Book excerpt: On the outskirts of a small religious village near London in 1865, Arman Shaw lives alone. He hasn't seen another soul in 441 days. Not since the death of his wife. He longs to return to the congregation, but every day spent in isolation makes it harder to go back. Then Violet Walker turns up on his doorstep to tell him that her husband, an old friend of Arman's, has been murdered. The local congregation wants to execute the man responsible, but Violet wants the murderer to have a trial, and she wants Arman to defend him...