The Three Kings of Cologne (Roger the Chapman Mysteries Book 16)

Foul play is suspected when the corpse of a young woman is unearthed after twenty years in this “well-crafted” Roger the Chapman novel (Publishers Weekly). England, 1481. As land is being cleared for a new chapel to be dedicated to the three kings of Cologne, the remains of Isabella Linkinhorne are discovered. Known to have had three secret lovers, Isabella had disappeared twenty years earlier. Alderman John Foster, the mayor of Bristol, commissions Roger the Chapman to determine if one of her three suitors did her in. Faced with the task of tracking down three people about whom he knows next to nothing, Roger nicknames them Caspar, Balthazar, and Melchior, after the three kings. Will the perceptive peddler be able to solve this twenty-year-old mystery? The Three Kings of Cologne is the sixteenth book in the Roger the Chapman series. “Sedley effortlessly incorporates the details of daily life for a range of socioeconomic groups as Roger goes in search of answers. Roger’s droll sense of humor enlivens a narrative full of unexpected plot twists.” —Publishers Weekly “Sedley knows how to create authentic period ambience, build strong characters, and deliver plenty of adventure. Add a healthy serving of dry wit, and you have a fine series that just keeps getting better.” —Booklist Roger the Chapman series #16 Alderman John Foster wishes to give his home city of Bristol a gift of almshouses, together with a chapel dedicated to the Three Kings of Cologne. To this end he purchases a piece of land from the Magdalen Nunnery, but when this is cleared and dug over, the murdered body of a young woman is unearthed. This is later identified as the remains of Isabella Linkinhorne, who disappeared twenty years earlier. It was known at the time that she had three secret lovers, who now become the main suspects. John Foster employs Roger the Chapman to discover the identity of these men, and to find out which one of them killed Isabella. Faced with the almost impossible task of tracking down three people of whom he knows next to nothing, Roger nicknames them Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior after the Magi--the Three Kings of Cologne--and begins his search... The new Roger the Chapman novelWhen the remains of Isabella Linkinhorne, who disappeared twenty years earlier and was known to have had three secret lovers, are discovered on nunnery land, Roger the Chapman is called in. Faced with the task of tracking down three people of whom he knows next to nothing, Roger nicknames them Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior after the Magi the Three Kings of Cologne.. . When the remains of Isabella Linkinhorne, who disappeared twenty years earlier and was known to have had three secret lovers, are discovered on nunnery land, Roger the Chapman is called in. Faced with the task of tracking down three people of whom he knows next to nothing, Roger nicknames them Caspar, Balthazar and Melchoir after the Magi, the Three Kings of Cologne . . .