shirleyann costigan

Set in 14th Century London during the time of the Great Pestilence, THE RAT-TAKER is about an obsessive love and a tragic event coiled into one mystery.

Simon the Rat-Taker, or, as he came to called, Simon Ratiker, is a man obsessed by a terrible event that he cannot wholly remember. Driven by the question, “What did happen?” Simon attempts to recall the truth by dictating to his scribe the events of the day that became the cross point of his life: “the day the rats began to die.”

In the course of his duties, Simon’s scribe, Jonathan Purchell, senses something evil, something threatening, in the House of Ratiker. He vows to uncover it and begins a second narrative in his journal to explore his suspicions. As both men pursue a different truth, time twists and events bend until the two narratives conclude in one horrific event that brings enlightenment—and death.

New and original fiction from QP Books, an imprint of Quid Pro Books. Digital edition features quality formatting, all the illustrations from the print edition, and active Table of Contents.