Book details

Book description

A vivid and gripping historical thriller set in Elizabethan England introducing Giordano Bruno - philosopher, spy and hero of the stunning new novel SACRILEGE - for all fans of C. J.Sansom and The Name of the Rose.

In Elizabeth's England, true faith can mean bloody murder…

OXFORD, 1583. A PLACE OF LEARNING.
AND MURDEROUS SCHEMES.

England is rife with plots to assassinate Queen Elizabeth and return the country to the Catholic faith. Defending the realm through his network of agents, the Queen's spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham works tirelessly to hunt down all traitors.

His latest recruit is Giordano Bruno, a radical thinker fleeing the Inquisition, who is sent undercover to Oxford to expose a Catholic conspiracy. But he has his own secret mission at the University - one that must remain hidden at all costs.

When a series of hideous murders ruptures close-knit college life, Bruno is compelled to investigate. And what he finds makes it brutally clear that the Tudor throne itself is at stake… 'Heresy has everything - intrigue, mystery, excellent history and haunting sense of place. The beginning of a wonderful new detective series' Kate Mosse

'Fascinating … The period is incredibly vivid and the story utterly gripping' Conn Iggulden (bestselling author of Bones of the Hills and The Dangerous Book for Boys)

'Parris paces her yarn perfectly' Daily Telegraph

'An atmospheric and well-written historical thriller' Guardian

'Parris succeeds where much historical fiction fails' Observer

'Heresy is a riveting read. Rich in both historical detail and ingenious twists, S J Parris has created a character in Giordano Bruno that will endure. A true rival to C J Sansom' Sam Bourne (bestselling author of The Righteous Men) 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 radio and television. She currently writes for the Observer and the Guardian, and is the author of five books and one son.