A Pale Horse

About the book

Late on a spring night in 1920, a group of five boys venture into the Yorkshire dales to the ruins of Fountains Abbey with the intention of summoning the Devil. Instead, they come face to face with the Devil himself, observing them silently. Frightened, they flee in fear, abandoning a stolen book on alchemy left behind by their teacher.

The following morning, a body is found in the cloisters of the abbey–a man draped in a cloak and wearing a gas mask. The only clue left behind is the discarded book. A police constable, who dabbles in portrait drawing, sketches a likeness of the deceased to circulate to other authorities in an attempt to identify him. It is revealed that the man may have been involved in the British government's work on toxic gases following their use by the Germans in Ypres during the war.

Inspector Rutledge from Scotland Yard is assigned to confirm the man's identity and unravel the mystery surrounding his death. Rutledge delves into the investigation, confronting secretive villagers and delving into the possible connections to the events of the Great War. The presence of a monumental chalk sculpture depicting a pale horse of the Apocalypse adds to the enigma surrounding the crime.