"In 1200 A.D., much in England has changed. Richard the Lionhearted has died and his duplicitous brother John has taken the throne. The Earl of Locksley has been outlawed by his old enemy, now the king, and Sir Alan Dale has had the estates granted to him by Richard I taken away again. But still Alan Dale lives comfortably with his beloved wife pregnant with their first child. But the good times aren't going to last. First, an old crime resurfaces...

February, 1212. Sir Josse d'Acquin and Helewise are summoned to Southfire Hall, where Josse's elderly uncle, Hugh, lies dying, surrounded by his family. But the pair soon discover that Hugh's ill health is not the only cause of distress in the house; Hugh's son and heir, Herbert, has taken an unpleasant new wife, the widowed Lady Cyrille. Josse and Helewise are distracted by the discovery of an injured young man on the road outside on the evening...

Sir Josse d'Aquin is summoned to assist the beleaguered King John in the 17th--and final--Hawkenlye mystery. September, 1216. A foreign army has invaded England. The country is divided. Some support the rebel barons and Prince Louis of France; others remain loyal to the king. His rule under threat, King John summons Sir Josse d'Acquin to support him. But can Sir Josse save the king from himself? Meanwhile, Josse's daughter Meggie is summoned to Hawkenlye...