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The Desperate Remedy

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About this listen

 In the dark days of King James I, a man must know his enemies to survive. To Henry Gresham, gentleman, scholar, courtier, and spy, William Shadwell is invaluable. A thief, informer, double-dealer, and pimp, he may not be the most moral of men, but he is one of Gresham's best sources. When Shadwell is murdered, Gresham's enquiries uncover a plot so audacious it is scarcely believable.© Martin Stephen; (P)Oakhill Publishing Ltd Historical Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction

Critic reviews

"Henry Gresham is a hero for all seasons, and The Desperate Remedy is a dashing delight that challenges what we think we know." (Val McDermid)
"The twists and turns of a burgeoning intrigue provide tightening suspense while Stephen interprets with delicacy the motives of complex characters." (reviewingtheevidence.com)
All stars
Most relevant
Having read a couple of others in this series I went into this pretty much knowing what to expect and was not disappointed. A rollocking good story told at a pace that keeps you into the story. The narration is excellent as well so all in all well worth the mustard!

A good listen...

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I enjoyed the storyline interesting and as always Michael Tudor Barnes brought the characters alive

The desperate remedy

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Yes, there are [at times fairly obvious] inaccuracies, but the storyline is compelling and the excellent reader makes most of the text. Don't let the weaknesses of the book distract you from its captivating strengths. If you can cope with the occasional inappropriately modern language or factual error you will love this.

fascinating despite shortcomings

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A well read book that was sufficiently gripping for me to listen to the end. I was a little put off by odd factual inaccuracies (e.g. Alnwick Castle - the seat of the Percy family - is twice referred to as being on the coast. It is 5 miles from the coast). Trivial but easily checked and, if this is wrong, what about the rest of the historical framework for there is a substantial amount of contemporary detail thrown in. The other offputting device was that it regularly resorted to the hero's reflections which, perhaps naturally in his circumstances, became repetitive to the point of rumination. Having said that, I always wanted to know what happened next even though I thought I knew the overall historical context fairly well.

The Desperate Remedy

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An intelligent historical thriller, a pleasure to listen to. I could not recommend it more!

Absolutely fantastic!

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