THE NIGHT OF THE WOLF

England in 1400 is a dangerous place for Brother Rodric Chandler—friar, lover, and solver of mysteries.

After having narrowly escaped being burned at the stake in London, a badly beaten Chandler is in Chester on his way to Dieulacres Abbey, where he hopes to find a home for the banned booklets penned by Master Chaucer. His host is Master John Willoughby, a wealthy merchant whose much younger wife, Evelyn, is rebuffed by Chandler when she crawls into his bed. She steals a booklet, but Chandler recovers it and leaves immediately for the abbey, where the monks support the legitimate King Richard against the usurper Henry IV. Since Henry’s minions are burning books and slaughtering anyone who gets in their way, the monks agree to hide Chaucer's booklets. They urge Chandler to return to Willoughby, who knows someone who’ll help keep banned books safe, and he arrives to hear that Evelyn has died after falling (or getting pushed) from her roof garden. When Willoughby asks Chandler to find her killer, he talks to some servants who reluctantly admit to having seen a stranger enter the house. Chandler’s other responsibilities include a trip in disguise to London, where he hopes to see his lover, who’s about to give birth to their child. Eventually his journey takes him to Wales, where Henry’s troops have been beaten back. With no idea whom to trust, he must rely on his wits to survive.

Packed with historical detail and dangerous exploits, the least of which is finding a killer.