Allie, the daughter of Adelia Aguilar and a skilled healer with her mother's knowledge of anatomy and sleuthing, is dispatched to the Cambridgeshire village of Ely. There her courtship with a young aristocrat is complicated by her investigation into the disappearances of several local girls.
England. 1191. After the death of her friend and patron, King Henry II, Adelia Aguilar is living comfortably in retirement and training her daughter, Allie. Learning the practical knowledge of anatomy, forensics, and sleuthing that catches murderers, Allie is already a skilled healer, with a particular gift for treating animals. Her father, Rowley, Bishop of Saint Albans, and his patron, the formidable Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, have plans to marry Allie to an influential husband. When a friend in Cambridgeshire falls ill, Allie's path crosses with Lord Peverill, a young aristocrat who would be a most suitable match for the young healer. Allie learns a village girl has disappeared-- and over the past few months, several girls from the villages surrounding Ely have vanished. A monstrous predator is on the loose-- will Allie's stubborn pursuit of the truth help her find the killer... or make her the next victim? -- adapted from jacket.