Crowner Royal

London, 1196. At the command of King Richard, Sir John de Wolfe has left his beloved West Country for the Palace of Westminster, where he has been appointed Coroner of the Verge. But with the Lionheart overseas, embroiled in a costly war against King Philip of France, Sir John is dismayed to discover that the English court is a hotbed of greed, corruption and petty in-fighting.
The murder of one of the Palace clerks, stabbed in broad daylight and thrown into the Thames, leads John to suspect that there's a conspiracy underway to overthrow King Richard. Could there be a link to the daring theft of gold bullion he was escorting from the Tower? With the visit of the dowager Queen Eleanor fast approaching, the new Coroner must do whatever it takes to prove his suspicions are right, root out the traitors within and prevent a national catastrophe.