The author of the Thirty-Nine Steps blends history with fantasy and horror in this tale of a Scottish minister torn between his church and his king. Seventeenth-century Scotland is immersed in a terrifying era. Although his new parishioners are staunch supporters of the National Covenant, moderate young minister David Sempill is not so certain. Then one dark night, Sempill witnesses a demonic ritual performed in the Black Wood of Melanudrigill. What he does next will determine if he can save his truly parish . . . or even himself . . .With an introduction by Allan Massie
