Ancient history or a motive for murder? Chief Inspector Shadow is investigating an act of vandalism in the ruins of St Mary's Abbey and several random break-ins around York when he's called out to a moorland village. A wealthy but eccentric businessman, obsessed with Saxon history, has been found dead. Adding to the confusion, the victim's study's been ransacked and there's a second burglary in the village and vandalism in the churchyard. Are all the cases related? Initially, the death seems centered around an ancient Saxon treasure trove and missing parchment map. But there are many reasons for murder. This list of suspects grows frustratingly long, baffling Shadow. John Shadow is a man of contradictions. A solitary figure who shuns company but is a keen observer of all he meets. A lover of good food but whose fridge is almost always empty. He prefers to work alone but is assisted by the eager Sergeant Jimmy Chang. Now Inspector Shadow and Jimmy must discover if the murder is linked to the ancient treasure or the more recent past.
