A chalice full of poison

Intrigue at the royal court. Royal notary Jakub of Zbyň, his nephew Filip, and the scholar Damián investigate the murder of a wealthy widow. Once they rule out financial motives within the family, they realise the clues lead straight to the highest echelons of the Kingdom of Bohemia. Filip is now a man of a ripe old age. As a youth, however, he helped his uncle Jakub of Zbyň, the royal notary, investigate crimes committed by the sinful inhabitants of the Kingdom of Bohemia. He recorded three particularly intriguing cases for future generations in his book, Three Crimes at the Court of Charles IV. The detective story, A Cup Filled with Poison, takes place in 1368, when the wealthy widow Lady Hedvika is poisoned. The investigators' initial theory that the murder was driven by greedy family members quickly falls apart. Ultimately, the investigation leads royal notary Jakub, his friend Damián, and Jakub's nephew Filip into the highest social and political circles of the Czech kingdom. Murdered knights, a bloody captain, contract killings ordered directly from the royal court… the situation becomes so grave that Charles IV himself must step in to help with the investigation. This night at Karlštejn Castle is going to be a very long one!