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Summer in the year of our Lord 1365. On the night after the Corpus Christi procession, a man is brutally murdered on the steps of York Minster. The next morning his severed hand is found in a room at the York Tavern-a room hastily vacated by a fellow guild member who had quarreled with the victim. Archbishop Thoresby calls on Owen Archer to investigate. As Owen tracks the fleeing merchant, he uncovers a conspiracy involving a powerful company of traders, but his only witness is a young boy who has gone into hiding, and his only suspect is a mysterious cloaked woman. When Owen discovers a link between the traders and a powerful coterie in the royal court, he brings his apothecary wife Lucie into the race to find the boy before he is silenced forever by the murderers.… (more)
User reviews
I never really felt like I was getting a medieval literary experience with this book. But that wasn't a bad thing at all - it was completely enjoyable. The book begins from the perspective of a young boy who works for an acting troupe on Corpus Christi. He witnesses a murder (a murder most foul!) and so begins our story. Owen Archer is a retired soldier who would rather be working in his wife's apocathery shop...but he has unfortunately gained the trust of the Archbishop Thoresby, who puts him in charge of the investigation into the murder (most foul!).
It wasn't hard to figure out who were the bad guys in this mystery, but it didn't become apparent to me WHY the murder (most foul!) happened. I enjoyed the relationship between Owen and his wife, Lucie; Owen and Thoresby; Lucie and her friend Bess; and hoping that Jasper (the boy who goes into hiding after witnessing the murder...most foul) makes it out of the fray in one piece.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. This is the second in the series - I didn't know that when I picked it up. Apparently the first book, Apothecary Rose, introduces how Owen and Lucie get together, as well as goes into how Owen wound up in the service of the Archbishop. I enjoyed these relationships - I wish I'd have read the first book before picking this one up. And I hope the author writes more!
The writing style of this novel is a little dense, especially when talking about the politics of the time period. I also got the feeling that the speech patterns of the characters were a little anachronistic. The strength of the Owen Archer books lies in their plots, usually centering around something much larger than would appear at first, and The Lady Chapel is no exception. Robb does a great job intertwining the historical places and figures with the fictional. The best part of this series is, however, the characters; Owen and Lucie are compelling enough that they’re worth staying with for future novels.
Turns out a member of the guild of wool merchants was brutally murdered and his hand removed inside the jurisdiction of the Archbishop and it was witnessed by a little boy. The man was courting the boy's mother. Shortly after that his mother died as well. So the orphan feared the murderers coming for him since he was the only witness and decided to disappear.
While Owen is receiving his assignment, Bess the innkeeper next door to Lucie’s apothecary, brought in a severed hand, assuming it is the missing hand of the victim. It was found in the room of another wool merchant who paid for his lodging and left that morning.
Owen has his hands full trying to find the murderer and there are not many clues, on top of the fact the only witness to the deed disappeared. Owen spends some time interviewing several people who knew the victim best and would have the best idea of who would have a grudge against him.
When the next victim turns up, it looks to be a bit bigger plot. Unfortunately the second victim was much more important person who had made some real enemies in the Wool trade. Some turned out to be very powerful people indeed.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I have the next several sitting on my shelf waiting to be read! I’ll be reviewing them as I finish them. These are great mostly cozy mysteries that take place in England back in the 14th Century. Good author, fun stories and I recommend this series!
Another enjoyable well-written mystery in this series