In 1144, near the walls of Norwich, a city in East Anglia, the mutilated corpse of a young apprentice, William, was found. A rumor spread throughout the city, and soon beyond its borders, that the murder was the work of Jews who wanted to violate the Christian faith. It was from this event that the blood libel began - accusing Jews of practicing ritual murders of Christians. In her book, American researcher Emily Rose for the first time studied in detail the source of one of the darkest anti-Semitic myths that has flourished in the public consciousness for centuries. The plot of her monograph unfolds at the intersection of detective microhistory, recreating the details of the murder of William of Norwich, and a description of the socio-cultural context of the 12th century. As the author shows, blood libel was a means that helped royalty, the church and the feudal elite in resolving many political and economic problems. E. M. Rose is a medievalist historian, visiting lecturer at a number of US universities.