July, 1665. As the great plague rages rampant outside London's city walls, pestilence exerts an ever stronger grip on the population. But Harry Lytle is forced to venture into some of the most diseased parishes in search of a serial killer. A grisly death starts Harry off on the trail and it's not long before his familiar accomplice, Dowling the butcher, joins him on the case. Their master, Lord Arlington, tasks them with uncovering the name and motive of the murderer – but there will be plenty more deaths and scrapes for Harry before the name is revealed. And things take a turn for the worst when the victim's companions decide that Harry is the prime suspect . . .

Restoration London, 1664, brought vividly to life, with all the sights, sounds and smells of a teeming city, and loaded with intrigue and crawling with treacheryHarry Lytle has just discovered he has a young cousin, Anne Giles. But he's had the pleasure of meeting her for the first time as a corpse. With some robust assistance from David Dowling, a witty, impressively well-built, but hygiene-deficient, butcher, Harry sets out to track down Anne's killer.Together they follow a trail of blood, conspiracy and corruption that takes them to the dark and murky corners of London, featuring a great cast of ne'er-do-wells, cheeky wenches, harmless witches, likeable villains, and a few unsavoury fellows keen on sending Lytle and his companion to an early grave.

London is recovering from the Great Plague which has now slithered out of the City to breed elsewhere. The village of Shyam responds to the pestilence by closing its borders, allowing no one to leave until the disease has run its course. But this is where Harry Lytle and his reluctant colleague, David Dowling, are ordered to go; to track down a traitor and bring him out alive. Refusing Lord Arlington’s demands is not an option and following their every move is a merciless killer.The road to Shyam is long and dangerous, and the story that awaits them will turn their world upside down . . .Review‘Susanna Gregory and Andrew Pepper fans will find a lot to like in this historical thriller with its convincing Restoration England setting’ About the AuthorPAUL LAWRENCE has travelled and worked around the world but has now settled in Sydney, Australia where he runs creative writing workshops for high school students and other aspiring writers.