Product Description

Midsummer's Day, 1348. On this day of ill omen, plague makes its entrance. Within weeks, swathes of England witll be darkened by death's shadow as towns and villages burn to the ringing of church bells. While panic and suspicion flood the land, a small band of travellers comes togther to outrun the breakdown in law and order. But when one of their number is found hanging from a tree, the chilling discovery confirms that something more sinister than plague is in their midst. And as the runes warn of treachery, it appears no one is quite what they seem, least of all the child rune reader, who mercilessly compels each of her companions to tell their stories. And face the consequences. Take a leap of imagination and embark on an unforgettable journey through the ravgaed countryside ... with only a scarred trader in holy relics, a conjuror, two musicians, and a deformed storyteller for company.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #137716 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 576 pages

Daily Express
'A richly evocative page-turner which brings to life a lost and terrible period of British history, with a disturbing final twist worthy of a master of the spine-tingler, such as Henry James'

Mirror
'Compelling and highly atmospheric'

Daily Mail
'A compelling mystery story that should appeal to anyone looking for an engrossing, bulky, fireside read'

Customer Reviews

Exquisite entertainment
Historical novels are the love of my life (apart from my wife and kids that is), and this is very probably one of the very best I've ever read.

The year is 1348, when the plague laid most of Europe waste. Camelot is a seller of fake relics, and when the plague reaches England he decides to try and outrun it, heading north. Along the way, he picks up other misfits until they make up a company of nine: the Venetian musician Rodrigo and his pupil Jofre, the one-armed storyteller Cygnus, the painter Osmond and his wife Adela who is with child, the conjuror Zophiel, and the midwife Pleasance who has a remarkable, white-haired child with her: Narigorm. Together they set out trying to outrun the plague.

What happens next is an incredibly engrossing story, told with gusto. This is one of those novels that keep you up at night, unable to stop reading, eager to know what'll happen next. England during the plague is described in such telling and colourful details that the place comes alive, and you cannot help but feel 'this is surely how it must have felt like in reality'. England in the grip of the plague swiftly descends into chaos, and lawlessness becomes the rule. And through this bleak landscape, rain constantly pouring down, the nine companions trudge on and slowly get to know each other better.

Before long it becomes clear that each of them has a secret to hide, and none of them is what they make out to be. All have have been beaten down and trodden upon by life's mishaps, and - sometimes for the best of reasons or quite simply because they had no other choice - are now living a lie, haunted by their past.

550 pages of superb entertainment for the price of barely two packs of cigarettes, what are you waiting for?

Truth Will Out
If the plague ever hits your home town and you have to make a dash for safety, be very careful who you choose as companions. This riveting medieval who (or what) dunnit leads you along the not so safe path away from the ravages of the Black Death into the clutches of a mysterious killer. Keeping you company are a motley crew including conjurers, musicians and a secretive dealer in Holy Relics, not to mention a very scary rune reader that almost put me off children forever. As they flee for their lives, they also flee from the lies on which those lives have been built to face the brutal and often fatal consequences of truth. The detail is superb, the research spot on and the atmosphere suitably grim. There is little in the way of mercy, respite or humour, so be ready for a colourful journey into the one of the darker periods of English history.

A wonderfully satisfying read....
This book is just the ticket for anyone who's interested in matters medieval. The author clearly knows her stuff and imbues her story of characters all fleeing from the plague and wanting to find something at the end of their journey with a sense of menace and chill. Someone is killing off the characters and it isn't the pestilence. The travellers are a mixed bunch and all is not what it seems at any point in the narrative. There are clues and hints but the full force of the revelations is only grasped towards the end. There are elements of the supernatural and of fairy tales which go to thicken this well-written and fascinating story. Terrific stuff.