Publisher's Synopsis
The new Owen Archer mystery England, 1371. A solemn procession winds out of York Minster after the funeral of Sir Ranulf Pagnell, patriarch of a powerful Yorkshire family. William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, escorted the knight's remains north after his death in France but he is shunned by the family. They hold him responsible for failing to negotiate Sir Ranulf's ransom. Only a few days later, Wykeham's townhouse is found ablaze. The bishop has been staying with John Thoresby, Archbishop of York, and is safe. But when the body of a young woman is discovered, scandal looms. Owen Archer is troubled. He begins to ask questions and, when the dead woman is identified as a midwife, there is panic. Owen has much to do if he is to discover who killed her - and why.
