Autumn 1314. In the aftermath of the Scottish victory at the Battle of Bannockburn, the villagers of Warcop wait desperately for the return of loved ones. When brothers Wat and Rob Dickinson bring news of the death of their companion, Adam Fothergill, as they fled home, there is no one to mourn him. But when a monstrous figure is seen in the hills nearby, it seems Adam has returned from the dead to wreak revenge. But for what?

Three miles away, young Fran Hilton is mourning the death of his father and wrestling with the responsibilities of becoming lord of the manor. When he catches sight of the Revenant, he is terrified, but the mystery of Adam’s death fascinates him. With a motley band of Hilton’s young people, Fran sets out to confront Adam.

As terror turns to murder, Fran realises the truth has been buried deep within a pack of lies – and he, too, harbours a secret of his own, the revelation of which could mean losing everything and everyone he loves most.

Lies of the Flesh is a gripping exploration of what happens when identities – gender, social position or nationality – are challenged within the crucible of war.

'there's very fine stuff at the heart of this often compelling novel, and much fine treatment of the circumstances of everyday life in a bleak country'

'The social mores, the expectation of male and female roles as well as the importance of social position all have a part to play in building the story around a group of key characters and setting them against a very believable backdrop... a beautifully crafted and most satisfying novel'

'Lies of the Flesh has a number of compelling themes, including the quest for the truth, the constraints of gender roles, and the treatment of medieval women. It is meticulously researched and gives a good insight into the realities of life in a northern English village at the time'

Fiona Watson is a medieval historian and writer specialising in medieval warfare in particular, and Scottish History more generally. Among her many publications are Macbeth: A True Story (2010), A History of Scotland’s Landscapes (2018), Traitor, Outlaw, King. Part One. The Making of Robert Bruce, (2018) and Scotland’s History (2020). A former senior lecturer in History at the University of Stirling and presenter of the 2001 TV series, In Search of Scotland, she is now venturing into historical fiction to make the most of the limited evidence for medieval Scotland.