[1][2] It is a historical crime novel about a werewolf trial in Germany that presents a subtext questioning if the Christian god is good or evil.

[1] Set in 16th-century Germany during the Lutheran reformation, the novel's protagonist is Melchior Paulus, who is tasked with investigating a mass murder in the township of Bideburg.

[1] The plot therefore centers around an investigation undertaken by Paulus, who is attempting to avoid the collective family punishment.

[3] Allan Massie writing in The Scotsman, praises the "acute philosophical argument" presented in the book about the nature of the Christian god.

[3] Eloise Millar, writing in The Guardian, described it as brilliantly epic and lamented the lack of attention that literary reviewers gave it outside of Scotland.