IT HAS BEEN WAITING IN THE DARK, MATTHEW'S HISTORY - OUR HISTORY. NOW I MUST TURN OVER THE STONE: THAT YOU MIGHT SEE IT, WRIGGLING TO ESCAPE. 1645: When Alice Hopkins's husband dies in a tragic accident, she returns to the small Essex town of Manningtree, where her brother Matthew still lives. But home is no longer a place of safety. Matthew has changed, and there are rumours spreading through the town: whispers of witchcraft, and of a great book in which he is gathering women's names. To what lengths will Matthew's obsession drive him? And what choice will Alice make when she finds herself at the very heart of his plan?