Shortly after learning his brother-inlaw, Will Clark, was murdered, Simon Maldon is called into Queen Elizabeth’s presence. Trusting her old friend’s judgment, the queen wants Simon to go with her delegation to Scotland and make an objective assessment of the character of Mary, Queen of Scots. Despite his pleas of family concerns, Elizabeth insists he must go. Reluctantly, Simon obeys his monarch’s command.After Simon sails for Scotland, his son Henry, wife Hannah, and old friend Calkin delve into the mystery of Will Clark’s murder. They soon face a killer determined to hide his crimes and willing —even eager—to murder again to do so. In Scotland, Simon faces his own trials. An outlaw captures the Englishmen and threatens to kill them if they don’t abandon their mission.
