James Cowan has a gift for writing about shadowy figures. His previous book, Francis: A Saint’s Way (which I reviewed in ABR, August 2001), probed the many myths that have gathered over the centuries around the figure of Francis of Assisi. It returned to the relatively small number of facts that are known about Francis, and worked with them to distil something of the essence of a character who has had a profound influence not just on the Christian tradition, but well beyond. It also revisited the places where Francis lived to ask questions about the relationship between environment and character, especially spiritual character.