The Harlot's Tale

The people of York are terrorized by Puritan rule—and a devious serial killer—in this "ingenious, fast-paced mystery" set during the English Civil War ( Kirkus Reviews). England, 1645. The city of York, now in Puritan hands, suffers through a brutal summer heat. In order to appease God's wrath—and end the heat-wave—the city's overlords launch a brutal campaign to whip the city's sinners into godliness. But someone is determined to go further. First a prostitute and her client are found stabbed to death, then a pair of adulterers are beaten and strangled. York's sinners have been targeted for execution. Wealthy midwife Bridget Hodgson and her assistant Martha Hawkins—helped once again by Bridget's nephew, Will—race to find the killer even as he adds more bodies to his tally. The list of suspects inludes a fire and brimstone preacher, his zealous son, and their fanatical followers. But could the answer be closer to home? To stop the killing, Bridget, Martha, and Will must uncover the city's most secret sins, and hope against hope that they evade a murderer's deadly judgment.