The fifth novel in the acclaimed Owen Archer Series

Let Candace Robb take you back in time to Medieval York in this enthralling, authentic and gripping mystery, full of incident and intrigue. Fans of Ellis Peters, S J Parris, Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell will love this!

'Gripping and believable... you can almost smell the streets of fourteenth-century York as you delve into an engrossing plot' -- Prima
'Robb is uncommonly good at period atmosphere, immersing the reader in the everyday horrors of the plague... she distinguishes herself by putting together an engrossing puzzle' -- Publishers Weekly
'Hugely, but subtly, detailed... complex, ambiguous and gripping' - Historical Novels Review
'An excellent and enjoyable read' -- ***** Reader review
'A ripping good yarn!' -- ***** Reader review
'A most addictive read' -- ***** Reader review
'A fascinating, realistic and vivid read' -- ***** Reader review

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AN UNEXPLAINED SPATE OF DEATHS CAUSES SUSPICION...ARE THEY ACCIDENTAL OR METICULOUSLY PLANNED?

1369- The much loved Queen Philippa lies dying at Windsor, and the plague has returned to the city of York. In an atmosphere of fear and superstition, rumours spread that a spate of deaths at St Leonard's Hospital in York is no accident. The hospital is in debt and has suffered thefts- Sir Richard de Ravenser, Master of the Hospital, returns from Winchester painfully aware that scandal could ruin his own career. Anxious to avert a crisis, he requests the services of Owen Archer, spy for the Archbishop.

With plague rife and the city's inhabitants besieging his wife, the Apothecary, for new cures, Owen Archer is unwilling to become involved. There is too little to link the victims to each other- the riddle seems unsolvable.

But careful enquiries reveal a further riddle, connected to one of the victims. Is this where the truth lies?