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Delacorte Press
October 2009
On Sale: September 29, 2009
528 pages
ISBN: 0385341709
EAN: 9780385341707
Hardcover
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Mystery Historical | Suspense
From the author of Company of Liars, hailed as βa jewel of a medieval mysteryβ* and βan atmospheric tale of treachery and magic,β** comes a magnificent new novel of an embattled village and a group of courageous women who are set on a collision courseβin an unforgettable storm of secrets, lust, and rage.England, 1321. The tiny village of Ulewic teeters between survival and destruction, faith and doubt, God and demons. For shadowing the villagersβ lives are men cloaked in masks and secrecy, ruling with violence, intimidation, and terrifying fiery rites: the Owl Masters. But another force is touching Ulewicβa newly formed community built and served only by women. Called a beguinage, it is a safe harbor of service and faith in defiance of the all-powerful Church. Behind the walls of this sanctuary, women have gathered from all walks of life: a skilled physician, a towering former prostitute, a cook, a local convert. But life in Ulewic is growing more dangerous with each passing day. The women are the subject of rumors, envy, scorn, and furyβ¦until the daughter of Ulewicβs most powerful man is cast out of her home and accepted into the beguinageβand battle lines are drawn.Into this drama are swept innocents and conspirators: a parish priest trying to save himself from his own sinsβ¦a village teenager, pregnant and terrifiedβ¦a woman once on the verge of sainthood, now cast out of the Church.β¦With Ulewic ravaged by flood and disease, and with villagers driven by fear, a secret inside the beguinage will draw the desperate and the depravedβuntil masks are dropped, faith is testedβ¦and every lie is exposed.*New York Times Book Review**Marie Claire
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