Praise for the Gil Cunningham series:

"Another hearty meal stuffed with fascinating period tidbits and a satisfying mystery."-Kirkus Reviews

"McIntosh artfully interweaves intrigue and history in this suspenseful medieval mystery tale."-Booklist

The third mystery in the Gil Cunningham medieval Scottish series.

Gil Cunningham's friend Augie Morison is a merchant. When he opens a barrel sent from the Low Countries that is supposed to contain books, he finds a decapitated head-and a treasure. There is an inquest the next day before the Provost at which Morison is accused of the crime and imprisoned. He implores Gil to help him.

The trail of the treasure and of the barrel containing it, which they attempt to follow in order to identify the dead man-and his murderer-leads Gil and his betrothed's father, a French Master Mason, from the royal court of King James at Stirling, to a cooper's yard in Linlithgow, and then to another corpse, found intact, lying on the bare slopes of the Pentland hills.