A Crowning Mercy

In a country at war, a secret inheritance reveals a dark conspiracy … On a sunlit afternoon in seventeenth-century Dorset, a young girl falls in love with a stranger. But when her Puritan brother tries to force her into an unbearable marriage she flees, taking with her only the gift left to her by her unknown father, a gold pendant sealed by an engraving of an axe, and the words: St Matthew. One of four intricately wrought seals – each holding a secret within – it can, when combined with the other three, bring great wealth and power. This power is her true inheritance – but it’s a perilous legacy others will kill for … As a historical fiction, A Crowning Mercy by Bernard Cornwell is a testament to the author's literary prowess, weaving family sagas into the fabric of a war-torn country. The bestselling author's top work is a testament to life in seventeenth-century Dorset, a perilous legacy that others would kill for. For fans of Griff Hosker (The Tiger and the Thief), Patrick O'Brian (The Surgeon’s Mate), Peter Gibbons (Enemies of the Crown), Simon Scarrow (The Emperor's Exile), and Ken Follett (The Armour of Light).