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. Also available in quality digital editions.

Shirleyann Costigan, an educator, writer, and editor, received her M.A. in English Studies from Loyola University, Los Angeles. Before beginning her long career as a writer for school publishing, she was an elementary school teacher and a college instructor. She has since worked for numerous school publishers including Boston Educational Research and Hampton-Brown Publishing. She currently edits and writes for National Geographic School Publishing. THE RAT-TAKER is her first novel.