The Merchant's Tale

Oxford Medieval Mysteries, Book 4

De: Ann Swinfen

Narrado por: Philip Battley

Oxford, Autumn 1353

St. Frideswide's Fair is a great annual event in Oxford, bringing together merchants and buyers from all over England and Wales, and from as far away as Flanders and France. Yet the earnings from the fair, granted to the Priory of St. Frideswide centuries before, are resented by the town, and resentment can turn to violence.

Under the unscrupulous Prior de Hungerford, even more trouble is brewing. Nicholas Elyot is warned by intelligencer Alice Walsea that attendance at the fair may be used for something more sinister, and not all French merchants may be innocent.

When a merchant from Flanders is attacked and an English traitor is murdered, can Nicholas disentangle the crimes hidden under cover of the fair?

©2017 Ann Swinfen (P)2017 Ann Swinfen

Great episodes, a most admirable historical series

Book shopkeeper Nicolas Elyott is a most appealing, thoughtful, wise and interesting main character. Nothing wrong with really loving the protagonist in these books, makes for an excellent change. In this volume, nothing disappoints, superior character-driven story, good plot, and wonderful, authentic ambiance. Overall the series would get five stars from me, but the novels are on the short side and feel like episodes in a bigger story. So, perhaps at the end of this journey I shall award five stars.

Superlative narration.

Ann Swinfen

What beautiful stories.
I grieve the lost of such talent.
I will be sad when I complete the last volume.

Consistent

If you have read and enjoyed Ann Swinfen, she does not disappoint. She consistently brings quality books to the table. I would recommend

Excellent Read - love this series!

Interesting and engaging characters with a real flavor of Medieval life. I've read each book in the series and they each just got better and better. The narrator was especially good, too.

Round About Reading!

These Medieval Mysteries never move in a straight line towards solving the crime! There is often too much information, additional characters that are hard to keep straight, peripheral narratives that take attention away from the central action. However, the extra work required is well worth the effort. Boy, can you learn a lot about late medieval society and how people lived and worked. So, interesting. The deviations from the main story are like an added gift - more than you paid for and well worth the cost! You will get to know the characters and really care what happens to them. Great historical fun! And as an added bonus the narrator is fantastic! Takes on the voice of time and place and makes it sound perfectly natural! Can't wait for my next credit to order immediately the next book in the series.