Hangman Blind - Hardcover

'Clark capably draws out the turmoil of rebellion and fealty boiling under Richard II's insecure, juvenile reign, while giving Hildegard plenty of scope to poke her nose the violence engulfing the de Hutton dynasty' -- Financial Times 'Cassandra Clark's prose is flawless' -- Daily Telegraph 'Hildegard is an engaging protagonist, sensible, kindly, resourceful and believable; she is also endearing susceptible to a pair of Saxon blue eyes (Ulf) and Norman grey ones (Hubert). Fans of historical crime will relish this' -- Joanna Hines, Guardian 'A strong novel about how denying the past can destroy lives' -- Sunday Age 'A promising new heroine' -- Diplomat 'The political background is intriguing and Hildegard is a strong and likeable heroine with a big future' -- Huddersfield Daily Examiner 'The quality of research in this novel is obviously of the highest order and one can only look forward to the next in the series.' -- East Riding News 'Clark delivers a medieval whodunnit which is both delicate and dangerous, reeking of lust, treachery, greed and violence and which keeps the reader at least one step behind' -- Northern Echo 'Hangman Blind is a brilliant book which I thoroughly enjoyed -- not just because it's set in 1382 with all the richness of that period, but because it's so well written' -- BFK Books 'A well written and engaging story' -- Euro Crime (online) 'The strength of the book...is in the quality of the historical imagination and the attempt at integrating the political and social situation into the plot' -- Reviewing the Evidence (online) 'A debut author with raw nerve ... this first book in Clark's series will delight historical crime fans who enjoy constant plot twists' -- Historical Novels Review

Black February in the year 1383: rain started to fall before Martinmas, sweeping through France, Flanders and Tuscany, and barely ceased all year. Floods brought famine. Famine brought disease. The Black Death bestowed its grace on town after town. Bodies were piled in open pits. The lime was spread. Paris shut its gates; Cologne and Florence followed suit. Into this watery world, against a background of plague and the political turmoil of the Hundred Years War, the nun Hildegard is sent across Europe in search of a precious relic, the Cross of Constantine. Strong-willed and independent, she will need remarkable skills to survive such a dangerous quest. For with the English Crown at stake there are many who want her mission to fail -- and one, above all, who plans a deadly revenge ...