A Cruel Necessity
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4.5 • 6 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
The first John Grey historical mystery
The theatres are padlocked.
Christmas has been cancelled.
It is 1657 and the unloved English Republic is eight years old. Though Cromwell's joyless grip on power appears immovable, many still look to Charles Stuart's dissolute and threadbare court-in-exile, and some are prepared to risk their lives plotting a restoration.
For the officers of the Republic, constant vigilance is needed. So, when the bloody corpse of a Royalist spy is discovered on the dung heap of a small Essex village, why is the local magistrate so reluctant to investigate? John Grey, a young lawyer with no clients, finds himself alone in believing that the murdered man deserves justice. Grey is drawn into a vortex of plot and counter-plot and into the all-encompassing web of intrigue spun by Cromwell's own spy-master, John Thurloe.
So when nothing is what is seems, can Grey trust anyone?
'Tyler juggles his characters, story wit and clever one liners with perfect balance' - The Times
'A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?' - The Bookbag
Customer Reviews
Zee leetle grey matter
This is an entertaining spy tale set in the latter days of Cromwell’s republic; spys and traitors are everywhere and a young innocent tries to make his way in a world of duplicity and double cross. Although I generally find books written in the historic present annoying and lazy (Hilary Mantel take note) John Grey’s voice is amusing and his wry comments add charm to a book which at its heart is quite dark.
The denouement is however a bit heavy and could have been delivered by Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, but it doesn’t spoil all that came before.
Read and enjoy.