In 1194, newly appointed Devon coroner Sir John de Wolfe rides to Widecombe to examine an unidentified corpse found on the moor. Evidence that the dead man was a returning crusader draws the investigation toward one of the county’s leading families, while a frightened suspect seeks the Church’s protection from immediate arrest.
John must use the new coroner’s office to establish identity, motive and jurisdiction before violence overtakes the legal process. His work is obstructed by Sheriff Richard de Revelle, his ambitious brother-in-law, whose interference suggests that the murder threatens more than one household and may expose loyalties formed during the crusade.