writerlywitterings

Once upon a time, a monk from Tavistock saw fit to steal his Abbot’s wine. As punishment for his crime, he was lured onto the Devonshire moors by the devil himself and murdered. The story has been told throughout the ages in the region but now, in the Autumn of 1322, the tale seems to be coming true.

Bailiff Simon Puttock is enlisted by Abbot Robert to get to the bottom of a theft from the abbey. Not just wine, but several other thefts as well. But there are dark undercurrents flowing through Tavistock. Apart from the thefts, there are a number of people in town who once lived in the Scottish borders, witnesses – and even participants – in a particularly savage crime. But as past memories and emotions bubble to the surface, there is a brutal murder. Plagued by doubts about his own ability and future, Simon must…