Chaos

London, February 1574. The frozen winter is only part of the trouble. Fear, superstition and gossip have taken hold of the city, and mobs roam the streets freely. A single murmured accusation can send a woman to the stake as a witch. Dr Christopher Radcliff has recently earned favour at court by uncovering the Incendium conspiracy against Elizabeth I, yet he gets no chance to enjoy it. Forged coins bearing the face of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, have started turning up across the capital, and that alone is treason. Worse, slogans scrawled on walls and doorposts hint that someone near the queen means her harm, and they name Leicester himself.

Radcliff, assisted by a band of informers and improvised spies, begins searching the markets, taverns and brothels for whoever is responsible for these bold and seditious acts. The trail leads through bloodshed toward an evasive enemy with a sinister purpose. The clock is ticking, because if rumour and dread ignite, open revolt and savage disorder are sure to follow.