The Desperate Remedy: Henry Gresham and the Gunpowder Plot; A Novel - Hardcover

Stephen, Martin

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9780312307196: The Desperate Remedy: Henry Gresham and the Gunpowder Plot; A Novel

Synopsis

Thief. Informer. Double-dealer. Pimp. Will Shadwell may not be the most moral of men, but to gentleman spy Henry Gresham he is invaluable. During the reign of King James I a man must know his enemies to survive and Shadwell is one of Gresham’s best sources.

Then Shadwell is discovered brutally murdered. And before Gresham is able to establish why, he is summoned by the man he fears most: Robert Cecil, the King’s Machiavellian Chief Secretary. Cecil wants Gresham to investigate Sir Francis Bacon’s private life. When Gresham begins his inquiries, he uncovers a plot so audacious it is scarcely believable: a conspiring clutch of Catholic lords and a trail of gunpowder underneath the Houses of Parliament.

From the court of King James to the deadly underworld of Jacobean London, Martin Stephen’s superb debut novel is as rich in atmosphere as it is in tension. Historical fiction of the highest order, The Desperate Remedy is a thrilling tale of courtly machinations.

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About the Author

Martin Stephen is High Master of the Manchester Grammar School and author of fifteen titles on English literature and military history. This is his first novel.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Martin Stephen’s A Desperate Remedy

“Intrigue, highlife, and lowlife are brilliantly interwoven in a thriller that has a compelling vividness and pungency. The historical details are utterly convincing; one can see and smell Jacobean England and hear its inhabitants speaking. I do hope Sir Henry Gresham has a long life.” ---Lawrence James, author of Raj and The Rise and Fall of the British Empire

“Considerable effort has gone into the mucky detail of early seventeenth-century London, and the tale is moved on at high speed by Gresham’s well-timed revelations. Stephen has a good feel for the momentary decisions that can help to shape the course of history---as well, of course, as the cowardice, vainglory, and greed.” ---The Times [U.K.]

“A terrific book.” ---The Spectator [U.K.]

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