The Poisoned Serpent

Bestselling author Joan Wolf is back with her eagerly anticipated second novel of murder and mystery in medieval times.

It is the winter of 1140 in Norman England, and the country is embroiled in a bitter civil war, with cousin against cousing in a battle for the crown.

Caught in the midst of this is Hugh de Leon, heir to an earldom. In addition to the political turbulence, Hugh has problems closer to home. The Lady Cristen, who holds Hugh's heart, is not highborn enough to be his wife. Instead, Hugh's uncle, Guy, has arranged a marriage with the comely but spoiled heiress, Elizabeth de Beaute, whose father has just been granted the earldom of Lincoln. The two fortunes combined would give the de Leons unparalleled power.

Scant days after Guy's announcement, the new earl is murdered, and Hugh's friend Bernard stands accused of the deadly deed. Therein lies Hugh's dilemma. He must elope with Cristen before Guy can stop them from marrying. Yet, while his happiness hangs in the balance, Hugh cannot let his friend die a wrongful death.

It is up to Hugh to expos the real killer, someone so calculating and brutal, someone so chillingly smart, that he has silenced all witnesses and covered his tracks. And Hugh must be careful, for both his sake and Cristen's, that when he grabs the serpent by its tail, he, too, does not get bitten.