident at their house - or so it seems . . . Willoughby asks Chandler to help investigate if it was indeed an accident or if someone had a hidden agenda.
All Chandler wants to do is find safe haven for Chaucer's Tales and return to London, but he accepts the case. Little does he know that it will lead to secrets being uncovered which will put not only Chandler but also those around him in unimaginable peril.
The Night of the Wolf is the third book in the Brother Chandler mystery series, following The Hour of the Fox and The Day of the Serpent. A great read for history lovers who enjoy puzzling murder mysteries with twists!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Clark shines in her third 15th-century murder mystery featuring Rodric Chandler (after 2021's The Day of the Serpent), effectively recreating the tensions roiling England under Henry IV. Chandler, who once worked for the crown as an interrogator and a spy, is on the outs with the new regime. The king, viewed by many as a usurper, has implemented a new law, under which heretics are to be publicly burned at the stake. Chandler narrowly escaped that fate after he interfered with efforts to incriminate Geoffrey Chaucer, and he gets embroiled in a whodunit after the wife of a wool merchant dies under suspicious circumstances. Though her fall from the roof of her home, where she was apparently visiting her private garden, appears to be an accident, her husband suspects foul play. Chandler's investigation coincides with his efforts to secure the only existing copy of The Canterbury Tales from the king's forces, who would destroy it. Clark's use of period detail is unparalleled, and the plot remains taut and brisk til the end. Readers will hope this series has a lengthy run. Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated that this was the fourth book in a series.
