LoveReading Says
From Rory Clements, winner of the Ellis Peters Historical Fiction Award, comes REVENGER, the second in his acclaimed bestselling John Shakespeare Elizabethan mystery series. 'Does for Elizabeth's reign what CJ Sansom does for Henry VIII's' Sunday Times
The John Shakespeare series:
1. Martyr
2. Revenger
3. Prince
4. Traitor
5. The Heretics
6. The Queen's Man
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Revenger Synopsis
1592. England and Spain are at war, yet there is peril at home, too. The death of her trusted spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham has left Queen Elizabeth vulnerable. Conspiracies multiply. The quiet life of John Shakespeare is shattered by a summons from Robert Cecil, the cold but deadly young statesman who dominated the last years of the Queen's long reign, insisting Shakespeare re-enter government service. His mission: to find vital papers, now in the possession of the Earl of Essex. Essex is the brightest star in the firmament, a man of ambition. He woos the Queen, thirty-three years his senior, as if she were a girl his age. She is flattered by him - despite her loathing for his mother, the beautiful, dangerous Lettice Knollys who presides over her own glittering court - a dazzling array of the mad, bad, dangerous and disaffected. When John Shakespeare infiltrates this dissolute world he discovers not only that the Queen herself is in danger - but that he and his family is also a target. With only his loyal footsoldier Boltfoot Cooper at his side, Shakespeare must face implacable forces who believe themselves above the law: men and women who kill without compunction. And in a world of shifting allegiances, just how far he can trust Robert Cecil, his devious new master?
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781848540859 |
| Publication date: |
3rd February 2011 |
| Author: |
Rory Clements |
| Publisher: |
John Murray Publishers Ltd an imprint of John Murray General Publishing Division |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
436 pages |
| Series: |
John Shakespeare |
| Primary Genre |
Historical Fiction
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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Rory Clements Press Reviews
'A cracking plot full of twists right up to the last minute. I look forward to the next'
Sunday Express
'Beautifully done ... alive and tremendously engrossing'
Daily Telegraph
'A colourful history lesson ... exciting narrative twists'
Sunday Telegraph
'Enjoyable, bloody and brutish'
Guardian
'An engrossing thriller'
Washington Post
'An excellent debut'
Publishers Weekly
This is a historical thriller to send a shiver down your spine...atmospheric- the evocation of the filth and debauchery of London is quite exceptional- it demonstrates the compelling eye for detail and character that Bernard Cornwall so memorably brought to Rifleman Sharpe. I could not tear myself away, it is that good.' Daily Mail
'Revenger raises Clements to the top rank of historical thriller writers... an intricate web of plots and subplots vividly evoking the tenor of the times. Shakespeare makes a fascinating lead, perfectly suited to sustain what one hopes will be a long series'
Publishers Weekly
'Clements can be seen as doing for Elizabeth's reign what CJ Sansom does for Henry VIII's ... What's impressive in the latest is how much of Tudor society it crams in, from the court and Derby's estate to outlaws and the soldiers in its concluding scene' Sunday Times
'There's plenty of thrills ... the multiple plot elements are well-handled ... there's much that's enjoyable and Clements orchestration of the narrative is skillful' www.displacementactivity.co.uk
'The best yet in Rory Clements magnificent series about John Shakespeare... As always, the historical detail is fascinating and sometimes delightfully obscure ... another sumptuous feast that will leave you sated - but craving for the next helping!' Crimesquad
'I found this the best book in the series
Historical Novels Review
About Rory Clements
Rory Clements is the bestselling author of the John Shakespeare series of Tudor spy thrillers. His six acclaimed novels, Martyr, Revenger, Prince, Traitor, The Heretics and The Queen's Man, follow Elizabeth's Intelligencer, John Shakespeare, brother to the playwright William, through the dark underworld of Tudor England as he unmasks the traitors and conspirators who plot against the Queen. The seventh John Shakespeare novel, Holy Spy, is due to be published in February 2015. Rory Clements won the Crime Writers' Association Ellis Peters Historical Fiction Award in 2010 for Revenger, and has been shortlisted for CWA Awards for Martyr, Prince and The Heretics. A TV series is currently in development.
Author photo © Madeleine Clements
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