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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.
PARIS, 1585. A KING WITHOUT AN HEIR Giordano Bruno arrives in Paris to find a city on the edge of catastrophe. King Henry III lives in fear of a coup by the fanatical Catholic League and another massacre on the streets.
A 2016 World Book Night selection. 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.
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 2012 Book of the Month. One of our Great Reads You May Have Missed in 2012. We loved her debut Heresy, with the ex-monk turned secret agent Giordano Bruno and the follow up historical mystery, Sacrilege, is just as gripping. Assassinations, threats of plague and dark secrets hidden in the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral prove a formidable challenge for renaissance man Bruno, who is also battling with demons of his own. If you enjoy authors like C J Sansom then we think you will find it hard to resist.
Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts at the Hay Festival on 5 June 2012. We loved her debut Heresy, with the ex-monk turned secret agent Giordano Bruno and the follow up historical mystery, Sacrilege, is just as gripping. Assassinations, threats of plague and dark secrets hidden in the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral prove a formidable challenge for renaissance man Bruno, who is also battling with demons of his own. If you enjoy authors like C J Sansom then we think you will find it hard to resist.
One of our Great Reads you may have missed in 2011. A lovely historical thriller, it stands alone, but the first, Heresy, is just as good so check it out too. Mathematician and memory master Bruno has another plot on the Queen’s life to foil in his service to the spymaster Walsingham. Gripping, exciting, one that really keeps you up all night turning the pages. I highly recommend it. August 2011 Book of the Month. The Lovereading view... Full of intrigue and suspense and set in Elizabethan England this terrific historical thriller will be loved by fans of C. J. Sansom and The Name of the Rose. It features Giordano Bruno, maverick, renegade monk, philosopher and heretic, who has infiltrated a plot to oust Queen Elizabeth and must now find concrete evidence to enable Mary Stuart and her cohorts to be executed but nothing is easy when mysteries, secrets and the occult bar his way. The Giordano Bruno series:1. Heresy2. Prophecy
One of our Debuts of the Year 2011. March 2011 Debut of the Month. A vivid and gripping historical thriller set in Elizabethan England introducing Giordano Bruno, philosopher, scientist and spy for all fans of C.J.Sansom and The Name of the Rose. Stalking a cunning and determined killer through the shadowy cloisters of Oxford, Bruno realizes that even the wise cannot always tell truth from heresy. But some are prepared to kill for it. 'Heresy has everything - intrigue, mystery, excellent history and haunting sense of place. The beginning of a wonderful new detective series'Kate Mosse
August 2012 Book of the Month. One of our Great Reads You May Have Missed in 2012. We loved her debut Heresy, with the ex-monk turned secret agent Giordano Bruno and the follow up historical mystery, Sacrilege, is just as gripping. Assassinations, threats of plague and dark secrets hidden in the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral prove a formidable challenge for renaissance man Bruno, who is also battling with demons of his own. If you enjoy authors like C J Sansom then we think you will find it hard to resist.
PARIS, 1585. A KING WITHOUT AN HEIR Giordano Bruno arrives in Paris to find a city on the edge of catastrophe. King Henry III lives in fear of a coup by the fanatical Catholic League and another massacre on the streets.
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.
A 2016 World Book Night selection. 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.
A short story featuring Giordano Bruno: heretic, philosopher and spy. Perfect for fans of C.J. Sansom. Even the dead have a story to tell... Naples, 1566. During a sweltering summer, eighteen-year-old Giordano Bruno takes his final vows at San Domenico Maggiore and is admitted to the Dominican Order - despite doubts over his tendency to ask difficult questions. Assisting in the infirmary, Bruno witnesses an illicit autopsy performed on the body of a young woman. Her corpse reveals a dark secret, and Bruno suspects that hers may not have been an accidental death. His investigation leads him to a powerful figure who wants to keep the truth buried - and Bruno is forced to make a choice between his future in the Order, and justice for an innocent victim and her grieving family...
Even the dead have a story to tell...Naples, 1566.During a sweltering summer, eighteen-year-old Giordano Bruno takes his final vows at San Domenico Maggiore and is admitted to the Dominican Order - despite doubts over his tendency to ask difficult questions. Assisting in the infirmary, Bruno witnesses an illicit autopsy performed on the body of a young woman. Her corpse reveals a dark secret, and Bruno suspects that hers may not have been an accidental death. His investigation leads him to a powerful figure who wants to keep the truth buried - and Bruno is forced to make a choice between his future in the Order, and justice for an innocent victim and her grieving family.A spellbinding and eerily poignant short story that brings the tense atmosphere of the Inquisition and the promise of the Renaissance to vivid life.
A short story featuring Giordano Bruno: heretic, philosopher and spy. Perfect for fans of C.J. Sansom.Even the dead have a story to tell...Naples, 1566. During a sweltering summer, eighteen-year-old Giordano Bruno takes his final vows at San Domenico Maggiore and is admitted to the Dominican Order - despite doubts over his tendency to ask difficult questions.Assisting in the infirmary, Bruno witnesses an illicit autopsy performed on the body of a young woman. Her corpse reveals a dark secret, and Bruno suspects that hers may not have been an accidental death.His investigation leads him to a powerful figure who wants to keep the truth buried - and Bruno is forced to make a choice between his future in the Order, and justice for an innocent victim and her grieving family...
Perfect for fans of C.J. Sansom and The Name of the Rose, three Sunday Times bestselling historical thrillers featuring Giordano Bruno, heretic, philosopher and spy.HERESY: Oxford, 1583. A place of learning, and of murderous schemes. The Queen's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, recruits Giordano Bruno, a radical thinker fleeing the Inquisition, to expose a Catholic conspiracy at Oxford University. When a series of brutal murders ruptures close-knit college life, Bruno realizes that the Tudor throne itself is at stake...PROPHECY: London, 1583. As Mary Stuart's supporters scheme to usurp the rightful monarch, a young maid of honour is murdered in Queen Elizabeth's court, occult symbols carved into her flesh. When maverick agent Giordano Bruno is instructed to infiltrate the plotters, he must use all his cunning to secure evidence against them before his true identity is exposed...SACRILEGE: Canterbury, 1584. Heretic-turned-spy Giordano Bruno travels to Canterbury to clear the name of the woman he once loved. But when a series of mysterious crimes strike the city, a far bigger puzzle emerges. Bruno's investigation leads him deep into the shadows of the Cathedral, and to the heart of a sinister and powerful conspiracy...
One of our Great Reads you may have missed in 2011. A lovely historical thriller, it stands alone, but the first, Heresy, is just as good so check it out too. Mathematician and memory master Bruno has another plot on the Queen’s life to foil in his service to the spymaster Walsingham. Gripping, exciting, one that really keeps you up all night turning the pages. I highly recommend it. August 2011 Book of the Month. The Lovereading view... Full of intrigue and suspense and set in Elizabethan England this terrific historical thriller will be loved by fans of C. J. Sansom and The Name of the Rose. It features Giordano Bruno, maverick, renegade monk, philosopher and heretic, who has infiltrated a plot to oust Queen Elizabeth and must now find concrete evidence to enable Mary Stuart and her cohorts to be executed but nothing is easy when mysteries, secrets and the occult bar his way. The Giordano Bruno series:1. Heresy2. Prophecy
One of our Debuts of the Year 2011. March 2011 Debut of the Month. A vivid and gripping historical thriller set in Elizabethan England introducing Giordano Bruno, philosopher, scientist and spy for all fans of C.J.Sansom and The Name of the Rose. Stalking a cunning and determined killer through the shadowy cloisters of Oxford, Bruno realizes that even the wise cannot always tell truth from heresy. But some are prepared to kill for it. 'Heresy has everything - intrigue, mystery, excellent history and haunting sense of place. The beginning of a wonderful new detective series'Kate Mosse