The eve of Saint Hyacinth Book

It is June, 1475, and King Edward IV is amassing an army to invade France. After peddling his wares and solving two murders along the south coast, Roger the Chapman sets out for London for a little R&R. Along the way he happens upon an abandoned shrine in the woods and in that eerie place he has a strong sense of evil. Is this a sign that God has other plans for him, as Roger suspects? His suspicions are confirmed when he arrives in London and is promptly recruited into helping to find out who is behind a plot to assassinate Richard of Gloucester on or before the eve of St. Hyacinth which is several weeks away.
Roger goes undercover as a Yeoman of the Chamber in Duke Richard's household at Baynard's Castle.
From this position Roger, and we the readers, see the workings of a great lord's household and learn about the vast number of people necessary to attend him: the steward; treasurer; comptroller; Knights and Squires of the Body; Squires of the Household; Gentlemen Ushers as well as Yeomen of the Chamber. Roger also discovers that great lords routinely have their spies in one another's households. In this case, both his brothers, King Edward and the Duke of Clarence; the King's in-laws, the Woodvilles, as well as the French and Burgundians have spies in Duke Richard's household.

Roger travels to France along with the army and finally unravels the plot and thwarts the assassination attempt. Although it has the usual coincidences, the plot is well constructed, deftly weaving into the story the political undercurrents swirling around the invasion. The look into the running of a great lord's household is fascinating , and the interactions between Richard and those would would protect him are engaging.