Hist Fic Saturday ~ The Incendium Plot by A D Swanston

On Hist Fic Saturday

Let's go back to ...Elizabethan England

Corgi
March 2018

My thanks to the author for my copy of this book

In 1572, Elizabethan England is rife with fear, not just from the sporadic outbreaks of plague but also from the danger of insurrection and invasion. The Ridolfi plot which sought to place Mary Queen of Scots on the English throne has just been thwarted and Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, has paid the ultimate price for his betrayal. Lawyer, Christopher Radcliff is in the Earl of Leicester's employ as his chief intelligencer and he is charged with the task of seeking out those who would threaten, not just the safety of the Queen, but also the stability of England.

When Radcliff discovers a new and deadly plot against the Queen, it is a race against time to search out those, both at home and abroad, who seek to destroy her.

The Incendium Plot is a really sleek thriller which has all the hallmarks of a great whodunit and set, as it is, against a backdrop of the glorious Elizabethan age there is much to enjoy, both in terms of historical background, which is beautifully authentic, and also in the sharpness of the investigative process. Radcliff is a likeable character, methodical, meticulous and with never a clue left uninvestigated, you feel as though you are in safe pair of hand as he moves stealthily through some very dangerous places and mixes with very undesirable characaters.

Historically accurate, as only good research shows, The Incendium Plot has all the necessary ingredients for a rollicking good historical adventure which moves effortlessly between France and England, and as Radcliff and his associates discover more about the darkness which threatens to overwhelm them, so the danger moves ever closer to home.The author writes this type of historical suspense very well and intersperses the story with a wealth of interesting characters, some act as spies and informers, whilst others add a colourful and lively glimpse into life in Elizabeth's England.

This is the first of two thrillers which will feature the adventures with Christopher Radcliff in his intelligencer role. The Incendium Plot certainly gets the stories off to a very good start.

About the Author

Andrew read a little law and a lot of sport at Cambridge University, and held various positions in the book trade, including being a director of Waterstone & Co, and Chairman of Methven’s plc, before turning to writing. Inspired by a lifelong interest in early modern history, his Thomas Hill novels are set during the English Civil Wars, and the early period of the Restoration. 

Andrew’s novel, Incendium*, was first published in February 2017 and is the first of two thrillers featuring Dr. Christopher Radcliff, an intelligencer for the Earl of Leicester, and is set in 1572 at the time of the massacre of the Huguenots in France.

*The Incendium Plot was first published in hardback as Incendium

Website

Twitter @AndrewSwanston

Review ~ The Marriage Game by Alison Weir

Random House UK
June 26 2014

The mystery which surrounds the relationship between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley is the focus for this deadly marriage game, which entices the reader into the very heart and soul of the Elizabethan court.  With Elizabeth’s capricious behaviour at the centre of the intrigue there is much speculation as to whether the couple were actually lovers in the physical sense, but what is obvious is that there was a deep and abiding affection between them, which lasted throughout the whole of their lives, and which survived all the speculation and gossip.

What Alison Weir has done in this fictional account of the relationship between the young Queen and her courtier is to add weight to the argument that other forces were behind the reluctance of a match between them. William Cecil, Elizabeth’s chief advisor, not only insisted that Elizabeth could only be a successful queen if she had a husband by her side, but was also shown to be instrumental in keeping Dudley and Elizabeth apart. As with all speculative fiction surrounding Elizabeth’s relationship with Dudley scurrilous accusations abound, and the fact that Elizabeth continued to keep her politically correct marriage suitors at bay, only added weight to the scandal that Dudley was more than just her master of horse.

As always, Alison Weir brings the scandal of the age alive with her usual skill and fine attention to detail. The story flows well, like a well ordered romantic novel, with more than a hint of intrigue, and even though there are no astonishing revelations, what still shines through the political shenanigans is a remarkable love story, which is made all the more intriguing by the fact that we will never truly know what happened between them. And if I’m honest I rather enjoy the speculative aspect of their relationship rather more than the knowing, and feel that after all this time they are entitled to keep some of their more intimate secrets to themselves.

Well worth a read if you like Elizabethan history but don’t look for any extraordinary revelations, just enjoy the love story.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my e-copy of this book.

About the Author