In the summer of 1380 a French captain is murdered in Hawkmere Manor—a lonely, gloomy dwelling place otherwise known as the Devil’s Domain—which is used by Regent John of Gaunt to house French prisoners captured during the bloody battles waged on the Narrow Seas. Sir John Cranston and Brother Athelstan are summoned to investigate the mysterious death but their path is riddled with obstacles. How could the murderer have entered the Frenchman’s chamber when the room was locked from within? Their aide in the investigation, Sir Maurice Maltravers, is more of a hindrance than a help due to his suffering from the misery of heartbreak. Lady Angelica, the woman he intended to marry, has been whisked away to a convent by her tyrannical and disapproving father. It soon becomes apparent to Cranston and Brother Athelstan that only when the lovers are reunited will any progress be made in the murder investigation.About the AuthorPaul Doherty is the author of several mystery series, including the Ancient Egypt Trilogy, the Ancient Roman Mysteries series, and The Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan series.

A murdered priest, a missing body, stolen treasure: Brother Athelstan tackles his most challenging investigation to date. October, 1381. Brother Athelstan is summoned to the church of St Benet's in Queenhithe to investigate the murder of a priest. Parson Reynaud has been found stabbed to death inside his own locked church. Other disturbing discoveries include an empty coffin and a ransacked money chest. Who would commit murder inside a holy church? Who would spirit away a corpse the night before the funeral – and who would be brave enough to steal treasure belonging to the most feared gangleader in London? Meanwhile, the death of one of Athelstan's parishioners reveals a shocking secret. Could there be a connection to the murdered priest of St Benet's? Athelstan's investigations will lure him into the dark and dangerous world of the gangmaster known as The Flesher, whose influence has a frighteningly long reach ...