I strongly recommend this delightful historical murder mystery. Holsinger is one of my generation’s finest medieval historians of literature. Here, he has tried his hand at fiction. Set in London in 1385, it takes as its premise a prophecy that foretells the death of the reigning King Richard II. The main character is the poet John Gower. But we meet all sorts of fun characters, including Chaucer, the condottieri John Hawkwood, and King Richard himself, along with a variety of other folks from the underside of London, including a transvestite prostitute and her companion. I love every minute of this book and have plans to structure a first year seminar around it.