"Excellent medieval mystery."

The patronless Joliffe and his happy troop of thespians believe they have been blessed from above when they are enthusiastically encouraged to spend the next couple nights performing for Lewis Fairfield and his guardian, Richard Penteney, as guests at their estate. The Penteneys are a very wealthy and powerful merchant family, and their offer of free room and board will let the weary troop keep all the profits from their hard work. Lewis is an Eden-child, as those with Down's syndrome were known back then, who finds simple delight in the actors and their plays. It seems a win-win situation all the way around. At least that is, until they discover a murdered member of the Lollards just outside their door.

When many guests are poisoned at the feast, and Lewis cannot be calmed by any means, tongues start wagging and fingers start pointing at Joliffe, Thomas, Ellis, Rose and Piers as the outsiders, with none so threatening as Dr. Thomas Gascoigne and his heated sermons against players. Suddenly Joliffe finds that he and his thespian friends are acting out their most poignant roles to date, on the stage of life. Therefore, the actor must instead become an investigative agent to solve the mystery, soothe the merchants and save their thespian reputations before it is too late.

Frazer, who first ensnared us with her medieval mystery collection starring Dame Frevisse, returns with this equally engrossing spin-off series which takes place after THE SERVANT'S TALE. Immersing the reader in the English world of the 1400s, we find whether or not it was truly good "to be or not to be" an actor. Her fascinating and meticulous attention to historical detail, along with her very human characters, make this again an excellent work full of ingenuity and spunk.

Reviewed by Anne Barringer
Posted July 20, 2004

Summary

From the author of the Dame Frevisse Medieval Mysteries, The player Joliffe takes center stage as a sleuth in the first mystery of a brand new series. When his band of traveling players are taken in by a patron, Joliffe and company find that murder has taken their place in the spotlight—and it's up to them to catch a killer in the act.