In 1665, the Plague arrives in Eyam, Derbyshire (pop. 660) via a bolt of cloth, and in the summer weather, explodes onto the unsuspecting villagers. Tens of people die, hundreds are sick, village life grinds to a halt. And when 1666 comes around, the Plague reappears with a vengeance, killing hundreds in a month. In desperation, rival vicars Reverends William Mompesson and Thomas Stanley come together to request an incredible sacrifice; the whole town must quarantine to stop the plague spreading beyond its borders.
Trapped inside the Cordon Sanitaire as society and the economy collapses, a crippled outcast named Alys is named the town’s Searcher, the “coroner” responsible for recording causes of death. But as her work progresses, she realises that several of the people who looked like victims have actually been poisoned. 500 desperate villagers are trapped with a dangerous and organised serial killer.
As the bodies pile up, mistrust and superstition and old wounds erupt, and Alys must expose the killer before – he or she – strikes again.
Read the opening chapters here: