I really wish Goodreads would invest in a half star system. I think this book was better than three stars but not quite four stars. I found certain parts to be brilliant for example the letter exerpts that we later find are written by Seguina d'Orange. The description of Prince Edward "Their lord, a prince from a northern land, was a hard man, with a pale face that might have been cut from stone. A forked beard fell from his chin like two waterfalls of molten lead, and in him the lady sensed a certain cruelty, a flow of dark intention beneath the rituals of courtesy the situation demanded". . For the most part, I found myself slightly bored. It just seems like there was a lot of work leading up to the main conflict. Once I reached the part of the story in which Richard II is threatened on St. Dunstan''s Day, I felt like I was reading a dramatic version of the movie Clue. Everyone is standing around trying to figure out who done it. I felt Chaucer's character was a little weak especially when you really consider the role he played in everything.I rather enjoyed the maudlyn characters and I would have liked to have seen a little more out of them. I can envision a television series in which Gower works with the maudlyns to solve various crimes all over London. Seriously, I would watch. I feel like this book serves as a great jumping off point for future books about John Gower or even the various maudlyns. Now that we know who everyone is, real "adventures" can start. The only question I am left with at the end of the book (and it's entirely possible that I missed the mention) is What happened to Simon?>
