Steven veerapen
The Spycatcher series
Succession
‘A twisting fast-paced plot.’ Jemahl Evans, author of Becket: Warrior
‘A gripping and finely-crafted account.’ Paul Walker, author of State of Treason
1603.
The Virgin Queen is dying. She has yet to nominate an heir.
The crown looks set to fall to James of Scotland.
But it is far from inevitable.
Gowrie, a sinister Scottish traitor, has arrived in England. On him is a document containing a shocking secret that will compromise King James.
Languishing in prison, artful thief Ned Savage is freed by his patron, the queen’s principal secretary, Sir Robert Cecil. His mission is to find the document before it can be made public. If he succeeds, his life will be spared.
But he is not alone in seeking Gowrie.
On his trail are a ruthless gang of conspirators. The Red Cross Plot aims to prevent any foreigner from taking the English throne. And the Knights of the Red Cross will kill to secure the document.
In a journey that will take him from London to Derbyshire and Scotland, Savage must foil the Red Cross Plot, protect King James’s darkest secret, and keep himself safe from execution.
And he must do it all before the curtain falls on Elizabeth’s reign.
Coronation
London.
1604
As a devastating outbreak of plague retreats, leaving thousands dead, the capital prepares to celebrate the coronation of England’s Scottish king.
But all is not well. Freed from quarantine, thief and spy Ned Savage is called before the king’s secretary, Sir Robert Cecil.
Tasked with investigating the kidnapping of a royal physician, Savage is led into a web of madness and conspiracy that will put him and his family in mortal danger.
The great plague has not only ruined much of the city but given birth to a twisted cult calling themselves "The Enlightened". Led by the charismatic but unstable Nathaniel Hope, their aim is to provoke the end of days by finishing what the deadly infection started.
In a race against time, Savage embarks on a journey that will take him from the heart of Whitehall to the brothels of Southwark, pitting him against sinister mystics, menacing cultists, and a reclusive earl.
Before the Enlightened can destroy the new king, Savage must uncover their plans, unmask their leader, and save London from an explosive end to the coronation.
Assassination
'A nail-biting quest.' Peter Tonkin, A Stage for Murder
Summer 1606.
England still reels from the narrow escape of the Gunpowder Plot. Jubilation and fear compete for dominance in London as the queen’s brother, King Christian of Denmark, arrives for the first state visit seen in decades.
Ned Savage, thief and spy, is summoned by Robert Cecil and the bookish Francis Bacon.
Intelligence has come in concerning the arrival of a female assassin, code-named Locusta.
Savage soon discovers that the agent is in the employ of a secret society called the Brotherhood of Augustus.
Their mission is one of terror and revenge.
But who are they? And who is their target?
Marie’s glittering household hides a deadly secret. When a series of murders takes place, recreating grisly deaths caused by Scotland’s kings, Danforth is compelled to take to the political stage. What he finds makes it clear that the crown itself is under threat.
Savage’s search takes him into the Tower of London to interrogate the last remaining member of the Gunpowder Plotters - and an old foe, Walter Raleigh. He is also on the trail of the disgraced Penelope Devereux, sister to the late earl of Essex.
Savage gradually uncovers a plan to assassinate a king during the premiere performance of Macbeth at Hampton Court. But which king’s life is in peril - and how will the Brotherhood achieve their aim?
The spy must discover the truth behind Locusta and the Augustans and foil their assassination plot before the curtain falls.
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