1193. A crusader returns to his home in Nottinghamshire, to find the land divided. England is torn between the land-owning Norman lords and their English subjects, the country crippled by years of taxation and the long absence of its king. The*crusader's name is Robin of Locksley. Following a youth spent with lowborn friends Robin is determined to settle into the role his father wanted for him: a lord dispensing justice to the county. But a false rumour of his death in the East has*stolen Robin's lands from him, and the justice meted out by his fellow lords hardly seems to deserve the name. When*Robin is compelled by a neighboring lord to condemn his childhood friends for a crime they did not commit, he realises that he must choose between the need to regain his lost inheritance and his desire to help the commons of Nottinghamshire.**In this lucidly imagined and carefully researched recreation of the era of King Richard 'the Lionheart', Robin seeks the support of common-born and noble to defy the self-serving lords who oppose him, but it soon becomes clear that he can accomplish more outside the law than within it...**In this her first novel, Lauren Johnson's knowledge as a historian brings a vividness to the project, presenting us with an authentic depiction of the sights, sounds, conflicts and furies that defined this era. A story of redemption, loss,*romance and adventure, this novel will excite and enthral.