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.
Perfect for fans of C.J. Sansom and The Name of the Rose, the third historical thriller featuring Giordano Bruno, heretic, philosopher and spy. In the pursuit of power, nothing is sacred! Summer, 1584. The Protestant Prince William of Orange has been assassinated by a fanatical Catholic, and there are whispers that Queen Elizabeth will be next. Fear haunts the streets of London, and plague is driving many citizens away. Giordano Bruno, radical philosopher and spy, chooses to remain, only to find that someone is following him through the city. Confronting his stalker, he realizes it is the woman he once loved -- she is on the run, having been accused of murder. Bruno travels to Canterbury to help clear her name, and also on behalf of Sir Francis Walsingham. The Queen's spymaster has long suspected Catholic influence in the ancient centre of pilgrimage, and instructs Bruno to work to expose any enemy plots. As Bruno begins his hunt for the real killer, he is drawn into the heart of a sinister conspiracy hiding in the shadow of England's holiest shrine!
'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 Elizabth 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.
