Our Lady of Pain, one of John Blackburn’s most tightly plotted novels, features an introduction by British novelist Stephen Laws.

The tale of Elizabeth Bathory is one drenched in blood and talked about in terrified whispers hundreds of years after the fact. Now, something old and evil has arisen to stalk England. Three hardened criminals are driven mad and die horribly. Reporter Harry Clay finds evidence of a horrible link between these deaths, an aging actress with a vicious hatred of her critics, and a doctor who possibly mutilates his patients in mad experiments. In this novel, there’s no hyper-competent General Kirk to set matters right, only one terrified man who somehow suspects that when the curtain finally goes up on Our Lady of Pain, a play about the horrible Bathory, there will be a blood bath like none other.

Originally published in 1974, Our Lady of Pain is presented in a hardcover format. This edition is limited to 200 copies, signed by introducer Stephen Laws and cover artist Gahan Wilson.