No catches, no fine print just unadulterated book loving, with your favourite books saved to your own digital bookshelf.
New members get entered into our monthly draw to win £100 to spend in your local bookshop Plus lots lots more…
Find out more
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
The No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling series set at the time of Queen Elizabeth I, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel England, 1586. A TREASONOUS CONSPIRACY Giordano Bruno, a heretic turned spy, arrives in England with shocking information for spymaster 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. A DEADLY TRAP Bruno is surprised to find that Walsingham is aware of the plot and is allowing it to progress. He hopes that Mary will put her support in writing - and condemn herself to a traitor's death. A QUEEN IN MORTAL DANGER 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... Praise for Execution 'A brilliantly realised fictionalisation of the Babington plot against Elizabeth 1' Observer 'Execution has an atmospheric sense of place. The plot twists and turns' The Times 'Immaculate... the depth of period detail, the all-enveloping sense of time and place, and the sheer gory drama' Metro 'Sumptuous' New York Times 'Parris's attention to the details of Elizabethan life and her ability to create characters of depth are again on display in a gripping narrative' The Sunday Times 'Fast-paced and entertaining' Mail on Sunday 'Parris is one of the stars of historical crime fiction and this, her sixth Giordano Bruno novel, is among her best'i 'Superbly plotted, shimmeringly written, it will have you on the edge of your seat' Kate Williams, author of The Storms of War 'An impressive feat' Marisa Haetzman, also writes as Ambrose Parry
Return to the origins of master spy Giordano Bruno in three gripping tales from No.1 Sunday Times bestseller S. J. Parris. The Secret Dead During the summer of 1566, a girl's body is found within the walls of a Neapolitan monastery. Novice monk Giordano Bruno has a habit of asking difficult questions, but this time his investigations may lose him his place in the Dominican Order - or deliver him into the hands of the Inquisition. The Academy of Secrets An invitation arrives from a secret society of enlightened philosophers, led by the eccentric Don Giambattista della Porta. Bruno is captivated - even more so when he meets della Porta's beautiful niece. But keeping these new heretical secrets soon becomes a matter of life or death... A Christmas Requiem When Giordano Bruno is told the pope wants to see him, he fears he may be walking into a trap. The pope is intrigued by Bruno's talent for complex memory games, but Rome is a den of intrigue, trickery and blood, and Bruno will be lucky to escape the Eternal City alive. *Please note these three novellas are also published as individual stories in ebook.* 'Fans of Parris's superior mysteries will be delighted by this stellar collection of three novellas from his early years. This is an accessible entry point for newcomers' Publishers Weekly Praise for S. J. Parris: 'A delicious blend of history and thriller' The Times 'It has everything - intrigue, mystery and excellent history' Kate Mosse, No. 1 bestselling author of The Burning Chambers 'Unquestionably our greatest living writer of historical thrillers' A. J. Finn, No. 1 bestselling author of The Woman in the Window 'Pacy, intricate, and thrilling... Full of historical detail and rich with atmosphere' Observer 'A tight plot combines with subtly-realised characters and an omnipresent sense of danger' Daily Mail 'Colourful characters and fast-moving plots' Sunday Times 'Impossible to resist ' Daily Telegraph
The No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling series set at the time of Queen Elizabeth I, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel England, 1586. A TREASONOUS CONSPIRACY Giordano Bruno, a heretic turned spy, arrives in England with shocking information for spymaster 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. A DEADLY TRAP Bruno is surprised to find that Walsingham is aware of the plot and is allowing it to progress. He hopes that Mary will put her support in writing - and condemn herself to a traitor's death. A QUEEN IN MORTAL DANGER 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... Praise for Execution 'A brilliantly realised fictionalisation of the Babington plot against Elizabeth 1' Observer 'Execution has an atmospheric sense of place. The plot twists and turns' The Times 'Immaculate... the depth of period detail, the all-enveloping sense of time and place, and the sheer gory drama' Metro 'Sumptuous' New York Times 'Parris's attention to the details of Elizabethan life and her ability to create characters of depth are again on display in a gripping narrative' The Sunday Times 'Fast-paced and entertaining' Mail on Sunday 'Parris is one of the stars of historical crime fiction and this, her sixth Giordano Bruno novel, is among her best'i 'Superbly plotted, shimmeringly written, it will have you on the edge of your seat' Kate Williams, author of The Storms of War 'An impressive feat' Marisa Haetzman, also writes as Ambrose Parry
The No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling series set at the time of Queen Elizabeth I, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel England, 1586. A TREASONOUS CONSPIRACY Giordano Bruno, a heretic turned spy, arrives in England with shocking information for spymaster 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. A DEADLY TRAP Bruno is surprised to find that Walsingham is aware of the plot and is allowing it to progress. He hopes that Mary will put her support in writing - and condemn herself to a traitor's death. A QUEEN IN MORTAL DANGER 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... Praise for Execution 'A brilliantly realised fictionalisation of the Babington plot against Elizabeth 1' Observer 'Execution has an atmospheric sense of place. The plot twists and turns' The Times 'Immaculate... the depth of period detail, the all-enveloping sense of time and place, and the sheer gory drama' Metro 'Sumptuous' New York Times 'Parris's attention to the details of Elizabethan life and her ability to create characters of depth are again on display in a gripping narrative' The Sunday Times 'Fast-paced and entertaining' Mail on Sunday 'Parris is one of the stars of historical crime fiction and this, her sixth Giordano Bruno novel, is among her best'i 'Superbly plotted, shimmeringly written, it will have you on the edge of your seat' Kate Williams, author of The Storms of War 'An impressive feat' Marisa Haetzman, also writes as Ambrose Parry
Perfect for fans of C.J. Sansom. A short story featuring Giordano Bruno: heretic, philosopher and spy, from Parris's Sunday Times bestselling series. 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... Please note that this story, along with two other Giordano Bruno novellas, will be published as a 3-in-1 collection called The Dead of Winter, coming out in Hardback, ebook and audio in November 2020. Praise for S. J. Parris: 'It has everything - intrigue, mystery and excellent history' Kate Mosse 'Impossible to resist' Daily Telegraph 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 Ashes of London 'Parris writes with confident ease of Tudor London' The Times 'Full of surprises' TLS
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...