The Royal Secret, Andrew Taylor
The Royal Secret, Andrew Taylor
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
Club: $15.99

The Royal Secret

Author: Andrew Taylor

Narrator: Leighton Pugh

Unabridged: 13 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 04/29/2021

Synopsis

From the No.1 bestselling author of  and  comes the next book in the phenomenally successful series following James Marwood and Cat Lovett during the time of King Charles II. Two young girls plot a murder by witchcraft. Soon afterwards a government clerk dies painfully in mysterious circumstances. His colleague James Marwood is asked to investigate – but the task brings unexpected dangers. Meanwhile, architect Cat Hakesby is working for a merchant who lives on Slaughter Street, where the air smells of blood and a captive Barbary lion prowls the stables. Then a prestigious new commission arrives. Cat must design a Poultry House for the woman that the King loves most in all the world. Unbeknownst to all, at the heart of this lies a royal secret so explosive that it could not only rip apart England but change the entire face of Europe… Over 1 Million Andrew Taylor Novels Sold! A Best Paperback of 2022

About Andrew Taylor

Andrew Taylor is the author of a number of crime novels, including the groundbreaking Roth Trilogy, which was adapted into the acclaimed TV drama Fallen Angel, and the historical crime novels The Ashes of London, The Silent Boy, The Scent of Death, and The American Boy, a No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller and a 2005 Richard & Judy Book Club Choice.

He has won many awards, including the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger, an Edgar Scroll from the Mystery Writers of America, the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award (the only author to win it three times), and the CWA's prestigious Diamond Dagger, awarded for sustained excellence in crime writing. He also writes for the Spectator and the Times.

He lives with his wife, Caroline, in the Forest of Dean.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Annette on April 19, 2021

London, 1670. Two young girls, Maria and Hannah, plot a murder by witchcraft. Once, “allies of a sort, united in their hatred of Abbott and his tyrannies.” Later, as Abbott is only a memory, one blackmails another. Cat Hakesby carries on her late husband’s business as an architect and surveyor. She i......more

Goodreads review by Emma on November 08, 2021

As this series and its characters mature, so does my enjoyment level increase. One of the factors I really enjoy is that Taylor is trying to do something a bit different with Cat and Marwood in their uncomfortable balance in their friendship. In this book both characters become involved in a spy cas......more

Goodreads review by Thebooktrail on April 09, 2021

Discover the locations in the novel The Royal Secret .A real treat for historical fiction fans. The plot is juicy and detailed, the characters very real and authentic and the attention to detail with regards to the history and scene setting is second to none. I never feel I can do these books justic......more

Goodreads review by Kate on May 07, 2021

Absolutely brilliant! I can't rave about this one enough as this fabulous series gets even better. A great story- compelling, tragic and thoroughly intriguing and, of course, steeped in the atmosphere of this secretive, diseased, decaying court of Charles II. Quite possibly the best of the series, w......more

Goodreads review by Kathy on August 31, 2021

3.5 stars for me I waited and watched and eventually the price came down to 3.99 vs 15.99. So, sometimes waiting and watching pays off. I can't even predict whether there will be yet another Marwood and Lovett after reading this one. I think the series lost its attraction for me, sorry to say. The vi......more

Quotes

‘With all his customary deftness and skill, Taylor weaves a colourful, complicated plot involving royal secrets, foreign spies in London and a mangy lion, caged in a merchant’s stables, that is used to frighten a man to death’ Best Paperbacks of 2022 ‘A pleasure from start to finish’ ‘Beautifully crafted story’ Praise for : ‘Confirms his status as one of our finest writers of historical thrillers’ ‘There is colour, violence, devotion, courage and fun here. What more could anyone ask of a crime novel?’ ‘Taylor is on reliably good form in this fourth instalment of a series that effortlessly blends history and mystery.’ ‘A teeming London (in the process of reconstruction after the Great Fire), political chicanery, duels, brothels, court manoeuvrings — all are grist to Taylor’s imaginative mill’ ‘A brilliant historical novel about Cromwell… Riveting’ ‘Superb… Cat, especially, remains one of the most compelling, multifaceted characters in contemporary historical fiction’. ‘Taylor’s fourth Marwood tale is gripping and rich in detail – 4.5 stars’ ‘Boasting political intrigue and evocative period atmosphere, The Last Protector is crime writing at its most elegant and assured’ “[G]reat fun and perfect summer getaway reading”!

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List