Book 1 in the gripping Oswald de Lacy series, which can be read as a standalone, from 'the medieval CJ Sansom' (Jeffery Deaver)
England, 1350: the Black Death has changed the country forever, taking master and servant alike.
Young Oswald de Lacey was never meant to be Lord of Somershill Manor, but when his father and older brothers die of the Plague, he must return home from the monastery and assume responsibility for an estate ravaged by pestilence.
Almost immediately Oswald is confronted with the vicious murder of a young woman, Alison Starvecrow. The village priest claims it is the work of demonic dog-headed men, a theory Oswald rejects as nonsense. But proving this - by finding the real killer - only leads Oswald deeper into a maze of political intrigue, family secrets and violent strife.
And then the body of another girl is found...
'Sykes has really reset the bar for medieval mysteries' Medievalists
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 9781444785784
Number of pages: 352
Weight: 250 g
Dimensions: 197 x 129 x 23 mm
The medieval CJ Sansom - Jeffery Deaver
Sykes's damp, depopulated, miasmic Middle Ages is well evoked, making this an impressive debut with at least one sequel on the way. - The Herald, Scotland
A novel full of suspense and intrigue that will have you gripped. - Best magazine
There's a nice, cliché-free sharpness to Sykes' writing . . . that suggests a medieval Raymond Chandler at work, and there are no phony celebrations of the peasantry or earth-mothers thrusting herbal concoctions down grateful throats. Plenty of action and interesting characters, without intervention of the libertarian modern conscience that so often wrecks the medieval historical novel. - Independent
PLAGUE LAND is a fascinating historical crime novel about a world turned upside down, inhabited by a rich cast of characters. A terrific debut and a wonderful start to a brand-new series. - Antonia Hodgson, author of THE DEVIL IN THE MARSHALSEA
Sykes has really reset the bar for medieval mysteries . . . every clue brings with it unexpected twists and turns. When you think you know who the killer is, you're slapped with yet another surprise. - Medievalists
Sykes's debut provides everything a reader would want in a historical mystery: a gripping plot, vivid language, living and breathing characters, and an immersive depiction of the past. - Publisher's Weekly
Recently I checked out the Amazon reviews for the hard copy of this novel, and was a bit taken aback by the highly positive reviews for this book. I hadn't heard of Mrs Sykes before and was waiting for the... More
I was bought a copy of Plague Land, by S.D. Sykes, by a friend who knows how I enjoy well constructed historical novels, and although I hadn't heard of S.D. Sykes before I can highly recommend Plague Land.
Its...
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Oswald de Lacy finds himself uprooted from the monastery he has lived in for most of his life when he is called back to govern the family estate after the Plague has killed his father and two brothers. At 18 he is... More
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