"A master story-teller." The US Review of Books "A must-read for fans of historical fiction everywhere." Readers' Favorite It's 1516 and Scotland and England are teetering on the brink of yet another war. So when a torso is found right on the border between the two countries, it threatens to create a bloodbath. French diplomat, Antoine de Lissieu, is dragged in to investigate and reluctantly takes a band of men to the wild frontier region. But he’s shunned by both sides of the divide and plagued by traumatic memories from his past. As time runs out and the bodies mount up, can Antoine catch the culprits and prevent more carnage – or will his own demons catch up with him? If you like C.J. Sansom, S.J. Parris and S.W. Perry, you’ll love this dark and twisty tale, set in a world of outlaws and warlords. "A twisting, turning murder mystery with an ending I didn't see coming. I loved it!" --- J.B. Mylet , author of CWA Daggers-shortlisted The Homes "Complex, believable, twisty and highly entertaining." --- David Penny , author of the Thomas Berrington Tudor Mysteries "Atmospheric, authentic and compelling. Deserves to be widely read and enjoyed." --- Alistair Moffat , author of The Borders, The Reivers etc "A complex, engaging mystery set in a meticulously researched and utterly convincing world...tremendously enjoyable!" --- Harriet Smart , author of the Northminster Mysteries "I was instantly drawn to it...It would take a very clever reader to work out who committed the murders." --- Barbara Henderson , author of The Reluctant Rebel "I enjoyed The Trail of Blood very much. A sense of mystery and intrigue is introduced right from the opening scene, and this is skilfully maintained and developed throughout. There are some wonderfully dramatic moments." --- Crime Writers Association reviewer A.K. Nairn is the pen name of award-winning business writer and adman Andy Nairn. He was born and bred in the Scottish Borders, and grew up fascinated by the bloody history of this now-sleepy region. In particular, he was drawn to the tale of a real-life French diplomat, who was given the thankless job of keeping order on the frontier. The locals murdered this historical figure within a year but Andy felt he deserved more time in the sun (or at least in the icy wind and rain) so has resurrected and reinvented him for this series.