Working as a translator in Prague, Englishwoman Helen Franklin has found a refuge, until her friend Karel discovers a mysterious letter in the library. Karel reveals a strange confession and a curious warning that speaks of Melmoth the Witness, a dark-robed figure found in obscure fairy tales and antique village lore. As such superstition has it, Melmoth travels through the ages, beckoning others to experience endless wandering and solitude. To Helen it all seems the stuff of unenlightened fantasy, but in this novel by the author of The Essex Serpent, she senses that she is being watched as she wanders the cobblestone streets—and then Karel disappears.

"Masterful.... Scary and smart, working as a horror story but also a philosophical inquiry into the nature of will and love. Perry did as much in her richly praised novel The Essex Serpent, but this is a deeper, more complex novel and more rewarding."—Washington Post

"Another Gothic stunner.... A scary novel that chills to the bone even as it points the way to a warmer, more humane, place."—NYTBR