Sacrilege
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A gripping historical thriller set in sixteenth-century England and centered on the highly secretive cult of Saint Thomas Becket, the twelfth-century archbishop murdered in Canterbury Cathedral.
London, summer of 1584: Radical philosopher, ex-monk, and spy Giordano Bruno suspects he is being followed by an old enemy. He is shocked to discover that his pursuer is in fact Sophia Underhill, a young woman with whom he was once in love. When Bruno learns that Sophia has been accused of murdering her husband, a prominent magistrate in Canterbury, he agrees to do anything he can to help clear her name.
In the city that was once England's greatest center of pilgrimage, Bruno begins to uncover unsuspected secrets that point to the dead man being part of a larger and more dangerous plot in the making. He must turn his detective's eye on history—on Saint Thomas Becket, the twelfth-century archbishop murdered in Canterbury Cathedral, and on the legend surrounding the disappearance of his body—in order to solve the crime.
As Bruno's feelings for Sophia grow more intense, so does his fear that another murder is about to take place—perhaps his own. But more than Bruno's life is at stake in this vividly rendered, impeccably researched, and addictively page-turning whodunit—the stability of the kingdom hangs in the balance as Bruno hunts down a brutal murderer in the shadows of England's most ancient cathedral.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1584 England, this terrific third novel featuring Italian philosopher and intelligence agent Giordano Bruno (after 2011's Prophecy) reinforces Parris's position at the top of the Elizabethan historical pack. Rumors that a recently docked ship in the Thames carries the plague have thrown London into a panic, but Bruno has a murder case to deal with. Sophia Underhill, a former love interest of Bruno's, has fled Canterbury, where her brutish husband, Sir Edward Kingsley, was bludgeoned to death in a manner curiously reminiscent of Thomas Becket's killing. Since Sophia stood to gain financially from her husband's demise and bloodstained women's gloves were found near Kingsley's body, she fears she'll be burned for the crime. When Bruno gives in to her entreaties to clear her name, Bruno's English spymaster, the real-life Sir Francis Walsingham, reluctantly allows his valued operative to journey to Canterbury. Parris creates some genuine chills in scenes set in spooky crypts, and masterfully mixes political intrigue, action, and sleuthing.
Customer Reviews
Good book, but no C J Sanson
I felt as though she was trying to emulate emulate C J Sanson. Definitely a readable book, but her prose varies from today’s language to terminology of the times she wrote about. I don’t know that I would purchase another of her books. To those who haven’t read Sanson’s books, I believe they would enjoy her novels.