Catherine LeVendeur and her husband, Edgar, are living in Paris with their new son when Edgar receives news from his family: his two older brothers have been murdered and he must return to Scotland to help avenge their deaths. At first, Edgar refuses to go, knowing what may await them in his war-torn homeland, but Catherine believes in family loyalty and insists upon accompanying him with their baby. In Scotland, Edgar's father, Waldeve, is a cold tyrant and his remaining siblings are distant and secretive. Separated from Edgar and cast out of his family's home, Catherine searches for her husband while also seeking to learn who among Waldeve's enemies hates him enough to destroy his whole family - including her son.

"Deeply satisfying characters portrayed in the harsh realities of medieval times." (Amazon.com)

• historical fictionhistorical mysteries