In this thrilling installment of the award-winning Harwood Mysteries series, Xan leaves the Abbey for far-away Lincoln to apprentice with his uncle. But he quickly learns that all is not well. Uncle William has fallen in debt to a heartless moneylender called the Master. Nigel, the reckless nephew of William’s business partner, has put them in danger by befriending an enemy of the King. Why are the Master’s thugs lurking near Uncle William’s shop?

Does the disfigured woman in the marketplace really have power over life and death?

Will Nigel stop his dealings with a known traitor?