The Arrows of Mercy — Jill MacLean

The year is 1348. Haunted by the blood on his hands, an archer named Edmund returns home from the French wars to a life of serfdom.His brutal elder brother doesn't want a hero of Crécy on his doorstep. The woman he loves yearns for a wider world, the ambitious wise-woman challenges him in ways he deplores, and an abused servant-girl is a thorn to his flesh. The priest denounces his mercy killings. Yet, as the days pass, Edmund is impelled to fight for the impossible: love and redemption.Then plague arrives in the village and everything changes....MacLean's grasp of the setting is remarkable, vividly depicting a place beleaguered by famine, disease, and armed conflict.-Kirkus Reviews...Richly imagined and compellingly realized, The Arrows of Mercy draws the reader into a story of the past that is imbued with the urgency and immediacy of our own time.- Anne Simpson, award-winning author of Speechless...Gripping, immersive, and penned with wisdom and a fiery prescience, The Arrows of Mercy is a story of human desire that pushes the boundaries of language to make a powerful statement on the passions and impulses that shape morality itself. A story for the ages.-Carol Bruneau, award-winning author of Brighten the Corner Where You Are