The first book in the phenomenal Shardlake series... In 1537, on the Sussex coast, at the monastery of Scarnsea, Cromwell's Commissioner has been found dead, his head severed from his body. Lawyer Matthew Shardlake has been sent by Cromwell to uncover the truth behind the dark happenings at Scarnsea. But investigation soon forces Shardlake to question everything that he hears, and everything he intrinsically believes . . .