London, 1662.

Lawrence Skoefield, a young man haunted by a mysterious illness, begins work as a bookbinder's apprentice under the tutelage of the reclusive, surly John Advent, who insists on a set of mandatory rules: lock doors and sh...

London, 1662.

Lawrence Skoefield, a young man haunted by a mysterious illness, begins work as a bookbinder's apprentice under the tutelage of the reclusive, surly John Advent, who insists on a set of mandatory rules: lock doors and shutters while the sun shines, and never allow anyone into the library.

When two women are convicted of witchcraft in the county of Suffolk and Master Advent receives a commission that will force him to travel, the house wakes up, hungry for sunshine. Doors and shutters open, defying any key. One morning, Lawrence is awakened by the ghost of a young woman with pale hair and pale clothes who leads him to John Adolf's most valuable and best-hidden manuscript.

Bury St Edmunds, 1645.

Avis Crowfoot, a twenty-two-year-old healer, awaits trial in prison with a hundred other women, all accused of witchcraft. While they wait, Avis writes with an insatiable eagerness, aware that time is running out: About Hintlesham Hall and its dead. About the curse and the blood it brought with it. And about Cecily Darcy. Always about Cecily Darcy.