Buried secrets from the Nazi era threaten to destroy an Austrian composer It's been years since Lucas Corinth, world-renowned composer, has set foot in the town of his birth. In that time, Europe has been torn apart by war, but Gries, an exquisite little village nestled deep within the Alps, has not been touched—at least not perceptibly. In this high-altitude paradise, the scars lie just below the surface. As a young man, Corinth worked with the resistance, helping refugees evade the Nazis and escape across the Swiss border. When the operation was discovered, he escaped. His best friend was not so lucky. Back in Gries as the guest of honor for the town's annual music festival, Corinth receives a message: The past has not been forgotten, and vengeance will be exacted. Corinth was born in Gries, and if he's not careful, he'll die there too.

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.

A pair of artists is undone by jealousy and despair on the outskirts of London In a forgotten suburb of London recently leveled by German bombs, an artists' colony has taken root. Theo Freeland spent the war painting, studiously avoiding danger, while his wife, Suspiria, made pottery during the day and drove ambulances at night. But now the war is over, and Theo spends his time drinking himself into a stupor while Suspiria tolerates him as best she can. She has her work, and that's enough. After all, she and Theo are promised to each other—till death do they part. Death, as it happens, is right around the corner. Suspiria's life changes forever the night her husband is helped home by Dennis Forbes, a strapping young mechanic who can't take his eyes off the drunkard's wife. When Theo is later found poisoned, and Suspiria claims Dennis as her own, the village turns on them. But the real tragedy is yet to come.