yet another masterpiece from Rory Clements. ( )

1595 and John Shakespeare receives information that there is a threat to the realm. He is sent out to investigate. But is the invasion on the Cornish coast the threat and who is killing Sir Robert Cecil's men. How much more danger is Shakespeare and his family in and why.
Another very enjoyable read in this series ( )

Spain is funding another plot against Queen Elizabeth and, whilst a raid on Cornwall seems a threat, it is not followed up. Meanwhile the plot leads to Wisbech Castle where a group of Catholic priests and followers are held. What is the link between a converted Puritan, her ex-fiancee, a missing victim of exorcism and the deaths of a number of government spies?

As ever Clements creates an exciting and fast-paced story which is heavy on twists and light on politics. That is no bad thing, this is a period-set thriller, not a historical tome. ( )

This is the fifth (or sixth if one counts the prequel novel) in the series of late Elizabethan whodunnits featuring John Shakespeare, fictional brother to the Bard. Yet another fearful plot by a group of Catholics to overthrow the Queen, this time centring around the historically accurate practice of exorcisms carried out by certain Catholic priests that amounted to a form of torture. There is the usual colourful cast of characters, some of whom turn out to be other than they seem. It took me several novels to warm to John Shakespeare and his sidekick Boltfoot Cooper. The female characters here are stronger, both the good ones and the cold-hearted villains. The ghastly Topcliffe does not feature as much in this novel as in most of the others and indeed spends part of the novel in prison for contempt of court (he has sued another man for not paying him a promised sum of £5,000 for having arrested and tortured to death the defendant's father). A positive touch for me was the inclusion in the narrative of the historical Spanish invasion of the Mounts Bay area of Cornwall in 1595, when they destroyed Mousehole, Newlyn and Penzance. The novel was probably a bit too long, but had a relatively upbeat ending. ( )

"The Heretics" is the latest book by Rory Clements in his sixteenth century thriller series, featuring John Shakespeare, an 'intelligencer' who works for Sir Robert Cecil, having previously been an agent for Francis Walsingham.

It is set in the 1590s, and mistrust between Protestants and Catholics in Elizabethan England shows little or no sign of abating under the rule of Elizabeth I. There is yet another a conspiracy to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. The plotters are Catholics, involving priests who manipulate young women under the guise of exorcising their 'demons.'

'The Heretics' is set in a time and city which takes public execution and religious persecution for granted, with the English resisting Papist influences and the Inquisition rampant in Spain. A priest about to be executed for treason in Newgate asks Shakespeare to find a girl who was, misguidedly, the victim of exorcism rites. The priest is convinced that both his soul and the girl's will be saved if she finds help. Thomasyn Jade was last seen in the care of the Countess of Kent, but ran away. Shakespeare reports to Queen Elizabeth who decides that Thomasyn Jade should be found.

At the same time a plot is being hatched in Seville, while Elizabeth has spent so much on armies and ships that her coffers are empty and privateers such as Drake and Raleigh are expected to bring home gold.

Shakespeare is taken out of his familiar London environment and sent down to Cornwall, where there have been sightings of Spanish activity off shore and even the presence of Spanish soldiers on English soil, much to the dismay of Queen Elizabeth. Our protagonists also have to deal with their personal lives. John also has some female interest in his life again, and his servant and assistant Boltfoot Cooper has the worry of a sickly young son.

Rory Clements has a distinctive voice, and an interesting character in John Shakespeare, who has developed into a more credible, assertive and ruthless individual. Recommended. ( )