As autumn storms ravage the East Anglian coast in 1271, Crowner Ralf finds the corpse of a brutally murdered soldier in the woods near Tyndal Priory. The dagger in the man's chest is engraved with a strange, cursive design, and the body is wrapped in a crusader's cloak. Ralf takes the corpse to the priory for advice, but there is caught up in a maelstrom of conflict over whether to purchase a relic, a decision that endangers both Prioress Eleanor's leadership and the future of the hospital. Brother Thomas becomes a suspect in the murder, and Ralf must choose between the demands of his brother, the sheriff, and loyalty to a friend. Meanwhile, the murderer watches and waits.... Third in a series "as enduring as Ellis Peters's Brother Cadfael books." -Publishers Weekly Priscilla Royal lives and writes in northern California. www.priscillaroyal.com.