England, 1901, and the cathedral in the town of Compton in the west of England is preparing to celebrate a very special anniversary - 1,000 years of Christian worship. But a few weeks before the main ceremonies at Easter, the Chancellor, a high official of the cathedral, dies in mysterious circumstances and no one, except the doctor and the undertaker, is allowed to view the corpse. It soon transpires that the Chancellor was one of the richest men in England. His sister suspects foul play and Lord Francis Powerscourt is asked to investigate.As Powerscourt paces the ancient cloisters and listens to evensong from the choir stalls, he begins to suspect that a terrible secret lies hidden in the cathedral, possibly a secret which has something to do with the anniversary. Then there is another death; one of the choristers is strangled and his body found turning on the great spit in the Vicars Hall kitchen.Powerscourt himself escapes death by a whisker and his wife Lady Lucy is nearly drowned before he uncovers the astonishing secret of Compton Minster and unmasks the murderer responsible for the death of a Chancellor. Read Less