When an unexpected assignment from the Department of Museums and Antiquities forces medieval specialist Arnold Landon to postpone a research vacation with his friend Jane Wilson, he does not look forward to overseeing an archaeological dig near a construction project in the English countryside. He regrets the assignment even more when he detects tension among members of the excavation team, who range from experienced historians to university students and local residents - each with their own agenda. Meanwhile, Detective Chief Inspector Culpeper seeks Arnold's advice in investigating a series of grisly murders with what police think are medieval overtones. Arnold agrees to help, but after examining clues the killer has left behind - Nordic names, cryptic inscriptions, a method of execution called the bloodeagle - he realizes that the murders are actually not medieval in nature. Instead, they appear to be the work of a modern-day Viking warrior, and Arnold suspects that the victims were not chosen at random. What begins as an academic diversion for Arnold and Jane becomes chillingly real when they find the next victim at the excavation site, and must join forces with Culpeper to outsmart a vengeful killer.

Genre: Mystery