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*****Part of the bestselling John Shakespeare series of Tudor spy thrillers from Rory Clements, winner of the Ellis Peters Historical Fiction Award*****
‘[Clements] does for Elizabeth’s reign what CJ Sansom does for Henry VIII’s’ Sunday Times
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In London’s smoky taverns, a conspiracy is brewing: a group of wealthy young Catholic dissidents plot to assassinate Elizabeth, free Mary Queen of Scots – and open England to Spanish invasion. But the conspirators have been infiltrated by Sir Francis Walsingham’s top intelligencer, John Shakespeare.
Shakespeare, however, is torn: the woman he loves stands accused of murder. In a desperate race against time he must save her from the noose and the realm from treachery. And then it dawns that both investigations are inextricably linked – by corruption very close to the seat of power . . .
‘[Clements] does for Elizabeth’s reign what CJ Sansom does for Henry VIII’s’ Sunday Times
**********
In London’s smoky taverns, a conspiracy is brewing: a group of wealthy young Catholic dissidents plot to assassinate Elizabeth, free Mary Queen of Scots – and open England to Spanish invasion. But the conspirators have been infiltrated by Sir Francis Walsingham’s top intelligencer, John Shakespeare.
Shakespeare, however, is torn: the woman he loves stands accused of murder. In a desperate race against time he must save her from the noose and the realm from treachery. And then it dawns that both investigations are inextricably linked – by corruption very close to the seat of power . . .
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Reviews
I didn't know what to expect from this - HOLY SPY is the first novel I've read in a well-established series. But what I got was a thoroughly entertaining, disturbing and involving mystery that I found next to impossible to put down. It's a substantial book but I was driven to read it over just 24 hours. Rory Clements is a wonderful writer who clearly knows Tudor England inside out and his enthusiasm - as well as concerns - for the period shine out. I loved it. I will be catching up.
Holy Spy lures us into dark passages peopled by ranting fanatics, sensuous whores, treacherous turncoats, vicious thugs and subtle codebreakers.Skilfully blending real events and historical figures with believable fiction and colourful invented characters . . .
Elizabethan England comes vividly to life in this fast-paced thriller, packed with characters, tension and fine detail.
Praise for the John Shakespeare novels:
The sixth in Rory Clements' enjoyable series of Elizabethan thrillers featuring John Shakespeare . . . Clements has the edge when it comes to creating a lively, fast-moving plot
Enjoyable, bloody and brutish.
Sixteenth-century London comes alive in all its tawdriness.
An exuberant plot and dialogue that hums with Elizabethan slang, profanity and wit ....Clements delivers a bawdy, engaging romp of book.
A world spiced with delicious characters . . . The novel wears its historical learning lightly, and Clements seasons it with romance and humour.
Beautifully done . . . alive and tremendously engrossing
A cracking plot full of twists right up to the last minute. I look forward to the next
Colourful . . . exciting . . . vivid
Marvellous . . . intelligencer John Shakespeare . . . administers what can only be described as ruff justice
Engrossing . . . we can expect to see more of the brothers Shakespeare. They will be welcome
A historical thriller to send a shiver down your spine. Atmospheric . . . it demonstrates energy, élan, a fine ear for dialogue and a grasp for the intrigues of Elizabeth I's court. Clements also demonstrates the compelling eye for detail and character that Bernard Cornwell so memorably brought to Rifleman Sharpe . . . I could not tear myself away, it is that good.
Real quality . . . faster moving than C. J. Sansom . . . very, very well done
This is a first-class mystery steeped in authentic sixteenth-century intrigue; the evocation of the stench and squalor of Tudor London is sans pareil
Step into the world of Elizabethan intelligencer John Shakespeare and you put your very life in peril, whether it be by the blade, the rope or the rack . . . High adventure has never been more exciting
Holy Spy is a fascinating Tudor spy thriller set during the reign of Elizabeth 1. A conspiracy is forming to kill the monarch and free Mary Queen of Scots, risking a Spanish invasion. Exciting stuff!
I didn't know what to expect from this - HOLY SPY is the first novel I've read in a well-established series. But what I got was a thoroughly entertaining, disturbing and involving mystery that I found next to impossible to put down. It's a substantial book but I was driven to read it over just 24 hours. Rory Clements is a wonderful writer who clearly knows Tudor England inside out and his enthusiasm - as well as concerns - for the period shine out. I loved it. I will be catching up.
Holy Spy lures us into dark passages peopled by ranting fanatics, sensuous whores, treacherous turncoats, vicious thugs and subtle codebreakers.Skilfully blending real events and historical figures with believable fiction and colourful invented characters . . .
Elizabethan England comes vividly to life in this fast-paced thriller, packed with characters, tension and fine detail.
Praise for the John Shakespeare novels:
The sixth in Rory Clements' enjoyable series of Elizabethan thrillers featuring John Shakespeare . . . Clements has the edge when it comes to creating a lively, fast-moving plot
Enjoyable, bloody and brutish.
Sixteenth-century London comes alive in all its tawdriness.
An exuberant plot and dialogue that hums with Elizabethan slang, profanity and wit ....Clements delivers a bawdy, engaging romp of book.
A world spiced with delicious characters . . . The novel wears its historical learning lightly, and Clements seasons it with romance and humour.
Beautifully done . . . alive and tremendously engrossing
A cracking plot full of twists right up to the last minute. I look forward to the next
Colourful . . . exciting . . . vivid
Marvellous . . . intelligencer John Shakespeare . . . administers what can only be described as ruff justice
Engrossing . . . we can expect to see more of the brothers Shakespeare. They will be welcome
A historical thriller to send a shiver down your spine. Atmospheric . . . it demonstrates energy, élan, a fine ear for dialogue and a grasp for the intrigues of Elizabeth I's court. Clements also demonstrates the compelling eye for detail and character that Bernard Cornwell so memorably brought to Rifleman Sharpe . . . I could not tear myself away, it is that good.
Real quality . . . faster moving than C. J. Sansom . . . very, very well done
This is a first-class mystery steeped in authentic sixteenth-century intrigue; the evocation of the stench and squalor of Tudor London is sans pareil
Step into the world of Elizabethan intelligencer John Shakespeare and you put your very life in peril, whether it be by the blade, the rope or the rack . . . High adventure has never been more exciting
Holy Spy is a fascinating Tudor spy thriller set during the reign of Elizabeth 1. A conspiracy is forming to kill the monarch and free Mary Queen of Scots, risking a Spanish invasion. Exciting stuff!
