In 1703, someone has awakened, someone Thomas Treadwater has been watching over for 60 years.
In 1643, Thomas is on leave from the Parliamentary army, on his way home because of an urgent summons by his sister Esther. When he arrives home, he finds many of his father’s sheep dead and his father felled by an apoplectic fit.
Thomas is disturbed to find that Esther has incriminated a servant girl, Chrissa Moore, for witchcraft, blaming her for the state of their father and claiming that the girl has had relations with him. Worse, he finds that Joan, a long-time servant, is also incriminated. Almost immediately after Thomas arrives, Rutherford, an officer of the court, arrives to escort Esther to make a statement, and Thomas finds that Joan and her mother have been arrested as well as Chrissa, who is refusing to speak.
Esther goes down to the jail to see Joan but says she and her mother wouldn’t speak to her. When Thomas goes down to the jail, Chrissa asks him to speak to Lucy Bennett in Norwich. Then he discovers that Joan and her mother are dead, poisoned by hemlock.
Although I figured out part of what was going on almost immediately, thus begins a truly gothic story that involves an ancient legend, a family secret, and the poet John Milton. It’s full of adventure and is rivetting.
What? Me Read? 
I’m glad you found this rivetting – so did I! I loved the way she used all the legend stuff. Normally I’m a stickler for staying in the real world, but she beat down my resistance! Can’t wait to see what she does next…
Yes, it was really good.