After the French king's courier is killed by a crossbow in a tavern, a barmaid seeks the assistance of fourteenth-century detective Crispin Guest, who soon finds himself the prime suspect in the murder, one that could draw France and England into war.

In this prequel, Crispin Guest has his hands full in more than murder: his abduction, two women, a young cutpurse and a friend turned adversary. When a corpse turns up at his favorite tavern, Crispin Guest begins an inquiry. The dead man turns out to be a Templar knight, an order thought to be extinct for 75 years, charged with protecting a certain religious relic which is now missing. Before he can begin to investigate, Crispin is abducted by shadowy...