First published 1980
Patrick, a disillusioned American art historian, finds himself drawn into a terrorist plot in southern France. The target sits in the Abbey of Sainte Foy in the remote village of Conques: a priceless medieval treasure centered around a three-foot golden statue of the martyr Sainte Foy, its alabaster eyes staring into an unseen world. Patrick recruits Marie-Ange, the church guide, into the conspiracy, and their careful planning unfolds alongside a deepening attraction. But the Languedoc region holds ancient mysteries, a landscape where heretics and saints once walked the same paths as criminals and martyrs. As police close in on the conspirators, the theft becomes something larger and stranger than anyone anticipated. The forces pursuing them seem to extend beyond the merely human, as if the land itself demands retribution for the planned sacrilege.
Genres: art, historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, crime, art-history
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, reluctant-hero
Setting: Abbey of Sainte Foy, Conques, Languedoc, Southern France
Period: Medieval
242 pages · Hardcover · Victor Gollancz Ltd.
Content warnings: violence