Chronicle of Hugh de Singleton, surgeon

It is the autumn of 1367. Master Hugh is enjoying the peaceful life of Bampton when a badly beaten man is found under the porch of St. Andrew's Chapel. The dying man is a chapman--a traveling merchant. Before he is buried in the chapel grounds, an ancient, corroded coin is found in the man's mouth.

Master Hugh is making his way towards Oxford when he discovers the young Benedictine - a fresh body, barefoot - not half a mile from the nearby abbey. The abbey's novice master confirms the boy's identity: John, one of three novices. But he had gone missing four days previously, and his corpse is fresh. There has been plague in the area, but this was not the cause of death: the lad has been stabbed in the back. To Hugh's sinking heart, the abbot has...

"Master Hugh won the Black Prince's favour when he helped ease the prince's illness. Now, in the autumn of 1372, the prince is suffering a relapse and sends to Bampton for Master Hugh to attend him. While at dinner in Kennington Palace, Sure Giles, the knight who escorted Hugh to London, is stricken and dies. Poison! Sir Giles is not popular, and there are many who would gladly see the follow done away with--except for Prince Edward. The Black Prince...

"Keeping watch over the Easter Sepulchre, where the Host and crucifix are stored between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, is considered a privilege. So, it is shocking when it is discovered that Odo, the priest's clerk, has abandoned his post. But as the hours pass and Odo is not found, Hugh de Singleton is called upon. It is Hugh that finds the dried blood before the altar, and fear grows for the missing man... Will Hugh be called upon to investigate...

"Edmund Harkins has gone missing. Few would confess to liking the man, an abuser and distinctly unsavoury character. For many of the local villagers, the good tidings of his murder are made sweeter by the news that pigs have disinterred his corpse in a shallow grace. Sir Hugh de Singleton, bailiff at Bampton Castle, must tread carefully as he conducts his investigation into who has slain Edmund. Will he earn the enmity of villagers when the truth...