England is close to war. Within days the axe could fall on the neck of Mary Queen of Scots, and Spain is already gathering a battle fleet to avenge her.
Tensions in Elizabeth I’s government are at breaking point. At the eye of the storm is John Shakespeare, chief intelligencer in the secret service of Sir Francis Walsingham. When an intercept reveals a plot to assassinate England’s ‘sea dragon’, Francis Drake, Shakespeare is ordered to protect him. With Drake on land fitting out his ships, he is frighteningly vulnerable. If he dies, England will be open to invasion.
In a London rife with rumour, Shakespeare must decide which leads to follow, which to ignore. When a high-born young woman is found mutilated and murdered at an illicit printing house, it is political gunpowder – and he has no option but to investigate.
But why is Shakespeare shadowed at every turn by the brutal Richard Topcliffe, the blood-drenched priest-hunter who claims intimacy with Queen Elizabeth herself? What is Topcliffe’s interest in a housemaid, whose baby has been stolen? And where do two fugitive Jesuit priests fit into the puzzle, one happy to die for God, the other to kill for Him?
From the splendour and intrigue of the royal court, to the sleek warships of Her Majesty’s Navy and the teeming brothels of Southwark, Shakespeare soon learns that nothing is as it seems . . .
Book Description In this ingenious debut, Rory Clements introduces John Shakespeare, Elizabethan England’s most remarkable investigator, and delivers a tale of murder and conspiracy that succeeds brilliantly as both historical fiction and a crime thriller.
In a burnt-out house, one of Queen Elizabeth’s aristocratic cousins is found murdered, her young flesh marked with profane symbols. At the same time, a plot to assassinate Sir Francis Drake, England’s most famous sea warrior, is discovered—a plot which, if successful, could leave the country utterly defenseless against a Spanish invasion. It’s 1587, the Queen’s reign is in jeopardy, and one man is charged with the desperate task of solving both cases: John Shakespeare. With the Spanish Armada poised to strike, Mary Queen of Scots awaiting execution, and the pikes above London Bridge decorated with the grim evidence of treachery, the country is in peril of being overwhelmed by fear and chaos. Following a trail of illicit passions and family secrets, Shakespeare travels through an underworld of spies, sorcerers, whores, and theater people, among whom is his own younger brother, the struggling playwright, Will. Shadowed by his rival, the Queen’s chief torturer, who employs his own methods of terror, Shakespeare begins to piece together a complex and breathtaking conspiracy whose implications are almost too horrific to contemplate. For a zealous and cunning killer is stalking England’s streets. And as Shakespeare threatens to reveal a madman’s shocking identity, he and the beautiful woman he desires come ever closer to becoming the next martyrs to a passion for murder and conspiracy whose terrifying consequences might still be felt today...
A Q&A with Rory Clements Question: Martyr is your first book. What did you do before you became a novelist?
Rory Clements: Before coming to Norfolk, in the east of England, I was a national newspaper journalist in London. Journalism is the worst and best of careers. The worst because you are always the bystander, watching other people saving lives, making world-changing decisions, winning tournaments; the best because I love the company of journalists.
Q: How did you adjust from living a fast-paced life in London, to moving to a village in the country?
RC: I loved the city, but felt it was time for a change. At first, I feared I would miss the pace and noise, but I couldn't be happier. Norfolk is simply magical—full of wide open spaces and birdsong. My wife and I live in an old farmhouse, parts of which are believed to date from 1675. It has a mellow redbrick frontage which was probably added in about 1800. The good thing about old farmhouses is that the ceilings are low, which means it is easy to keep snug and warm in winter.
We don’t have pets, but then we don’t really need them because we have so many wild animals in the garden—moles, frogs (they seem to live in the utility room), shrews, ducks (sometimes to be found in the kitchen), many different songbirds, even the occasional fallow deer.
Apart from the lack of mountains, Norfolk is perfect. I haven’t seen a traffic warden since I have been here, though I am sure there must be one or two skulking somewhere.
Q: You are fascinated by the Elizabethan world. What do you make of Queen Elizabeth?
RC: I doubt she was a nice person. In fact, the evidence seems to suggest she could be a vicious old crone at times. But she did keep the theatres open in defiance of the killjoy Puritans. Without her, there would have been no William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe or Ben Jonson. Unfortunately the Puritans are still with us, doing their best to make life miserable and risk-free for everyone else.
Q: Do you have any habits that have become part of your daily writing process?
RC: Well, because I often work late at night, I start the day very slowly. I make my own version of mocha using strong coffee, cocoa, milk and sugar, then do a sudoku puzzle to fire up the brain.
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
RC: My advice to would-be novelists is this: have a great story (no amount of brilliant, poetic writing will disguise a weak tale) and try to make every sentence count. If the readers are bored, it's the author's fault, not theirs.
Additionally, I would advise writers and journalists to become Samaritans. This is a UK organization of volunteers who help distressed and suicidal people simply by listening, either on the phone or in person. The volunteers bring comfort to an enormous number of people—but also do wonders for themselves, by gaining insight into the lives of others and the human condition generally. In recent years, Samaritans have also offered an email service, which is used by people all around the world, especially north America.
(Photo © Naomi Clements)
