Excellent historical adventure with main character continued in several of Frazer's books.
More steeped in political history than any of the previous books in the series, this fourth volume has murder as incidental rather than the focus of the story. Joliffe and his troop have accompanied their patron Lord Lovell into London as part of his entourage in the late autumn of 1435. They are scheduled to perform for Bishop Beaufort, uncle and advisor to young King Henry VI. Their success with the bishop sharpens his interest in them, and he asks Joliffe to spy for him as they play for London's elite. With the threat of war brought closer by the treachery of the Duke of Burgundy and the public's outrage against anything and anybody to do with him, London is a hotbed and Joliffe discovers a whole new world of intrigue and danger. Those more interested in the untangling of the threads of a murder mystery may be disappointed by this volume, but it is more than amply offset by the intricacy of political intrigue and the rich descriptions of 15th century London life, and opens up more possibilities for the future of the series.
