An Elizabethan Spy Thriller Series - Book 3

'A fascinating and unusual take on an Elizabethan spy thriller with lashings of intrigue and historical colour.' Paul Walker, author of State of Treason

1572

The pope is dead. As cardinals flock to the Vatican to elect a new pontiff, they are unaware that a weapon capable of destroying the Church has been smuggled in with them.

As the doors of the city are locked, Catholic exile Jack Cole is sealed inside, hoping to gather intelligence for Elizabeth I’s spymaster, Francis Walsingham, and win permission to return to England.

But he is not alone.

His wife, Amy, has sneaked into the Vatican. If she is discovered, they could both be tortured and executed.

The pair are not, however, the only ones in the city with a dark purpose. As night falls, a mysterious prisoner is arrested. He has no name, no identity, and no history. Yet his sinister presence spells danger.

Dragged into aiding the Swiss Guard and its secretive captain, Jack and Amy must uncover the prisoner’s motives, find his weapon, and foil his plot. But is he working alone? As servants begin to disappear, mysterious figures are seen in the shadows, and bodies are discovered, the spies realise they can trust no one.

With time running out, there are only twenty-four hours to save the Vatican.

Steven Veerapen was born in Glasgow and raised in Paisley. Pursuing an interest in the sixteenth century, he was awarded a first-class Honours degree in English, focussing his dissertation on representations of Henry VIII’s six wives. He then received a Masters in Renaissance studies, and a Ph.D. investigating Elizabethan slander. Steven is fascinated by the glamour and ghastliness of life in the 1500s.

Praise for Steven Veerapen:

A Dangerous Trade

'A slow-burn character driven spy story that grips like a thumbscrew tightened by twist after twist towards the end - Le Carre transported to the 1560’s. Brilliant work, based in impressively wide research and the kind of competition that I and a good number of others could well do without!' Peter Tonkin

The Abbey Close. Book One of The Simon Danforth Mysteries

'The author balances gimlet-eyed research with narrative drive and clever reveals... Danforth is a strong yet torn central character... I look forward to reading the second book in the series.' Richard Foreman.

Blood Feud: Mary Queen of Scots and the Earl of Moray

'Much-needed analysis of a sinister sibling rivalry.' Marie Macpherson

Elizabeth & Essex: Power, Passion and Politics

'A sensitive and lively account of one of the most politically significant relationships of the Elizabethan age.' Lisa Hopkins