Release Date: 24/04/14
Publisher: Bantam
SYNOPSIS:
The king's coronation brings hope. Until a murderer strikes. Spring 1661. After years of civil war followed by Oliver Cromwell's joyless rule as Lord Protector, England awaits the coronation of King Charles II. The mood in London is one of relief and hope for a better future. But when two respectable gentlemen are found in a foul lane with their throats cut, it becomes apparent that England's enemies are using the newly re-established post office for their own ends. There are traitors at work and plans to overthrow the king. Another war is possible. Thomas Hill, in London visiting friends, is approached by the king's security advisor and asked to take charge of deciphering coded letters intercepted by the post office. As the body count rises and the killer starts preying on women, the action draws closer to Thomas - and his loved ones. He finds himself dragged into the hunt for the traitors and the murderer, but will he find them before it's too late?
REVIEW:
I love returning to yesteryear to be immersed in a world that is just as complex and politically tricky as the one in which we currently live and whilst I’m not under the constant threat of death from my own side alongside the opposition, when I’m thrust into those days, I want to be able to feel the city that I walk through with the principle character, the cobbled streets, the stench of the gutter and of course the various scents of a live city and to be honest its t tricky thing to pull off.
Why?
Well it’s a fine line between what many would assume is either info-dump or too little detail and when that vies against storyline it can be a bit of a pickle for the author to get it right, and sadly for me, that’s where Andrew has failed in this the third outing of his high octane series. That’s not to say that it isn’t good, I love the puzzles, the storyline and of course the principle player however without that additional detail it could technically be set in any time. Don’t get me wrong it does work on so many levels but if I don’t get the full experience I’m left feeling a little cheated.
Release Date: 01/08/13
Publisher: Bantam
SYNOPSIS:
Spring, 1648. When Thomas Hill, a bookseller living in rural Hampshire, publishes a political pamphlet he has little idea of the trouble that will follow. He is quickly arrested, forced on a boat to Barbados and condemned to life as a slave to two of the island's most notoriously violent brothers. In England war has erupted again, with London under threat of attack. When news of the king's execution reaches the island, political stability is threatened and a fleet commanded by Sir George Ayscue arrives to take control of the island for Cromwell. The threat of violence increases. Thomas finds himself witness to abuse, poison, rape and savage brutality. When a coded message from Ayscue to a sympathiser on the island is intercepted, Thomas is asked to decipher it. A disastrous battle seems inevitable. But nothing turns out as planned. And as the death toll mounts, the escape Thomas has been relying on seems ever more unlikely.
REVIEW:
The second book in this series and one that continues to build upon the success of The King’s Spy. As with the original its wonderfully written, the background wonderfully rich and when added to a writing style that really does bring the time period to the modern reader all round gives you a story to sit back and savour.
Add to the mix some great prose, a wonderful turn of phrase and of course a lead character that readers will love to spend time with all round generates a story that is an absolute joy to read,. Throw into this that is the second novel in a trilogy and one that gives the readers just as much flavour alongside enjoyment as the original alongside building upon its foundations and for me, it means that the third part is going to be explosive.
Release Date: 02/08/12
SYNOPSIS:
Summer, 1643 England is at war with itself. King Charles I has fled London, his negotiations with Parliament in tatters. The country is consumed by bloodshed. For Thomas Hill, a man of letters quietly running a bookshop in the rural town of Romsey, knowledge of the war is limited to the rumours that reach the local inn. When a stranger knocks on his door one night and informs him that the king's cryptographer has died, everything changes. Aware of Thomas' background as a mathematician and his expertise in codes and ciphers, the king has summoned him to his court in Oxford. On arrival, Thomas soon discovers that nothing at court is straightforward. There is evidence of a traitor in their midst. Brutal murder follows brutal murder. And when a vital message encrypted with a notoriously unbreakable code is intercepted, he must decipher it to reveal the king's betrayer and prevent the violent death that failure will surely bring.
REVIEW:
The English Civil War seems to have an awful lot of fiction written around it at the moment, so it’s always hard to find something that isn’t repeated by any other author or smacks of something cobbled together poorly to make the most of the latest trend.
What Andrew produces within this title is a book that has a cracking lead protagonist who is fully rounded and grows within his own role as the civil situation changes around him. It’s hard hitting, and with the turmoil surrounding the time sets itself wonderfully for the mystery surrounding the character to unfurl. Add to this an author who has clearly done their research which when blended into the tale as a whole makes this a book that’s very hard to put down. I’ll definitely be reading more by this author.
