At the Convent of Sweet Mercy, young girls are raised to be killers. In some few children the old bloods show, gifting rare talents that can be honed to deadly or mystic effect. But even the mistresses of sword and shadow don't truly understand what they have purchased when Nona Grey is brought to their halls. A bloodstained child of nine falsely accused of murder--guilty of worse--Nona is stolen from the shadow of the noose. It takes ten years to...

Desperate for a new start in life at age fifty-two, Claire takes a chance on a trip to Rome to assist the funny, fearless nuns at a struggling convent, and confronts her own missed connection with convent life in the past as well as an old flame who reappears in her life just as she's about to make a momentous decision.

In 1858, a German princess who had been recently inducted into the convent of Sant'Ambrogio in Rome wrote a frantic letter to her cousin, a confidant of the Pope, claiming that she was being abused and that she feared for her life. What the subsequent investigation by the Church's Inquisition uncovered were the extraordinary secrets of Sant'Ambrogio and the illicit behavior of the convent's beautiful young mistress, Maria Luisa. Having convinced those...

1967 brings fresh medical and personal challenges to the midwifery and district nursing rounds. Thanks to Matthew's continued support, things at Nonnatus House are now settled and going well, and Trixie helps Matthew understand the community he is becoming a part of. Doctor Turner faces some changes in his relationship with Timothy now that he is an adult, while Shelagh continues to support community health programs. Across the series, the team faces...

It's 1968 and Enoch Powell's infamous 'Rivers of Blood' speech creates serious tension in Poplar, especially when a group of dockers march in support of Powell. The midwives welcome a new nun, Sister Veronica, who's an instant hit with everyone, except Nurse Crane. Meanwhile, Trixie's relationship with Matthew goes from strength to strength, while Nurse Crane helps Nancy with her financial woes. Sister Julienne enjoys helping out on the district rounds,...