Roger the Chapman Series by Kate Sedley

One man’s disappearance is another man’s destiny... The birth of a new medieval detective.The political situation in 1471 is complex and the war between the Yorkist and Lancastrian factions rages on. But for Roger the Chapman, who has recently given up a monk’s cell for freedom to be found peddling his wares on the open road, life goes on much as normal.Until, that is, he gets caught up in the strange disappearance of Clement Weaver, only son of a wealthy Bristol alderman... moreOne man’s disappearance is another man’s destiny... The birth of a new medieval detective.The political situation in 1471 is complex and the war between the Yorkist and Lancastrian factions rages on. But for Roger the Chapman, who has recently given up a monk’s cell for freedom to be found peddling his wares on the open road, life goes on much as normal.Until, that is, he gets caught up in the strange disappearance of Clement Weaver, only son of a wealthy Bristol alderman. It seems that Clement is not the only one to have vanished without a trace from London’s Crossed Hands Inn...Roger’s interest is piqued and at the request of the alderman he sets off for the bustle and excitement of London, to find out just how Clement disappeared. It is a journey that carries him to a confrontation with the highest power in the land, and puts his life in mortal peril.The first of the gripping Roger the Chapman mysteries, the memoirs of an insatiably curious ex-monk who seeks out justice for the victims of medieval miscreants, ideal for fans of Graham Brack and Paul Doherty. less

When the disreputable brother of a respected nobleman is hanged for murdering a man who later turns up alive, Roger, a fifteenth-century English peddler, senses foul play among the gentry.

It is a shadowy early morning in April 1475 - Hock Monday, two weeks and a day past Easter. There's spring in the air and in Roger's step as he approaches the thriving village of Totnes. But Roger also senses danger in the air: A pack of cutthroats wanders the forest after a night of stealing and pillaging in the surrounding villages, and Roger barely manages to hide from them in the brush... moreIt is a shadowy early morning in April 1475 - Hock Monday, two weeks and a day past Easter. There's spring in the air and in Roger's step as he approaches the thriving village of Totnes. But Roger also senses danger in the air: A pack of cutthroats wanders the forest after a night of stealing and pillaging in the surrounding villages, and Roger barely manages to hide from them in the brush. Arriving in Totnes, he learns that the marauding band has been terrorizing the countryside for weeks, stealing livestock, taking money and goods from travelers, and raiding cottages. And worse, although there is no proof, they are believed to be responsible for the disappearance of two village children. The entire town is devastated and paralyzed by fear. Roger, playfully "hocked" by a group of women, then rescued and let go with only a kiss apiece as his ransom, stays in the village for a few days' rest. Hearing the tale of the missing children from his handsome rescuer, Grizelda Harbourne, who was also the two children's nurse, Roger gets caught up in their story. But his God-given mind for mysteries, and his heightened sense of danger, are baffled: How did the children get out of the house unnoticed in broad daylight? Why did they leave, and where did they go? Would the outlaws really kill just for the sake of killing? Roger cannot rest - or rule out the possibility of more violence - until he solves the puzzle. less