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Martyr

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About this listen

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 - one happy to die for God, the other to kill for Him - fit into the puzzle? 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.

2009, CWA Daggers: John Creasey (New Blood), Short-listed

©2009 Rory Clements (P)2010 Oakhill Publishing Fiction Historical Mystery England Royalty

Critic reviews

John Shakespeare is one of the great historical sleuths. (Barry Forshaw)
All stars
Most relevant
Really enjoyed this story. You get a strong sense of Elizabethan England; the religious and political tensions and intrigues in particular.

Shakespeare is attempting to find a murderer before he kills Drake. There’s enough fact to give the plot credibility and the range of characters adds depth. Excellent narration and I’m looking forward to the next adventure in this series.

Complex and satisfying

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it's good to read historical fiction with adult themes, the narrator started off a bit shaky but I liked him by the end

Excellent

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The voice of the narrator was initially off putting but as I became engrossed with the plot I found him easy to listen too. Although the language suits the times I found it rather vulgar and unnecessary, I feel some may be put off by it.
The book has a good plot, the main character is an easy one to like and on the whole I think the story is a good one.

Martyr

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On John Shakespeare, that is. This book was overly long and tedious in parts but at it’s heart was a good story. It just needed less of it!

I won’t give up yet.

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I have listened to Rory Clements books about the interwar years, conflict and post war years from the perspective of both British and German heroes. All these titles were first class, well researched, written and read by the talented Adam Sims. Adam’s delivery was really good, he really seems to engage with the book he was reading and kept the tension and excitement at just the right level.

Peter Wickham, although gifted with a strong clear voice, fails to use his talents to best advantage. Listening to his delivery of this writer’s work is like listening to à laundry list being read out. He lets the writer down, the listener down but mostly himself as an actor. I am sure he has it in him to improve. This review may seem harsh but Wickham’s poor performance did spoil the book for me.

The book itself wasn’t one of Rory Clement’s best, it is an early book. However, judging by his later work, he does have talent and is well worth persevering with.

An interesting novel poorly delivered by substandard narration style.

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