Save your beloved...Rescue a friend from captivity...Forge an alliance with the enemy...Succeed or die trying...Matthew Corbett's adventure, which began in the Carolina colony, led him to the lair of Professor Fall, from where he is now forced to begin a new dangerous journey. As fate would have it, Matthew had to enter into an agreement with his old enemy and follow in the footsteps of a new, no less dangerous opponent, Cardinal Black, in order to return the book of poisons he had stolen and save his beloved Berry Grigsby from inevitable madness. Time works against Matthew, and his only ally becomes Professor Fall's henchman Julian Devane. But can he be trusted? Will they be able to work together to complete this mission, or will they fall straight into the clutches of death? Read in Robert McCammon's new novel, Cardinal Black.