. . Cambridge on the morning of a day in April, the year of Our Lord 1569.And Christopher Radcliff, Doctor of Civil Laws at Pembroke Hall and recruiter of clever young men to the service of the Earl of Leicester, is amongst a crowd of excited townsfolk and university scholars gathered on a field to watch a game of foot ball. It is to be played between the apprentices of the town and pupils of the colleges and it is hoped it will reconcile differences between town and gown. Bets are placed, wagers made. On the field long-standing animosities surface and violence breaks out but not before the college team is victorious, thanks to the skill of a Pembroke Hall man, John Groom.Later that day, Radcliff is summoned to the senior tutor’s rooms. It transpires that John Groom has been locked up on a serious charge of assault – he’d nearly caused a cobbler’s apprentice to drown. If found guilty, Groom would be expelled from college and face imprisonment. But Christopher smells a rat. He believes the charge to be the fabrication of someone with a serious grudge against the young man, and yet it does seem as if Groom is hiding something. Enlisting the help of his friend Edward Allington and his wife Katherine, Dr Radcliff knows the truth lies somewhere within the infamous den that is Slegge’s gaming house…

    One man has been kidnapped. Another has been murdered.In the bleakest depths of winter, Frevisse finds her soul chilled with the heavy burdens of duty and responsibility. Even the warmth of charity is in short supply as the villagers of Prior Byfield turn against each in bloody feuds of greed and rage, weaving knots of treachery which even the clever Frevisse may find hard to unwind.Award-winning author Margaret Frazer gathers shadows around the hearth to tell a tale of frigid winter and icy passion. Join Frevisse in her fervent prayers for a true peace of mind and body as she pits all her forceful will against the most cunning of evils. Fear for the lives which may be destroyed in unlocking the secrets of the winter heart...A story from Margaret Frazer's Tales.PRAISE FOR THE SISTER FREVISSE SERIES"This is a perfect mystery: It's flawless." - Drood Review of Mystery"Frazer's grasp of the society and tangled politics in England in the mid-1400s is masterful." - Firsts, the Book Collector's Magazine"Keeps readers turning the pages." - Marina Oliver, Historical Novels Review"Frazer's quiet yet intense medieval mysteries are so vividly and gracefully written you just float back in time..." - BookNews from The Poisoned Pen"Whether good or evil, her characters are vibrant and compelling. While we might like to believe that the prejudices of that era have passed into history, we are reminded that we are not so very different after all." - Lorraine Gelly, Romantic Times Book ClubA Romantic Times Top Pick.Twice nominated for the Minnesota Book Award.Twice nominated for the Edgar Award.