"The Traitor's Tale" by Margaret Frazer

THE TRAITOR’S TALE from Margaret Frazer takes the reader from contemporary 21^st century times of industry and democratic governments to the medieval age of 15^th century Europe - specifically England of the year 1450.

Henry VI is king.  Rebellions are breaking out.  Cade’s Rebellion has consumed London with anarchy, which is where our story begins. 

Simon Joliffe rides into the city searching for Matthew Gough, a prized captain from England’s war with France.  He has come in response to Gough’s word that something in the man's possession is something the duke of York, in whose service Joliffe stood, would find worthwhile to own.

A letter, written by an unknown ‘Robert James’, purports with ferocity to have witnessed varied events involving the dukes of Sommerset and Suffolk, and their handling of the war with France – specifically the loss of Normandy.  Sir William Oldhall, who dispatched Joliffe to London to find Gough, sends him off again.  This time he is in search of Suffolk’s steward, priest and secretary.  Suffolk, himself, is dead, killed by a band of marauding pirates.  Gough is dead.  Will Joliffe find any of these men alive?  Or is someone deliberately targeting the people in order to conceal the truth behind James’ assertions?

Elsewhere Dame Frevisse, a nun to St. Frideswide, has been summoned by the duchess of Suffolk, the duke’s widow and also Frevisse’s cousin.  She is in fear of her life and that of her young son.  She believes her husband, whom she despised as much as the people he was meant to govern, was deliberately murdered for what transpired in Normandy.  Thus, her cousin’s support is desperately needed.

What I found so utterly fascinating about THE TRAITOR’S TALE is the rich texture of the narrative Frazer manages to weave in and out of the plot.  The weight of that age is clearly felt as Joliffe, Frevisse, and the duchess’s man, Vaughn, travel from one location to the next.  The dirt of the roads, the thickness of the forests surrounding them, the simple medieval aire of the towns resonates with no effort.  The setting is superbly set.

This characteristic can also become a drag to the advance of the book's plot, unfortunately.  Any person not versed in English history, or even basic geography, might feel a bit bogged down by the places and people mentioned and visited.  Frazer offers a lot for anyone to imbibe.  It is the characters who make the story worth the endeavor. 

Joliffe, a maverick who was known by more than one name, showcasing the various aspects of his actual personality, was heroic, and yet earthy, in a realistic way.  There was an organic sense to him that took the bigger-than-life aspects and made the man feel real. 

Frevisse, who was inherently capable on her own, reflected on this through her own introspection.  She wanted nothing more than to be faithful in her service to St. Frideswide; and yet, here was a cancer (rebellions and conspiracy) spreading across her country.  The king was weak.  Anarcy abounded.  Riotous crowds were murdering as if war had broken out in every township; and the wisp of that taboo word treason floated like the thin grace of a breeze underneath and through it all.

In my view, this made THE TRAITOR’S TALE more than just a simple 'mystery' where a crime is investigated and solved.  What I read involved the breakdown of a country's governing factions through the lust of a few individuals stealthily vying for power.  One might call this Tom Clancy of the 15th century.  I only wish there had been more action to carry the plot forward.  Too much time was taken amongst the major players extrapolating on the events of the plot.  It should have unwound as the characters themselves discovered it, rather than the lengthy discourses in place here.