Book 3 in the Defender of the Realm Series The rebellion to remove King Henry II, from the throne of England has been crushed. The perpetrators have either been imprisoned, or have all met untimely ends. Henry's forces have done such a thorough job of rooting out the dissidents, that England seems to truly be at peace. Appearances can be deceiving. When hostilities are bottled up, they find new avenues of release, and bring forth something Lord James has never had to deal with before when a mutilated body is discovered in his quiet town of Loxley. Facing a foe on an open battlefield is a far cry from finding a monster hiding in the shadows, or worse, the madman who walks among them.It is medieval murder most foul, and James must wrestle with his conscience over what is the truth and what is justice.