Holy Spy

The final gripping tale in the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling mystery series

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Holy Spy

By: Rory Clements

Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong

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About this listen

The stunning final story in the one-of-a-kind mystery series, the last mission in the iconic career of John Shakespeare, Queen's Spy.

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'Sixteenth-century London comes alive in all its tawdriness' Daily Mail

'Beautifully done . . . alive and tremendously engrossing' Daily Telegraph

'Plot and dialogue that hums with Elizabethan slang, profanity and wit' The Times

'Enjoyable, bloody and brutish' Guardian

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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.

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Readers adore Martyr and the John Shakespeare series . . .

'If you love C.J. Sansom, you'll love this'

'You can feel, smell, see and hear the dangerous times of Tudor England'

'An absolutely delightful Elizabethan mystery'

'If you enjoy S.J. Parris, you need to try this'

'Rory Clements has struck gold with John Shakespeare'©2015 Rory Clements

Rory ClementsGareth ArmstrongHodder & StoughtonJohn Shakespeare

Historical

Mystery

England

Fiction

Espionage

Tudor

Historical Mystery England Fiction Espionage Tudor

Critic 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.

Elizabethan England comes vividly to life in this fast-paced thriller, packed with characters, tension and fine detail.

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 . . .

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Any additional comments?

This is a prequel to the other John Shakespeare books but no less enjoyable for that. The story is satisfyingly complex, combining a murder mystery with affairs of state. The characterisation and evocation of the sense of Elizabethan England is superb. The narration is very good for almost all the characters, but unfortunately slightly colourless for Shakespeare himself. I highly recommend this book.