Longlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Historical Fiction Dagger, 2019A Walter Scott Prize Academy Recommended Read 2019'A gorgeous book - rich, intelligent and dark in equal measure... Historical fiction at its most sumptuous.' Rory ClementsLONDON, 1590. Amidst a tumultuous backdrop of Spanish plotters, Catholic heretics and foreign wars, Queen Elizabeth I's control over her kingdom is wavering. And a killer is at work, preying on the weak and destitute of London...Idealistic physician Nicholas Shelby becomes determined to end these terrible murders. Joined in his investigations by Bianca, a beautiful but mysterious tavern keeper, the pair find themselves caught in the middle of a sinister plot. With the killer still at large, Bianca finds herself in terrible danger.Nicholas's choice seems impossible - to save Bianca, or save...