A brilliant, Booker Prize-nominated historical thriller from the author of Zugzwang and The Catastrophist.
In turbulent seventeenth-century England, John Brigge is a governor. Having stayed away from intrigues to work on his farm and be with his wife, he is now expecting his first child. He is also—secretly—a Catholic.
When he is called to settle the murder of a new-born child, Brigge finds himself drawn into matters he wants to avoid. Katherine Shay, an Irishwoman, is accused of killing her baby. Brigge wants to wait for more evidence. The ascendant Puritan faction, however, demands her immediate hanging. Brigge suspects their haste has little to do with their talk of justice. What are they hiding? And does he really want to know?
In the background, a rebellion is brewing. Only Brigge—and his investigation—can change the tide. Torn between home and the world, haunted by the mystery of Katharine Shay, he must finally make a stand.