The Elixir of Death

County Coroner Sir John de Wolfe investigates a series of brutal murders in 12th-century England. The discovery of the murdered crew from a shipwreck...is just the first in a string of atrocities. The captain was the husband of Sir John's former mistress, Hilda, and his investigation troubles both his shrewish wife Matilda and his current mistress...After a series of horrific murders, all related by the use of an unusual knife and crossbows with Arabic lettering, Sir John realizes that all the victims were connected to a disastrous crusade. Meanwhile, Sir John's disgraced brother-in-law Richard de Revelle is involved in a scheme to make money for Prince John, who's trying to seize his brother's throne. The King of France has sent a Mohammedan alchemist to work with a Scot to turn base metal to gold, and Richard is providing them supplies and a secret place to work. When Hilda goes on her own crusade to track down her husband's killers, she's made a prisoner, along with Matilda and Richard...Knight's tenth populates a detailed study of the period with well-drawn characters