#1 – The Tainted Relic
In Jerusalem in 1100, an English knight receives a bloodstained fragment said to come from the True Cross. The relic acquires a reputation for bringing violent death, and its later appearance in England draws Crowner John into the murder of a dealer carrying it toward Glastonbury.…
#2 – Sword of Shame
A remarkable sword is forged in Anglo-Saxon England, but treachery surrounds its creation and gives the weapon a legacy of dishonour. As ownership changes, the sword becomes evidence of status, violence and unresolved crime. Successive stories carry the weapon through different periods, where its history is…
#3 – House of Shadows
Bermondsey Priory provides the fixed setting for a chain of mysteries beginning soon after the religious house is founded. Monks, patrons, visitors and later occupants leave behind deaths and secrets that become embedded in the buildings and landscape. The stories move forward through centuries of institutional…
#4 – The Lost Prophecies
In sixth-century Ireland, a manuscript of prophecies is created and begins a long journey through the hands of believers, sceptics and opportunists. Some predictions seem uncannily accurate, making the book both spiritually compelling and politically dangerous. Across the linked stories, owners attempt to interpret, suppress or…
#5 – King Arthur’s Bones
In 1191, monks at Glastonbury Abbey uncover a lead-lined coffin said to contain the remains of King Arthur and Guinevere. The discovery promises prestige and pilgrimage income, but the alleged bones immediately become objects of doubt, rivalry and manipulation. The linked mysteries trace the remains through…
#6 – The Sacred Stone
A meteorite falls in Greenland and is credited with unusual healing power. Although the stone appears capable of doing good, those who control it repeatedly place personal advantage above the welfare of the people who seek its aid. Carried between communities and across centuries, the object…
#7 – Hill of Bones
Solsbury Hill and the nearby city of Bath form the centre of a sequence of mysteries extending from the early medieval period to the present. Burials, buildings and local traditions preserve traces of violence even when the original events have been forgotten. Each story reveals another…
#8 – The First Murder
In 1154, the Prior of Oseney writes a religious drama based on the story of Adam. The play survives beyond its original performance, but productions in later periods become associated with unexplained deaths and recurring violence. The linked stories follow the manuscript and its performers through…
#9 – The False Virgin
A young woman murdered in a chapel is honoured as a virgin saint, and devotion grows around the story of her purity and death. Over time, rumours and contradictory evidence threaten the reputation on which the cult depends. The linked mysteries follow generations of clergy, pilgrims,…
#10 – The Deadliest Sin
During a deadly plague, a group of travellers takes shelter at an inn and considers which human sin has brought such punishment upon society. Their stories explore pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth through crimes committed in different medieval settings. The anthology uses the…