"THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
INTRODUCING AN INCREDIBLE NEW SERIES FROM THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING MASTER OF HISTORICAL CRIME, S. J. PARRIS
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'Sophia is a dazzling heroine, and the world of late Elizabethan England brimful of plot and conspiracy, is vividly and thrillingly brought to life' LAURA SHEPHERD-ROBINSON
'Right from the intriguing opening pages everything Parris layers into this Elizabethan crime drama screams bestselling series' OBSERVER
'A new historical crime from S. J. Parris is always cause for celebration but she really has excelled herself with Traitor's Legacy' ANDREW TAYLOR
'A writer who repeatedly proves that she is one of the most stylish of historical crime practitioners' FINANCIAL TIMES
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England, 1598. Queen Elizabeth’s successor remains unnamed. The country teeters on a knife edge.
When a young heiress is found murdered at the theatre, the Queen’s spymaster Robert Cecil calls upon former agent Sophia de Wolfe to investigate.
A cryptic note found on the dead girl’s body connects to Sophia’s previous life as a spy, and her quest soon takes her into dangerous waters. Powerful enemies emerge, among them the Earl of Essex: the Queen’s favourite courtier and a man of ruthless ambition.
This is a murder that reaches directly into the heart of the court. And Sophia is concealing a deep-buried secret of her own. She must uncover the truth before her past threatens to destroy her.
Traitor's Legacy was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 12-05-2025
READERS LOVE TRAITOR’S LEGACY…
‘Top class historical crime’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Another fantastic historical thriller from master of the Elizabethan mystery’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘A straight 5* for me! A very compelling novel I highly recommend’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘I loved the characters. The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it kept me reading way past midnight’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Sophia De Wolfe is a truly epic character’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘I had very high expectations for this novel. It is excellent. And the even better news it is that this is the first of a new series’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘The richly detailed Elizabethan setting and clever twists kept me hooked from start to finish’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘The murder mystery is layered with political intrigue, keeping you second-guessing every revelation’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Excellently researched, great plot, beautiful execution. I love the combination of historical menace and a thriller’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘SJ Parris does it again’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘I didn't know who to trust or who to believe the whole way along’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Another glorious dive into the murky world of Elizabethan spies and lies’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Loved every minute of this book. More please featuring Sophia!’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘I'm already looking forward to book two’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘You know what you’re getting with Parris; a stunning mix of fact and fiction with a clever plot woven around real people and the duplicitous Cecil, the court spymaster. It’s tense, well-paced, twists that feel real and it’s easy to become immersed in a different world’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"
"The new historical crime thriller, a Sunday Times bestseller, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Hilary Mantel
Prague, 1588.
A COURT IN TURMOIL
The court of the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II, is a haven for scientists, astrologers and alchemists. The dream – to discover the philosopher’s stone and attain immortality. But now there are rumours of heresy.
A MURDERED ALCHEMIST
Giordano Bruno is sent to Prague as a spy for Elizabeth I. He arrives to find the palace in uproar – an alchemist has been murdered.
AN UNFORGIVING ENEMY
Ordered by the emperor to uncover the killer, Bruno must negotiate the jostling factions at court, as well as the religious tensions brewing in the city. And his hunt to track down a murderer soon proves as elusive as the elixir of life itself…
Praise for Alchemy
‘The clever twists and turns of Alchemy are assuredly plotted and Prague, a city in religious and political turmoil, makes for a powerful setting’ The Times
‘Over the past dozen years, S. J. Parris’s novels… have been among the most enjoyable of all historical thrillers’ Sunday Times
‘Breathless pace and acutely observed detail make for a story that confounds and surprises’ Observer
S. J. Parris's book Alchemy was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 03-07-2023"
"Three gripping tales from No.1 Sunday Times bestseller S. J. Parris.
The Secret Dead
Summer 1556. A girl’s body is found in a Neapolitan monastery. Novice monk Giordano Bruno is determined to uncover what happened, but his investigation could deliver him into the hands of the Inquisition.
The Academy of Secrets
Autumn 1568. An invitation arrives for Giordano Bruno from a secret society of philosophers. Bruno is delighted, but keeping their heretical secrets soon becomes a matter of life or death.
A Christmas Requiem
Winter 1569. Giordano Bruno is summoned by the Pope, who is intrigued by his talent for memory games. But Rome is a den of iniquity, and Bruno will be lucky to escape the Eternal City alive.
*Please note these three novellas are also published as individual stories in ebook.*
‘S. J. Parris gives us a glimpse into the younger years of Giordano Bruno, her 16th-century heretic and spy, in this collection of three beguiling novellas’ Observer
What readers are saying about The Dead of Winter
‘Superb story-telling’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Such a treat’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Beautifully written’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Gripping’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Compulsive reading’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Full of energy and excitement’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Superb’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"
"From number one bestselling author S. J. Parris, Execution is the sixth Tudor thriller featuring Giordano Bruno, heretic, philosopher and spy.
England, 1586. Giordano Bruno returns to England to bring shocking new intelligence to Sir Francis Walsingham. A band of Catholic Englishmen are plotting to kill Queen Elizabeth and spring Mary Queen of Scots from prison to take the English throne in her place. Bruno is surprised to find that Walsingham is aware of the plot, led by the young, wealthy noble Anthony Babington, and is allowing it to progress. His hope is that Mary will put her support in writing - and condemn herself to a traitor's death. Bruno is tasked with going undercover to join the conspirators. Can he stop them before he is exposed? Either way a queen will die; Bruno must make sure it is the right one...
“A delicious blend of history and thriller.” THE TIMES"
"Paris, 1585: Giordano Bruno has come to Paris, a city on the edge of catastrophe. Alone and near destitute, Bruno turns to old friend and zealous preacher, Paul Lefevre. But when the priest is murdered, Bruno is pulled into a dangerous world. If Bruno can't uncover the truth, not only is the future of the de Valois monarchy threatened – but his own life will be the forfeit."
"Summer, 1585: As English ships are held captive in Spain, fear mounts of King Philip's Invincible Armada, ready to invade English shores
Sir Francis Drake prepares to embark on an expedition by royal commission to cross the Atlantic and seize major Spanish ports, diverting Philip's American treasure supplies to Queen Elizabeth. When a ship captain is brutally murdered, and Drake's life threatened, it becomes clear that someone plans to destroy the expedition before it begins. Giordano Bruno and Sir Philip Sidney hunt for the killer, but are they being lured into a trap?"
"Fear haunts the streets of London after the assassination of a protestant Prince, and the recurrence of the plague. Giordano Bruno suspects someone is following him, but on confronting his stalker, he realizes it is the woman he once loved – she is on the run, accused of murder. Bruno travels to Canterbury to help clear her name, instructed by Sir Francis Walsingham to also search for the assassin in the shadow of England's holiest shrine…"
"The follow-up to the bestselling Heresy sees the return of Giordano Bruno, religious exile and renegade monk…
Autumn, 1583. As an astrological phenomenon heralds the dawn of a new age and Mary Stuart's supporters scheme to usurp Elizabeth, a young maid is murdered, occult symbols carved into her flesh. Giordano Bruno is called on to use his cunning to infiltrate the plotters and find evidence against them. In fear for his life, Bruno discovers that the young woman's murder could point to an even more sinister truth…"
"In Elizabeth's England, true faith can mean bloody murder…
Oxford, 1583. Giordano Bruno, a radical thinker fleeing the Inquisition, is sent undercover to Oxford to expose a Catholic conspiracy against Queen Elizabeth. But he has his own secret mission at the University, which must remain hidden at all costs. When a series of hideous murders are committed, Bruno is compelled to investigate. What he finds makes it brutally clear that the Tudor throne itself is at stake…"
