Publisher's Synopsis
Politics, religion, and international intrigue paint a gripping portrait of England in the months prior to the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, but in a book where there are no pure ideals, no perfect heroes, no irredeemable villains, history becomes personal. Schism splits the Catholic Church, a teen-aged king sits on England's throne, John Wycliffe protests, Piers Plowman complains, Geoffrey Chaucer tells tales. But closer to the ground, on Halloween night at St. Michael's Church in St. Albans, a walking corpse confesses to Vicar Thomas Bell. At least that is how the priest imagines the shadowy figure, reeking of death, who crouched behind the screen. The single word "rage" is whispered before the figure rushes away, only to be found dead a week later. Father Thomas Bell and Coroner William Deveraux form a lasting partnership while chasing clues to the identities of corpse and murderer. One sign points them to the abbey of Bury St. Edmunds and its recent mutiny. Rome's Pope Urban VI is behind the rebellion, motivated by rivalry with his nemesis in Avignon. An anorexic Catherine of Siena mentors a disciple who stirs the pot. In their sleuthing, the priest and coroner glean the extent of church intrigue in the pursuit of wealth and power. Commoners turn more and more to the new Lollardy. Where did the dead man's allegiances lay? Did the murderer rise up from below or reach down from above? The characters' lives tell the story of the coming revolt and lead to the identity of a migrant corpse and the killer.Greed for wealth and power grip the western world in the late 14th century, and those who have beaten the odds to survive the Black Death begin to explore who ultimately grants their lives and liberties. Is it the King, the Church, or God's Self? This book series combines the traditional investigation of murder with a fresh deconstruction of the day's political and religious paradigms that will eventually lead to reformation and revolution.
