The Assize of the Dying
by Ellis Peters
From master of suspense Ellis Peters come two chilling tales of justice, deception, and revenge The jury foreman trembles as he delivers the verdict. After a grueling trial, the erudite and elegant Louis Stevenson has been found guilty of murder—and sentenced to death. A ripple of excitement goes through the courtroom, and Stevenson rises to make a final statement. He's innocent, he insists, and for condemning him, he swears cosmic vengeance on four men: the prosecutor, the foreman, the judge, and the true killer of Zoë Trevor. On their heads, he places the Assize of the Dying, a medieval curse that ensures they'll be dead within a month. In "The Assize of the Dying" and "Aunt Helen," Ellis Peters is at her best—and murder and elegance go hand in hand.