The No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling series

The third book in S. J. Parris’s bestselling, critically acclaimed series following Giordano Bruno, set at the time of Queen Elizabeth I. London, 1584. Giordano Bruno travels to Canterbury for love. But finds only murder … Giordano Bruno is being followed by the woman he once loved – Sophia Underhill, accused of murder and on the run. With the leave of the Queen’s spymaster, he sets out to clear Sophia’s name. But when more brutal killings occur a far deadlier plot emerges. A city rife with treachery. A relic steeped in blood. His hunt for the real killer leads to the shadows of the Cathedral – England’s holiest shrine – and the heart of a sinister and powerful conspiracy … Heretic, maverick, charmer: Giordano Bruno is always on his guard. Never more so than when working for Queen Elizabeth and her spymaster – for this man of letters is now an agent of intrigue and danger …

Praise for S. J. Parris

‘A delicious blend of history and thriller’ The Times

‘An omnipresent sense of danger’ Daily Mail

‘Colourful characters, fast-moving plots and a world where one false step in religion or politics can mean a grisly death’ Sunday Times

‘Pacy, intricate, and thrilling’ Observer

‘Vivid, sprawling … Well-crafted, exuberant’ Financial Times

‘Impossible to resist’ Daily Telegraph

‘Twists and turns like a corkscrew of venomous snakes’ Stuart MacBride

‘It has everything – intrigue, mystery and excellent history’ Kate Mosse

‘The period is incredibly vivid and the story utterly gripping’ Conn Iggulden

‘A brilliantly unusual glimpse at the intrigues surrounding Queen Elizabeth I’ Andrew Taylor