An elegant and atmospheric literary thriller that will delight fans of The Interpretation of Murder and The Shadow of the Wind Eighteenth century France; the Age of Enlightenment. Young calligrapher Dalessius has just been released from prison and finding himself homeless takes a job as Voltaire's messenger and spy. Soon he's entangled in a web of secrets and intrigue, leading from the courts and scaffolds of Toulouse to Paris, and a mysterious fortified monastery. There Abbot Mazy and the legendary calligrapher, Silas Darel, guard a horrific secret. Assisted by an executioner and the beautiful, marble-like daughter of an automaton maker, Dalessius encounters a gothic landscape of sinister clergymen, naked female bodies, secret messages and invisible ink as he seeks the truth behind the Abbot's machinations.