On their return home from their pilgrimage, Baldwin and Simon's ship is attacked off the coast of the Scilly Isles by pirates and storms and Simon looks on in horror as Baldwin is swept overboard. Washed ashore on the tiny island of Ennor, Simon is distraught to think that his closest friend is dead, but he has to put aside his grief when the master of the castle, Ranulph de Blancminster, orders him to investigate the murder of the island's tax gatherer. Ranulph is convinced that one of the the lawless inhabitants of the neighbouring island of St Nicholas is the culprit and prepares to...

When a body is found lying in the road, many in Dartmouth assume that a drunk had fallen and killed himself. At the same time, the town is on alert because a ship has been found ravaged by pirates out at sea, the crew killed or captured. Is this the beginning of a new onslaught by pirates, or is something more sinister happening?
Sir Baldwin de Furnshill has been told of spies and messengers being sent to the great traitor Roger Mortimer in France. If the messengers reach Mortimer, civil war in England will soon break out. This is the most important investigation of their lives: it could...

Isabella, Queen of England, has been dispatched to France in an attempt to bring about peace between the two countries, and Baldwin must accompany her. But the day after their arrival, a servant is found murdered, with Baldwin's dagger lying next to the body. As Baldwin struggles to prove his innocence, the killer strikes again. With so many English enemies gathering in Paris, will Baldwin be able to expose the culprit in time to protect the English King?

1325. Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and his friend Simon Puttock are sent to France with Bishop Walter II of Exeter to guard the King's son on his journey to the French King, Charles IV. The King's son must pay homage to the powerful monarch if he is to enable the English to keep hold of vital territory in France.