In the autumn of 1140 the Benedictine monastery at Shrewsbury finds its new novice Meriet Aspley a disturbing presence. Meek and biddable by day, his sleep is rent with nightmares so violent as to earn him the nickname of 'Devil's Novice'. Can Meriet be involved in the nearby disappearance of a superior prelate? As events take a sinister turn it falls to Brother Cadfael to detect the truth behind the young man's predicament.
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