The fourth in the series featuring Giordano Bruno, mathematician, philosopher, heretic and spy, and solver of murders in Elizabethan England. In previous novels Bruno encountered John Dee, Nostradamus and Walsingham. He’s good friends with Philip Sidney (historically rumoured to be the Queen’s lover) and in this episode he is under the feet of Sir Francis Drake. Bruno’s deep and wonderful mind make these books more meaty than an historical romp and more vividly complex than the run of cosy crime. A spirit of adventure and true love of the period infuses the prose. Reading this alone won’t spoil your enjoyment of the mystery but to get the full flavour I recommend starting with Heresy the first in the series.
August, 1583. Giordano Bruno, a heretic fleeing the Inquisition, finds a new life working as a spy for Sir Francis Walsingham. Along with his friend, Sir Philip Sidney, Bruno travels to Plymouth on the Queen's behalf. There, they meet Sir Francis Drake, who is preparing to launch a daring expedition against the Spanish, which could turn the tide of war. Unbeknownst to Bruno, however, Sidney plans to stowaway with Drake's fleet and return a hero - dragging Bruno with him to the New World. But when a murder occurs aboard Drake's own ship, fear and suspicion grip the fleet and threaten to abort the expedition before it begins. Navigating the jealousies and loyalties of the crew, Bruno learns that someone with a deadly grudge is shadowing his investigation. Tracking the killer through Plymouth's menacing backstreets, he uncovers some of the darkest secrets the city is harbouring. Failure will come at the highest cost - not just for Bruno, but all of England...
'Impossible to resist ... Parris creates a convincing sense of the past, woven with so much intrigue that the head fairly spins' Daily Telegraph
'It has everything - intrigue, mystery and excellent history' Kate Mosse
'Parris writes with confident ease of Tudor London ... The dialogue balances nicely on a tightrope of period phrases and cut-to-the-chase colloquialisms. More, please' The Times
'Full of surprises ... an imaginatively satisfying addition to the many real intrigues surrounding the imprisoned Mary Stuart and the threats to Elizabeth's security' TLS
'Fascinating ... The period is incredibly vivid and the story utterly gripping' Conn Iggulden
'A brilliantly unusual glimpse at the intrigues surrounding Queen Elizabeth I' Andrew Taylor, bestselling author of The American Boy
Author
About S. J. Parris
S.J. Parris is the pseudonym of author and journalist Stephanie Merritt. It was as a student in Cambridge researching a paper on the period that Stephanie first became fascinated by the rich history of Tudor England and Renaissance Europe. Since then, her interest has grown and led her to create this series of historical thrillers featuring Giordano Bruno.
Stephanie has worked as a critic and feature writer for a variety of newspapers and magazines as well as radio and television. She currently writes for the Observer and the Guardian, and lives in Surrey with her son.
