Once again Athelstan must enter the murky world of murder, where nothing is as it seems.

February, 1381. London lies frozen in the grip of one of the bitterest winters on record. The ever-rising taxes demanded by the Regent, John of Gaunt, are causing increasing resentment among the city's poor.

The seething unrest boils over into a bloody massacre at a splendid Southwark tavern, The Candle Flame, in which nine people, including Gaunt's tax collectors, are brutally murdered. The furious Regent orders Brother Athelstan to get to the bottom of the matter.

For not only has Gaunt's treasure trove been stolen, he has reason to believe a French spy is active along the Thames, carefully recording for his masters the state of English war cogs. And a professional assassin, Beowulf, who has sworn vengeance against Gaunt and his minions, also stalks the shadows

An exceptional tale of mystery and the underworld from a master of the genre, perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, S G MacLean and C. J. Sansom.