The Merchant's Partner - Couverture souple

As midwife and healer, Agatha Kyteler is regarded as a witch by her superstitious neighbours, yet she has no shortage of callers, from the humblest villein to the most elegant and wealthy in the area. But when Agatha's body is found frozen and mutilated in a hedge one wintry morning, there seem to be no clues as to who could be responsible. That is until a local youth runs away and a cry is raised…
Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, is not convinced of the youth's guilt, and soon he manages to persuade his close friend Simon Puttock, Bailiff of Lydford Castle, to help him with the investigation. As they endeavour to find the true culprit, the darker side of the village, with its undercurrents of suspicion, jealousy and disloyalty, emerges.
As Sir Baldwin becomes increasingly distracted by the beauty of a neighbouring merchant's wife, Simon finds himself wondering what happened to the foreigner who disappeared shortly after Agatha's death, riding down towards the moors ...
'The most wickedly plotted medieval mystery novels' The Times

PRAISE FOR MICHAEL JECKS:
* 'Michael Jecks is a national treasure' Scotland on Sunday
* 'Suspenseful, compelling, and convincing' Sharon Penman
* 'Marvellously portrayed' C. J. Sansom
* 'A page-turning masterpiece that will keep the reader totally gripped until the very last page. Highly recommended' Historical Novels Review
* 'Stirring intrigue and a compelling cast of characters will continue to draw accolades' Publishers Weekly