The year is 1541, and harsh autumn winds stir the English countryside. Following a violent uprising, King Henry VIII travels to York, where an important prisoner will be interrogated. Lawyer Matthew Shardlake is assigned to protect this conspirator, but he soon discovers a greater conspiracy threatening the crown.

In Puritan England, midwife Bridget Hodgson is unwillingly drawn into a full-scale witch-hunt that pits her against the most dangerous men in York, as well as her sworn enemy, forcing her to decide how far she is willing to go to protect her loved ones. "Winter has come to the city of York, and with it the threat of witchcraft. As women and children sicken and die, midwife Bridget Hodgson is pulled against her will into a full-scale witch-hunt that...

"It is August, 1645, one year since York fell into Puritan hands. As the city suffers through a brutal summer heat, Bridget Hodgson and Martha Hawkins are drawn into a murder investigation more frightening than their last. In order to appease God's wrath--and end the heat-wave--the city's overlords have launched a brutal campaign to whip the city's sinners into godliness. But for someone in York, this is not enough. First a prostitute and her client...