Jill Bray - Author

York, July 1224. When Brother Clement is brutally murdered after visiting the wealthy Lady Maud de Mowbray, Sheriff Simon de Hale is tasked with uncovering the truth. What first appears to be a crime against the Abbey soon reveals deeper motives involving inheritance, family resentment, and deadly ambition. As Simon and his loyal deputy, Adam, follow a trail of secrets, a murder weapon is uncovered and suspicion falls on those closest to the victim. But in a kingdom where loyalties shift and appearances deceive, the truth proves more dangerous than expected. At a grand banquet honoring the Royal Justice, the killer is dramatically unmasked—but justice comes at a price, and Simon soon discovers that solving the murder is only the beginning of a far more personal ordeal.