First published 2015
London, 1386. Sixteen bodies surface in a sewer, bearing wounds unlike anything seen before. The killer wanted them found and possesses enough power to act without fear. John Gower trades in secrets rather than verse, despite his reputation as a poet and intellectual. He walks the narrow streets between grand palaces and filthy backstreets, tracking whoever committed these murders. His friend Geoffrey Chaucer offers counsel as Gower draws on his web of informants across the city. Young King Richard II struggles with threats from France and rebellious nobles, but this danger strikes closer to home. Gower discovers the victims died from a revolutionary weapon called the handgonne. Someone commissioned this deadly device, seeking to control its terrible potential. The investigation pulls Gower deeper into a conspiracy that could reshape warfare itself. He must identify the mastermind before more blood flows through London's sewers.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, political-intrigue
Setting: London
Period: 1386
496 pages · Paperback · HarperCollins
Content warnings: violence