THE QUEEN'S MAN

A conspiracy to murder Elizabeth and free her cousin, the Queen of Scots, takes John Shakespeare home to Stratford-upon-Avon, where he discovers that his own family is caught in a web of terror. No. 6 in the series, published in hardback by Hodder & Stoughton, February 27 2014

England is a Judas nest of conspiracy It is 1582, and the conflict between Protestant and Catholic threatens to tear the country in two. While Queen Elizabeth I holds the reins of power, there are those whose loyalty lies with her imprisoned cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. On his first major mission for Sir Francis Walsingham, the young John Shakespeare is ordered to discover a conspiracy to free the Stuart queen from Sheffield Castle. All too soon, he realises that the tentacles of the plot reach deep into his native Warwickshire and threaten his own friends and family. His duty lies with Elizabeth - but how far will he go to protect those he loves? Rory Clements lives in Norfolk. He is married to the artist Naomi Clements-Wright. There are five books in the John Shakespeare series of Elizabethan mysteries: MARTYR, shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Award, REVENGER, winner of the 2010 CWA Ellis Peters Historical Fiction Award, PRINCE, shortlisted for the 2011 Ellis Peters Historical Fiction Award, TRAITOR and THE HERETICS. All are published by John Murray. A TV series based on the books is currently in development. Find out more at www.roryclements.com and at www.johnmurray.co.uk.