The Last Quarrel, Episode 1 by Duncan Lay

The Last Quarrel tells the tale of Fallon, Sergeant of Baltimore, who has taken this quiet position to appease his over-anxious wife Bridget; who , after suffering multiple miscarriages is terrified of what might happen to her husband and their only child Kerrin. While the town is preparing for the arrival of the Duke something ominous is on the horizon. Fallon and his trusted companions Devlin, Gallagher and Brendan rush to the waterfront to see what is amiss. To their astonishment the Duke's ship is coming in fast without a crew member in site. It runs aground at the dock and when the group embarks to see what has occurred the find nothing! Not a single crew member or the Duke himself nor are there any signs of a struggle. He enlists the aid of Sister Rosaleen to see if any blood magic was used and she says not so he asks a local wizard if natural magic is the culprit, again he receives a negative reply.
  When Fallon leaves to relay the mystery to the good Duchess in Lunster he discovers that they have their own mysteries to solve as well. Many farming families and crews of fishing vessels have gone missing as well without a sign of struggle. Fallon is determined to get to the bottom of the disappearances and hopefully move himself up in the ranks much to his wife's chagrin.
 Meanwhile Prince Cavan must keep the realm under control when witch hysteria breaks out after several children are reported missing. His father, King Aidan, could care less and orders the first woman accused to be burned at the stake without any proof. Prince Cavan feels great remorse for this and sets out to find who is really taking the children which leads him to a very astonishing suspect.
  I absolutely loved this engrossing novel that will keep you engaged from beginning to end. I read the entire novel in one sitting! I am eagerly awaiting the next two installments as I have no clue as to how it will turn out which is always a big plus in my book. Fallon is a nonsense, get it down now, hero that everyone will love and Prince Cavan is the type of ruler everyone would like to have even if his father seems determined to undermine him.