The Flowers of Evil

"The Flowers of Evil" continues the adventures of Hugh de Verdon, the crusader knight introduced in "The Waste Land". It takes up his story in the early years of the twelfth century, a turbulent period when the victorious First Crusaders fought to hold on to the lands they had won in Outremer. Unfinished business from "The Waste Land" takes Hugh on a journey of vengeance and fulfilment to Aleppo, Damascus, Petra and Jerusalem. He battles his old adversaries Baldwin of Boulogne, now King of Jerusalem, Hasan-i Sabbah and the Assassins, and encounters the Knights Templar. Hugh's story is once again retold by the dons of St. Lazarus' College, Oxford. They have been delighted by the commercial success of "The Waste Land" and hope to repeat their achievement with "The Flowers of Evil". They could not have foreseen the sinister and unexpected consequences.