First published 2025
Dr. Anya Brown receives international recognition for translating the mysterious Folio 9. Diana Cornish, a professor from the Fellowship of the Larks, recruits Anya to join St Andrews' Institute of Manuscript Studies. Anya doesn't know the Fellowship wants her to translate texts they consider vital to their cause. Meanwhile, Eleanor Bruton's body washes ashore in Scotland's Western Hebrides. Her family saw her as an ordinary woman who arranged flowers and tended church cushions. They never suspected she harbored a consuming secret. Detective Clio Spicer at Scotland Yard begins investigating Eleanor's death. The case connects to a fraying piece of embroidery that appears worthless. For over a century, two women's organizations have killed to possess this artifact, hoping it will lead them to the original medieval manuscript. The Order of St. Kathrine believes women should wield power from the shadows. The Fellowship of the Larks seeks visible positions of authority while hiding their methods. As Anya translates ancient texts and Clio pursues the truth about Eleanor's death, all three women become trapped in a web that spans centuries. Their lives hang in the balance as the secret threatens to destroy everyone who seeks it.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, thriller, academic
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, secret-identity, secret-organization
Setting: Fellowship of the Larks, Hebrides, Order of St. Kathrine, Scotland, Scotland Yard, St Andrews' Institute of Manuscript Studies
Period: 21st-century
464 pages · Paperback · William Morrow Large Print
Content warnings: death, murder, violence