In the spring of 1348, tales begin arriving in England of poisonous clouds fast approaching, which have overwhelmed whole cities and even countries, with scarcely a human being left.
While some pray more earnestly and live yet more devoutly, others vow to enjoy themselves and blot out their remaining days on earth by drinking and gambling.
And then there are those who hope that God's wrath might be averted by going on a pilgrimage. But if God was permitting his people to be punished by this plague, then it surely could only be because they had committed terrible sins?
So when a group of pilgrims are forced to seek shelter at an inn, their host suggests that the guests should tell their tales. He dares them to tell their stories of sin, so that it might emerge which one is the best. That is, the worst...
The programme
- Prologue
- - in which the pilgrims arrive at the Angel Inn.
- The first sin
- - in which I tell a tale of Lust.
- The second sin
- - in which Ian Morson tells a tale of Greed.
- The third sin
- - in which Ian Morson tells a tale of Gluttony.
- The fourth sin
- - in which Susanna Gregory and Simon Beaufort tell a tale of Sloth.
- The fifth sin
- - in which Philip Gooden tells a tale of Anger.
- Epilogue
- - in which the pilgrims depart from the Angel Inn.
The Deadliest Sin was published by Simon & Schuster in July 2014:
- Order a copy from Amazon as a hardback book
- download the Kindle edition
- The paperback edition will be published in June 2015; place an advance order now.
There is also an audio edition of the full text, read by Colin Mace and published by Whole Story Audio Books (click the link to go their web site, where you can listen to an excerpt).