Edward Marston has written well over a hundred books, including some non-fiction. He is best known for his hugely successful Railway Detective series and he also writes the Bow Street Rivals series featuring twin detectives set during the Regency; the Home Front Detective novels set during the First World War; and the Ocean Liner mysteries.

'A master storyteller' Daily Mail

The ordered calm of Gloucester Abbey is shattered by the murder of one of the monks. The Abbey becomes paralyzed with fear and the Abbot is ill-equipped to deal with such a heinous crime, especially as suspicion inevitably falls on the brothers themselves.

Ralph Delchard, a former soldier in the era-defining Battle of Hastings, and Gervase Bret, an accomplished lawyer, are investigating a local land dispute when news of the vicious murder reaches them. Before long, Delchard and Bret realise that the killing is just a symptom of a sinister presence that threatens the whole community and must be stopped at any cost.