Mazu Wace is the mother of Daiyu Wace, the Drowned Prophet.  She and her husband, Jonathan Wace, leader of the UHC, have two sons who live with them at Chapman Farm, Tiao and Jiang Wace.

Mazu is the only current UHC member who was part of the original Aylmerton Community.  She was fifteen years old when the Community was disbanded and she gave evidence against the Crowther Brothers at their trial, as she herself was a victim of the Crowthers (Prologue).

Kevin Pirbright told Sir Colin he was terrified of ‘Mama Mazu’ (as Church members were supposed to call her) and that she looked ‘like a witch, very white face, black hair, long pointed nose and weird eyes’ (Ch 7). Kevin said Mazu’s ‘thing was control’ … ‘she could make people do anything, even hurt themselves’ (Ch 7).  Mazu named all the children born at Chapman Farm. Kevin said that Mazu went ‘pretty weird and dark’ after Daiyu died.  She and Jonathan Wace turned Daiyu into a ‘kind of deity’ and called her a prophet (Ch 7).

Strike visits Lucy to let her know that the Agency’s case is related to the Aylmerton Community, where they lived with Leda for six months. Strike is horrified when Lucy reveals what had happened to her there – ‘that bitch Mazu shut me in with Coates, and she knew. She knew’ (Ch 11).

Robin meets Mazu at the temple in Chapman Farm.  At the end of the first day she sees her wearing ‘long, amber-beaded orange robes’ standing on a raised stage. She has ‘long curtains of black hair that fell to below her waist; only the long, pointed nose was clearly visible’. When she draws closer Robin notices that ‘one of the woman’s very dark, narrow eyes was set noticeably higher than the other, giving her a strange lopsided stare’ (Ch 26).

Later, Abigail Wace tells Strike that Mazu was the daughter of Malcolm Crowther (Ch 28).