brooks iii

THE RENAISSANCE TRILOGY - BOOK III - ENGLAND

Its 1536; heyday of Henry VIII’s new world order and boon-time for the Tudor elites. The working poor endure what they must, even as their local institutions are plundered by an increasingly rapacious and centralised state. Many are growing rich, many are growing powerful, and many more are burnt for the ideas they hold.

In Norfolk, far from the centers of power, England’s last monastery is mired in murder and political intrigue. Brother Pacificus and Simon the leper are hiding from a troubled past. But when a local family are arrested for heresy and treason, they help hide the children with an elderly eel-catcher on the marsh. As their fate becomes increasingly entwined with the children and their mother, other allegiances are spread thin, and their anonymity is threatened.

After a second murder at the abbey, Pacificus falls under suspicion and so begins his own investigations. The children also begin to suspect that neither their parents, nor their protectors are quite what they seem. They too must adjust quickly; seeking their own identity in a world grown cold.

And so, from the bloodied crypts of St Benet’s to the brutal backstreets of London and Antwerp, these unlikely companions must risk betrayal and death to protect those they love. From the coarse woollens and shattered dreams of the Norfolk marsh, to the duels and jousts of the Tudor court, they must learn to flex every sinew and break every rule if they want to survive. From high treason in the north, to high seas smuggling in the south, from heartbreak to jailbreak; fire and sword, they must learn to hang together, lest they hang separately.

Based on historical events, THE HERETIC is part coming-of-age novel and thriller, part romance and novel of ideas, taking readers through the fires of religious intolerance in the old world, to the hope of liberty in the new.

PRAISE FOR BOOK III - ’THE HERETIC’

’An exceptional new novel... masterful story... delicious, multifaceted.’

The Historical Novel Review (US)

’A book of big ideas, political intrigue, and action; I came to love Brother Pacificus, Simon, the children, and the many other characters, and I have to admit, I shed several tears on their behalf. Based on historical events, this book has it all, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in such a tumultuous time period.’

The Historical Novel Society (UK)

’Magnificent... a work of importance... moments of astonishing power...

could become a cult book of its kind.’

Author, Penelope Wilcox