Midsummer, 1626

‘Alice knows she has gone too far. The warning is clear ’

Leaving behind the tragedy of her life in High Stoke, Alice Jerrard is returning to Hillbury, the Dorset village that was her childhood home.

But when a travelling merchant is found dead and the main suspect is Wat Meredith, a servant within her friend’s household, Alice must race to uncover the truth before they run out of time.

Blackmail, jealousy and the secrets of a nearby dyeworks — a criminal trail leads back to Wat’s former master. But he was buried last year, so how is a long-dead villain still working to control all their lives?

Alice must be careful — for someone is a master of lies, and one man is already dead