Agreeing to help former paramour Sophia Underhill clear her name of a wrongful murder charge, 16th-century radical philosopher and spy Giordano Bruno uncovers secrets with ties to the cult of Thomas Becket and the legend surrounding the disappearance of the saint's body. 35,000 first printing. - (Baker & Taylor)
Agreeing to help former paramour Sophia Underhill clear her name of a wrongful murder charge, sixteenth-century radical philosopher and spy Giordano Bruno uncovers secrets with ties to the disappearance of the body of Saint Thomas Becket. - (Baker & Taylor)
A gripping historical thriller set in sixteenth-century England and centered on the highly secretive cult of Saint Thomas Becket, the twelfth-century archbishop murdered in Canterbury Cathedral.
London, summer of 1584: Radical philosopher, ex-monk, and spy Giordano Bruno suspects he is being followed by an old enemy. He is shocked to discover that his pursuer is in fact Sophia Underhill, a young woman with whom he was once in love. When Bruno learns that Sophia has been accused of murdering her husband, a prominent magistrate in Canterbury, he agrees to do anything he can to help clear her name.
In the city that was once England's greatest center of pilgrimage, Bruno begins to uncover unsuspected secrets that point to the dead man being part of a larger and more dangerous plot in the making. He must turn his detective's eye on history—on Saint Thomas Becket, the twelfth-century archbishop murdered in Canterbury Cathedral, and on the legend surrounding the disappearance of his body—in order to solve the crime.
As Bruno's feelings for Sophia grow more intense, so does his fear that another murder is about to take place—perhaps his own. But more than Bruno's life is at stake in this vividly rendered, impeccably researched, and addictively page-turning whodunit—the stability of the kingdom hangs in the balance as Bruno hunts down a brutal murderer in the shadows of England's most ancient cathedral. - (Random House, Inc.)
S. J. PARRIS is the pseudonym of Stephanie Merritt. Since graduating from Cambridge she has worked as a critic and feature writer for a variety of newspapers and magazines as well as for radio and television. She currently writes for The Observer and The Guardian and is the author of five books. - (Random House, Inc.)
Booklist Reviews
Giordano Bruno returns (following Prophecy, 2011) for the third in Parris' series starring the sixteenth-century former monk. During a scorching summer, with the threat of plague hanging heavy over London, an irresistible woman from Bruno's past reappears. On the lam for the murder of her husband, Bruno's past lover, Sophia Underhill, begs Bruno to help clear her name. Unable to say no, he travels to Canterbury with her to help unravel the mystery of the murder. Things are not as they seem in quiet Canterbury, and Bruno finds himself mired in multiple killings and on the trail of a conspiracy to undermine the crown. Bruno's ability to ingratiate himself with others serves him well in a town deeply suspicious of outsiders. But as the bodies begin to pile up, suspicion inevitably turns to Bruno. Only his keen intellect and the help of a few loyal friends stand between him and the gallows. Parris' vivid imagery and finely drawn characters combine for a rich portrayal of daily life in Elizabethan England. The novel's fast pace and numerous twists keep readers hooked until the end. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.
