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The Royal Secret

James Marwood & Cat Lovett, Book 5

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About this listen

From the No.1 bestselling author of The Last Protector and The Ashes of London comes the next book in the phenomenally successful series following James Marwood and Cat Lovett during the time of King Charles II.

Over 1 Million Andrew Taylor Novels Sold! A Times Best Paperback of 2022

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…

©2021 Andrew Taylor (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Crime Thrillers Historical Mystery Private Investigators Royalty Thriller & Suspense Romance Fiction England Tudor

Critic reviews

"A pleasure from start to finish." (The Spectator)
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I devoured this in one day - everything about it is excellent.

The narration is superb. It's a series with complex and interesting characters. The period details seem excellent (though Kat is a potentially a little unlikely in the exact form of her very modern feminism, I'm sure many railed against the times). And the writing is excellent.

If you've followed the series before, you'll enjoy many familiar characters returning - and i think overall this book was better than the previous in the series. It's a while since i read that, but this has left a much better after taste. Strongly recommend the whole series if you're new to it

Really enjoyable

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Great story made even greater by superb narration. So many voices bring the London of King Charles II to life.

This series gets better and better

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I have enjoyed all the books in this series and this book was no exception. Beautifully written and narrated , with characters you really care about. The historical detail is wonderful and fascinating, a true glimpse into the way both the rich and poor lived during the 17 Century. Of course the most important thing is that they are cracking stories !

Love this series !

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I’ve followed this series and feel I know Marwood and Cat Lovett as they yet again get embroiled in intrigue and the solving of crimes. The story combines actual events and real people with fictional characters set in the time after the restoration of Charles II and revolves around his negotiations over a new alliance with the French monarch to block Dutch power. It’s a good story that brings the period to life with all the disease, squaller and social disparities and has realistic characters with whom one empathises or dislikes.

the narrator is excellent.

Enjoyable mix of historical fact and fiction

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Not quite as gripping as the others but the characters stay consistent and the historical context is great.

Good series

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