Edmund Harkins is widely disliked in Bampton, so the discovery of his corpse in a shallow grave produces little public mourning. For Sir Hugh de Singleton, however, dislike is not evidence and popularity cannot determine whether a killing goes unpunished. His duty as bailiff requires him to identify the murderer even though many villagers may prefer the dead man’s fate to remain unexplained. At the same time, a new vicar sent by the Bishop of Exeter brings a second source of tension into Hugh’s household and parish.
The priest is aggressive towards Lady Katherine’s maid and preoccupied with detecting unorthodox religious opinions. That atmosphere of scrutiny gives the title its wider meaning: suspicion is directed not only at a murderer but at speech, belief and private conscience. Set in the final years of Edward III’s reign, the novel uses parish authority and fear of heresy to show how ecclesiastical discipline could intersect with local grudges, while Hugh’s commitment to evidence places him between the demands of office and the wishes of his neighbours.
