From medieval intrigues and Tudor mysteries to absorbing accounts of momentous battles, there’s something exciting here for everyone. Scroll down to discover this month’s titles from your favourite Sapere authors.
March’s Fiction Releases
Malta Inferno by Justin Fox is the fourth book in the Jack Pembroke Naval Thrillers series. In this instalment, Lieutenant Jack Pembroke and his small escort ship, HMSAS Southern Gannet, join a secret convoy from Egypt to relieve the beleaguered island of Malta.
Tyranny of Indulgence by Richard Kurti is the fifth book in the Basilica Diaries Medieval Mysteries series. Determined to accelerate the building of St Peter’s Basilica, the new Pope, Leo X, initiates the selling of indulgences, whereby the rich can buy forgiveness for their sins.
Matrons of Dishonour by David Field is the thirteenth book in the Esther & Jack Enright Mysteries series. Jack is tasked with assuring his superiors that rumours of unlawful assaults on suffragettes in police custody are baseless. But when he learns otherwise, he is obliged to reassess his loyalties.
A Parisian Intrigue by Suzanne Parsons is the first book in the WWII Aviatrix Adventures series. Miriam Nugent and her fiancé, Archie Bowater, are both doing their bit for the war effort. While Archie struggles to get to grips with flying Spitfires, at Bletchley Park Miriam quickly makes her mark fixing the machines that will decode enemy messages.
Grave Merriment by Angela Ranson is the third book in the Catrin Surovell Tudor Mystery series. It’s Christmas at Whitehall Palace, but Lady Catrin Surovell cannot find her celebratory spirit. The queen has asked her to stop a brute who has forced the waifs of London to work for him. And it seems the culprit may be someone at court…
A Valiant Endeavour by D. R. Bailey is the second book in the Cooper’s Renegades Aviation Thrillers series. American pilot Cooper Donahue has been sent to the RAF base at Banley to train with the British Mavericks Squadron. Before long, he finds himself flying sorties along the Sussex coast, where the threat of dogfights with the Germans lurks around every corner.
A Lady in Name by Elizabeth Bailey is a heart-warming Georgian romance. When Lucinda Graydene’s father imparts a shattering secret on his deathbed, her world is turned upside down. Bereft, she confronts the author of her unorthodox origins — but instead she finds his heir. And the autocratic Stefan Ankerville, Earl of Pennington, takes charge of her life, despite her protests.
March’s Fiction Backlist Releases
We are pleased to announce that the fourth, fifth and sixth instalments of H. Jay Riker’s gripping SEALS: The Warrior Breed series are out now. Don’t miss these action-packed military adventures, following the U.S. Navy’s elite commando demolition unit.
March’s Non-Fiction Releases
Fighter Pilots of the RAF by Chaz Bowyer is a powerful and deeply human portrait of the men who risked everything in the skies over Europe. Drawing on meticulous research, Bowyer goes beyond the famous names to uncover the untold stories of twenty pilots — many of whom received little public recognition, yet were crucial in the fight against the Luftwaffe.
The Burnside Expedition in North Carolina by Richard A. Sauers is a definitive account of Union General Ambrose E. Burnside’s North Carolina Campaign — a pivotal moment in the American Civil War.
A Short History of the Arab Peoples by Sir John Bagot Glubb draws on the author’s considerable knowledge of the Arab world gleaned from his time spent living and working in the region to explore its history, culture and politics. Spanning from the seventh century to the mid-twentieth century, this book brings to life several tumultuous and extraordinary periods of history.
Hunters From the Sky by Charles Whiting tells the fascinating true story of the Fallschirmjäger — the elite German Parachute Corps — and their role during the Second World War, 1940–1945.
Trafalgar: Nelson’s Great Victory by Donald Macintyre charts the dramatic prelude to the momentous battle — from Horatio Nelson’s rise to fame at the battles of the Nile and Copenhagen, to Pierre-Charles Villeneuve’s bold attempt to unite French naval forces in the Caribbean, before slipping past the British blockade to challenge their command of the seas.
Happy Reading! Team Sapere
We are thrilled to announce that we have signed the next three books in the Anne Boleyn Chronicles by Rozsa Gaston.
Set during Anne Boleyn’s formative years, the series follows Anne through the Habsburg Netherlands to France, then back to England before rising to become one of England’s most legendary queens.
In Rozsa’s words:
“The adventure of chronicling Anne Boleyn’s teenage years in Europe has catapulted me far beyond my original plan for a three-book series. Anne’s story deepened as I researched the historically significant figures who shaped her, both psychologically and politically, including Margaret of Austria, the future Charles V, Erasmus, Francis I of France, Mary Tudor, Louise of Savoy, Diane de Poitiers, Clément Marot, and Leonardo da Vinci.
“The next three books in the Anne Boleyn Chronicles see Anne at the 1520 Field of the Cloth of Gold, where her unique advantage as an Englishwoman with French sensibilities allow her to stand out. Her final year in France, however, is fraught with rumblings of religious reformation spurred by Martin Luther, and the coming war with England.
“In 1521 Anne is summoned home to England, where she shines after eight years spent at two of the most powerful courts in Europe. Her father is determined to see Anne marry well. But Anne’s sights are set even higher than her father’s. In book six we shall see how high she soars following her extraordinary years abroad.”
Queen of Diamonds is available to pre-order now.
We are pleased to announce that we have signed an exciting new series of Tudor mysteries by Paul Walker.
In Paul’s words:
“History, in pictures, books or old buildings, has always prompted my imagining of what it must have been like all those years ago. The sixteenth century was filled with intrigue, politicking and socio-religious turmoil, and that is where I’ve put my protagonist, Doctor William Constable.
“Constable is a physician and mathematician of the stars, with a house in West Cheap, central London. He becomes involved (unwillingly, at first) in foiling plots against Queen Elizabeth, under the watchful eye of Sir Francis Walsingham.
“I am delighted to have the first four books in the series scheduled for publication by one of the most prized names in historical fiction, Sapere Books. These books cover the years 1578 to 1585 and include some well-known events and names. Work is underway on books five and six.”
Visit Paul’s website to stay up to date with his news and latest releases.
From twisty mysteries and Roman adventures to exciting tales of historical privateers — there’s something exciting here for everyone. Scroll down to discover this month’s titles from your favourite Sapere authors.
January’s Fiction Releases
Sherlock Holmes and the Widow’s Key by Linda Stratmann is the tenth book in The Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes series. In this instalment, Holmes and Stamford investigate the death of a mysterious widow — and make a gruesome discovery in the process.
Nun Shall Sleep by Graham Brack is the ninth book in the Master Mercurius Mystery series: atmospheric crime thrillers set in seventeenth-century Europe. In his latest adventure, Mercurius is drawn into strange — and possibly sinister — happenings at a convent.
Islands of Mist by Jeff Jones is the third book in the Legion of the Damned Roman Thrillers series: action-packed military adventures set in Ancient Rome. For their latest mission, Centurion Marcus Corvo and his men must prevent or crush a suspected rebellion in Britannia.
Dawn of Conflict by Eric Helm is the first book in the Global War Military Thriller Series. In this alternative-history thriller set in the late twentieth century, a series of stunning geopolitical changes destabilizes a dozen major governments around the globe, pitching the armies of each nation into world warfare.
Flight to Freedom by Anthony Palmiotti is a tense World War Two naval adventure. When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, the United States is plunged into war. As one of the few remaining ships in the region, the Tanager is called to evacuate Army nurses and those fleeing from the enemy.
His True Wife by Amy Licence is the fifth book in The Marwood Family Tudor Saga series. In the latest instalment, Catherine of Aragon prepares for the Legatine Court, while lady-in-waiting Thomasin Marwood awaits a marriage proposal from the man she loves.
January’s Fiction Backlist Releases
We are pleased to announce that the fifth, sixth and seventh instalments of Gilbert Hackforth-Jones’ gripping Paul Dexter Naval Adventures series are out now! Don’t miss these entertaining and action-packed tales of life at sea.
January’s Non-Fiction Releases
The Story of the Arab Legion by John Bagot Glubb is a fascinating personal account of the development of the Arab Legion as a formidable fighting force from the 1930s to the Second World War.
SS Kommando by Charles Whiting is a compelling read for anyone interested in Kommando operations throughout World War Two — the men involved, their leaders and rivals under the Führer, and the desperate tactics employed in the face of defeat.
The Privateers by Donald Macintyre charts the golden age of privateering — from its Elizabethan origins, through the daring exploits of British and French buccaneers against Spanish treasure ships, to its eventual outlawing and brief revival during the American Civil War.
Eugene Esmonde, V.C., D.S.O. by Chaz Bowyer is a moving biography of a remarkable pilot who received a posthumous Victoria Cross for courageous but fatal actions during World War Two.
Happy Reading! Team Sapere
We are delighted to announce that we have signed two new books in Angela Ranson’s Catrin Surovell Tudor Mystery series: exciting historical thrillers set at the court of Elizabeth I.
Here, Angela tells us more about the series and what to expect from the latest instalments:
“I started working with Sapere Books in March 2022, when I was named as a runner-up in their first writing competition. From the very first, the people at Sapere have brought light and positivity to my writing life. They have offered real help and support, and their editing process has improved my writing enormously. Sapere has helped me understand and appreciate the many stages of writing a book.
“Or, as it has turned out, a series of books. We started out with three Catrin Surovell Tudor mysteries, and then it grew to five, and just last month it grew to seven. I was so excited to receive the latest contracts and know that I could continue to explore the character of Lady Catrin, Countess of Ashbourne and favoured lady of the bedchamber for Queen Elizabeth I. Lady Catrin is a clever and courageous woman in a dangerous world — much as Elizabeth’s real ladies of the bedchamber would have been. It was not all music, gossip, fine clothes and embroidery for these women, despite the way they are portrayed in modern movies. In real life, they had difficult battles to fight.
“Thus far, Lady Catrin has remained close to her queen at court. She has battled many villains who have tried to remove Elizabeth from her throne, or destroy the reforms the queen has put in place. She has fought against religious zealots, royal traitors and court conspirators, all with the help of her close friend Lady Lucy and a collection of people as dedicated to the queen’s service as she is. In the fourth book, Grave Merriment (which will be released in March 2026), Lady Catrin will battle two villains, each with a specific goal but one area of common ground: the desire to destroy all the queen holds dear, at the most festive time of the year.
“It is important to me that Lady Catrin’s adventures could have happened and that Lady Catrin herself could have investigated and unmasked the villains. I try very hard not to change history or give Lady Catrin more power than she would have had. I do, however, often answer historical questions that have never been answered, or create fictional scenarios that take place in parallel with a known event. That is why the fifth book in the series will focus on an event that never took place: a meeting between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots. This meeting has been included in many fictional accounts of these two queens. Usually, the wise queen of England grows frustrated with how the reckless and impulsive Queen of Scots always ‘feeds her with fair words’ that mean nothing.
“Instead of following this trend, the fifth Catrin Surovell mystery will follow history more closely, and focus instead on why that meeting didn’t happen. Lady Catrin will be the one who learns the secret that keeps these ‘fair cousins’ apart … just in time to save their lives.”
Grave Merriment is available to pre-order now.
Visit Angela’s website to stay up to date with her news and latest releases.
From Tudor adventures and World War Two thrillers to fascinating accounts of historical battles — there’s something exciting here for everyone. Scroll down to discover this month’s titles from your favourite Sapere authors.
November’s Fiction Releases
The Queen’s Game by Raymond Wemmlinger is a thrilling novel of succession set at the Tudor Court. Will Lady Mary Grey see her family name rise to victory, or tumble into obscurity…?
Despair and Triumph by David Mackenzie is the third book in the John Noble Fighter Ace Thrillers series. In this instalment, John finds himself sent on a mission halfway around the world.
The April King by Isolde Martyn is a compelling and romantic biographical historical mystery novel set in Tudor Elizabethan England.
The Man from Morocco by C. P. Giuliani is the seventh book in The Tom Walsingham Mysteries series: page-turning espionage adventures set during the Elizabethan era.
In Danger’s Hour by David Clensy is the second book in the Romulus Hutchinson Naval Adventure series: authentic historical adventures following twin brothers fighting with the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy during the Second World War. With Operation Dynamo around the corner, will the Hutchinson brothers both make it out alive…?
November’s Fiction Backlist Releases
The Starling by Doris Leslie is a compelling historical novel of passion, new beginnings and the nature of true love, set in London and Florence, Italy.
November’s Non-Fiction Releases
Patton’s Last Battle by Charles Whiting tells the dramatic story of American General George Patton’s final months of command in World War Two.
Jutland by Donald Macintyre uncovers the dramatic, in-depth story of the Battle of Jutland, the most significant naval clash of World War One.
Soldiers of Fortune John Bagot Glubb explores the captivating history of the Mamluk Empire, one of the Middle East’s most powerful forces from 1250 to 1517.
Men of the Desert Air Force by Chaz Bowyer is a gripping, real-life account of the brave pilots who flew over the deserts of North Africa and the Mediterranean during World War Two.
Happy reading! Team Sapere
As a historical novelist, I’d say that what resides in the details is a sense of place and time. Whether found by accurate research, by educated guesswork or by extrapolation, details endow fiction with a near-tangible quality that lets both the writer and the reader experience a measure of truth behind it. We ‘hear’ a long dead spy’s voice in the clipped sentences and spelling quirks of his reports, or we find a mindset in a statesman’s liking for trees and Italy.
Details are also highly addictive.
I usually begin by wanting to know something innocent — say, what fine Moroccan jewellery would have looked like five and a half centuries ago. And at four in the morning, I’m still browsing the web, and writing to friends whose spouses work in museums, or to complete strangers who happen to be historians. In the end, the (broken) Moroccan necklace will make one brief appearance — but it will look like an actual sixteenth-century one.
Once, a few books ago, I spent a happy hour in an antiquary’s shop in Venice, peppering the owner with questions about just what kind of blade a certain kind of Venetian citizen would have bought and worn, so that, in The Road to Murder, Paolo Citolini’s Venetian dagger was not just an element of the plot, but also something that his grandfather could have bought, and his father brought with him in his English exile as a piece of home.
And then there was the session of theatre rehearsals I hijacked into a demonstration of the different styles in Renaissance fencing, to see just what my protagonist, Tom Walsingham, would learn from an Italian swordsmaster. Or the museum curator who asked his mayor for leave in orderpermission to scan old cadastral maps for me. Or the kind librarian at the diocese of Paris’ archives whom I sent on a quest for the name of the bishop’s coadjutor in 1587. Most diocesan records were lost during the Revolution, and the name I wanted couldn’t be found — and yet I became fascinated with the idea of this nameless coadjutor: can he truly be only clinging to the cliff of history by a brief mention in an English diplomatic report? Someday this will be a story, too.
And what would the inn have been called in this village? And where would the great stairs have been in that long-destroyed manor house? Details — often quite small — to be happily hunted down rabbit-holes. They don’t even all necessarily end up on the page: what goes there thickens the atmosphere; what doesn’t still serves to add depth and texture and colour to the story.
Visit C. P. Giuliani’s website to stay up to date with her news and latest releases.
Following the success of her Medieval Ladies Series, we are delighted to have signed a new Thomas Middleton series by Coirle Mooney.
In Coirle’s words:
“While studying for my PhD, I became intrigued by Thomas Middleton. Who was this lesser known, younger, more dashing contemporary of Shakespeare who preferred to be called ‘Plain Tom’?
“In the first book of my new series, schoolboy Tom dreams of becoming a great poet like Kit Marlowe or William Shakespeare and draws inspiration from the daily crime pamphlets sold around St Paul’s Cathedral, as well as the preachers’ passionate sermons on vice and evil-doers. His essay wins the grand prize of a season ticket to the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, but his plan (and childhood) is derailed when his charismatic stepfather attempts to poison his beloved mother, forcing him to give up the precious prize to help pay for the lawsuit that ensues. Alongside his poetic aspiration, Tom develops a lifelong distrust of appearances and an obsession with rooting out poisoners.
“The series follows Tom down the dark alleyways of Southwarke’s lawless baiting dens, taverns, brothels, the Rose and the (newly built) rival Globe theatre, where he meets like-minded playwrights and actors who move easily between all social ranks in late Elizabethan and early Jacobean London. Tom and his fellow artisan dissidents are well placed to root out corruption in the shape of poisoners, like his stepfather, who destroy innocent lives in the pursuit of wealth, status and power.
“All three books reimagine poisonings of the time, with Tom’s character central to discovering the murderers. Book three culminates in the Overbury murder scandal, where members of the Jacobean court and their citizen accomplices were famously put on trial for the poisoning of Sir Thomas Overbury.
“I am thrilled to be working with the marvellous team at Sapere once more and grateful to have a platform worthy of plain Tom!”
Congratulations to Rozsa Gaston, whose absorbing sixteenth-century drama, Maid of Honour, is out now!
Maid of Honour is the first book in the Anne Boleyn Chronicles.
Europe, 1513
Anne Boleyn’s path to Henry VIII’s heart—and the throne—begins not in France, but at the court of Europe’s most powerful woman, Margaret of Austria.
Anne enters the world of the Burgundian-Habsburg Netherlands as one of Margaret’s eighteen maids of honour, who thrive under the guidance of their highly intelligent ruler.
Anne struggles with cliques and jealousies at court, and when Erasmus of Rotterdam arrives with ideas of reform, Anne starts to question tradition and sets her sights high, determined to leave her mark on the world.
But political machinations intervene, cutting short Anne’s time at Margaret’s court, and launching her to France.
Armed with the skills learned under the Netherlands’ brilliant ruler, Anne inches closer to her destiny…
Can she achieve her ambitious desires? Will Margaret’s formidable example influence Anne’s future?
Or will this young maid struggle to blossom in a man’s world…?
Congratulations to
Scotland, 1594
Nineteen-year-old Anne of Denmark, Queen of Scotland, is thrilled and triumphant at the birth of a healthy baby boy, destined to reign as King of Scotland and, possibly, England.
But Anne’s enjoyment of maternal glory quickly fades as her husband King James, fearing his son will be politically manipulated against him as he was against his mother, the deceased Mary Queen of Scots, removes the child permanently from her care.
Outraged, Anne tries to regain control of her son, initiating a bitter marital struggle which sours what had been a loving and harmonious marriage.
Anne is haunted by the giant legacies of Mary Stuart and Elizabeth Tudor on the thrones of Scotland and England, and is determined to make her own mark.
And central to that ambition is securing the succession to the English throne from her husband’s cousin, the elderly and childless Queen Elizabeth.
Can Anne regain favour with the Scottish King? Will they join forces to secure the English throne?
Or will this daring Queen of Scotland fade into obscurity…?
We are thrilled to announce that we have signed the fifth book in The Marwood Family Tudor Saga by Amy Licence.
Set at the court of King Henry VIII, the series follows the drama and intrigue at the heart of the Tudor court.
In Amy’s words:
“I’m really excited to be publishing the next instalment in Thomasin Marwood’s journey with Sapere Books. Readers of the series will recall her turbulent experiences at the court of Henry VIII in the 1520s. The young Thomasin arrived aged seventeen, fresh from her Suffolk childhood, to navigate the various intrigues and romances of court life. She is dazzled by the elegance of Anne Boleyn, before she finds a place in the household of Catherine of Aragon. Watching the royal marriage unravel, Thomasin becomes close to her mistress, who trusts her implicitly, whilst trying to protect her own heart from the handsome Rafe Danvers and other suitors.
“Now, two years later, the eagerly anticipated Legatine Court is about to open at Blackfriars, to test the validity of Henry and Catherine’s marriage and hopefully bring them all some resolution. Not all is as straightforward as it seems, though, as friends and lovers just as quickly turn into enemies, and long-term scandals in the Marwood family threaten to re-surface. Then there is Thomas Cromwell, keen to do Henry’s bidding, leading to some dangerous clashes with Thomasin’s father.
“I love writing the Marwood series, with all the colour, textures and details of life at the Tudor court. It’s the closest we can come to travelling back in time there ourselves. When I was planning this series, I wanted to create a heroine outside the cast of usual characters, a complete outsider with whom the reader could identify, and set her within the dynamic of known individuals like Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon. There must have been many similar silent witnesses to the crucial events of the 1520s who have gone unnamed and unrecorded, so Thomasin also represents them.
“There’ll be some twists and turns in this book, but it’s building towards a mid-series mini-conclusion, with both Thomasin and her cousin Ellen settled by the end. I thought it time to give them both some happiness at last, after everything they’ve been through. After that, I hope to give Thomasin a little breathing space, then bring her back to court in 1532, for Book Six. She will find herself at Anne’s side through the coming years, as a witness to her queenship and downfall.”
To keep up to date with Amy’s latest releases, visit her website.
The Marwood Family Tudor Saga:
Congratulations to Angela Ranson, whose gripping Tudor mystery, A Glittering Peril, is out now!
A Glittering Peril is the third book in the Catrin Surovell Tudor Mysteries Series: exciting historical thrillers set at the court of Elizabeth I.
1561
Every summer, Queen Elizabeth takes a journey around her kingdom. It is a time of revels and celebration, full of pleasure and extravagance.
But in July 1561, the trip begins badly when the corpse of an unknown man is left in her path.
The nervous queen asks Catrin Surovell, her trusted favourite lady-in-waiting, to find out who is trying to sabotage her journey.
But Catrin soon discovers that the queen’s nervousness stems from something greater than the mysterious death.
Someone has been leaving reminders of the queen’s mother, Anne Boleyn, in strange places. A woman appears in the distance who looks like her; the scent of Anne’s perfume is left in the queen’s chamber, and Anne’s favourite French ballads are sung by a disembodied voice as the queen is travelling.
Worst of all, Anne Boleyn’s famous gold-and-pearl necklace with teardrop pearls hanging from a letter ‘B’ is taken from the queen’s bedchamber. The queen is devastated by the loss, for the necklace was one of very few mementos she had of her mother.
The queen begins to suspect one of her courtiers, so Catrin visits his home to conduct a secret investigation into his actions. And that’s when she discovers this is the most difficult mystery she has ever had to solve.
Is Queen Elizabeth being haunted by her ill-fated mother? Or is someone trying to drive her insane?
And can Catrin find the connection between the missing jewels and the unknown corpse…?
Congratulations to
England, 1558
Sixteen-year-old Catherine Seymour has always idolised her elder sister Jane. As a child Jane had been groomed to be queen, to marry her cousin King Edward, and since his death she has been determined to restore her family’s claim to throne.
Jane had spent time at Queen Mary’s court but she has now returned home to Hanworth Park to the delight of Catherine and their brother Ned.
To their surprise, Jane brings with her Lady Catherine Grey, sister of Jane Grey, the ill-fated nine-day queen, and heiress to the throne after Princess Elizabeth.
Jane confides in Catherine that she aims to bring about a betrothal between Lady Grey and Ned, so that their brother and his children have a chance to lay claim to the throne.
But everything changes when Mary suddenly dies, and Elizabeth succeeds as queen. Now the sisters must seek favour with a new monarch.
Luckily, Elizabeth’s succession proves advantageous for the Seymour family. Jane is chosen as a lady in waiting and immediately becomes a favourite.
Can Jane still bring her plan to fruition? Will it mean betraying the new queen?
Or will rumours of a romance between Queen Elizabeth and one of her courtiers change everything for the Seymour sisters…?
Congratulations to Adele Jordan, whose page-turning Tudor mystery, The Body in the Chamber, is published today!
The Body in the Chamber is the third book in the Shadow Cutpurses Tudor Thriller Series.
1536, London
With two queens already removed from King Henry VIII’s side, the Tudor court fears for his new wife, Jane Seymour.
Thief turned espionage agent, Gwynnie Wightham is tasked by her employer Elric Tombstone to watch over the new queen.
And it soon becomes clear that her task will not be an easy one when a dead body is found in the queen’s chambers.
It seems there is a murderer hiding in the palace walls, and a clear suspect has already been named.
Convicted killer, Connal Devlin, escaped the noose at Tyburn and vowed to seek revenge on King Henry for turning his back on the ‘true’ Catholic faith.
Gwynnie is tasked with finding Devlin, but something doesn’t seem right.
Is it possible Devlin isn’t as evil as he was made out to be? Could someone else be behind the murder at the palace?
And can Gwynnie stop them before another Tudor queen’s life comes to an untimely end…?
In this behind-the-scenes blog series, Sapere Books authors offer an intriguing insight into how, where and why they write.
Today, we are delighted to spotlight Angela Ranson, author of the Catrin Surovell Tudor Mysteries.
Angela’s study
I write in my study, which doubles as a playroom for my two cats. I love having their energy and curiosity as the backdrop for my writing. This is especially true because I write about a world long dead — Tudor England — and try with every scene to bring it back to life.
My books centre around the early years in the reign of Elizabeth I (the 1560s), which I studied when I earned my doctorate in sixteenth-century English history. I live in York, within a stone’s throw of King’s Manor. This was the building where Henry VIII stayed in 1536, and his suite of rooms is now one of the University of York’s libraries. If you stand at the back of the building, you can see a tiny window that leads to nowhere: it originally let some light into Henry’s specially-made toilet, or garderobe.
I love that York has these little historical treasures; I go looking for them whenever I have the opportunity. That isn’t as often as I would like, because I write between the hours dedicated to two jobs at the university. Writing is what I do to relax, to escape from the trials of daily life. Thus, you’ll often see me writing while I eat my supper, or early on a Saturday morning when I’m still in my pyjamas. Turns out, those are the hours when dreams come true.
Congratulations to David Field, whose absorbing historical thriller, Death By Gunpowder, is out now!
Death By Gunpowder is the sixth instalment of the Bailiff Mountsorrel Tudor Mystery Series – private investigation crime novels set during the reign of Elizabeth I and beyond.
Nottingham, England, 1605
Frustrated in their two previous attempts to restore the Catholic faith to England, a group of heretics plan to assassinate King James in Parliament in a massive explosion timed for November 5th, 1605.
But when that plot also fails and Guy Fawkes starts revealing the names of accomplices under torture in the Tower, those who had been complicit in the plot run for cover.
Not long after, Nottinghamshire bailiff, Edward Mountsorrel is called to investigate a mysterious explosion in a row of houses that has left four people dead.
And he soon unearths evidence that suggests this crime is linked to the larger plot on the king’s life.
His suspicions are confirmed when an official from London, acting with royal authority, orders Edward and fellow bailiff Francis Barton to hunt down the gunpowder fugitives who are believed to be hiding out in the local area.
But the men won’t go down without a fight. And Edward could find himself in the firing line…
Congratulations to C. P. Giuliani, whose absorbing historical thriller, A Matter of Blood, is out now!
A Matter of Blood is a page-turning espionage adventure set in Tudor England. It is the sixth book in the Tom Walsingham Mysteries series.
London, 1588
Mary Stuart, the deposed Queen of Scots, polestar of all Catholic intriguers, and a life-long danger to England has met the executioner’s axe.
But many of her supporters still hold influential positions in Paris and her death has not endeared England to the French.
Unbeknownst to the Queen of England, her spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, had more than a little to do with manipulating her into finally condemning her cousin.
And now a letter has been leaked exposing Walsingham’s secret to the Queen’s ambassador in Paris, Sir Edward Stafford.
There is no love lost between Stafford and Walsingham and the ambassador will happily expose his nemesis, no matter the consequences for England.
Walsingham instructs his cousin Tom to travel to Paris to quell the rumours and discover Stafford’s intentions. But then a troublesome Catholic leader, a kinsman of Stafford’s, is suspected to have been poisoned, and Tom finds himself embroiled in another mystery.
Can Tom win the trust of Stafford? Will he save his cousin’s reputation?
Or will the Parisians seek revenge on this hapless Englishman…?
Congratulations to Raymond Wemmlinger, whose gripping Tudor saga, The Queen’s Rival, is out now!
England, 1553
As she is seventh in line to the throne, sixteen-year-old Lady Margaret Clifford knows her marriage should be an important one. Which is why she is shocked to learn her father has agreed to entertain a proposal from a mere knight.
Sir Andrew Dudley is a court favourite and joins the ranks of the Duke of Northumberland’s family who are attempting to secure politically advantageous marriages. His nephew, Guildford Dudley is recently married to Margaret’s cousin, Lady Jane Grey, and with the boy-king Edward VI failing to secure a marriage of his own and produce an heir, it is clear the Dudleys are plotting a path to the throne.
All is flung into turmoil when the king dies and the attempt to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne is foiled. Instead, Catholic Queen Mary takes the throne and Margaret is sent to court as one of her ladies-in-waiting.
With the Dudleys’ fall from grace, Margaret is relieved that Sir Andrew’s proposal is off the cards, though she is still keen to secure herself a match befitting her royal heritage.
But first she must win the favour of the new queen. And with Queen Mary fearing rivals to her throne, that is not an easy task…
Can Margaret steer clear of the political machinations at Court? Will she strengthen her ties to the English throne through marriage?
We are delighted to announce that we have signed the ‘Anne Boleyn Chronicles’ by Rozsa Gaston.
Rozsa is the author of the Anne of Brittany series — an enthralling historical series set during the French Renaissance.
In Rozsa’s words:
“My new series tells the tale of Anne Boleyn’s years abroad before joining Henry VIII’s Tudor court. Set in the years 1513–1522, the story begins in the Netherlands at Margaret of Austria’s Burgundian-Habsburg imperial court.
“We see Anne grow from girlhood to womanhood as one of Margaret’s eighteen maids of honour. Facing the challenges of cliques and envy, she navigates court life by learning to fit in even as she longs to stand out.
“We then follow Anne to France, where she serves first Mary Tudor, then French queen, Claude of France, and finally, the French king’s sister, Marguerite d’Angoulême.
“After six years in France, Anne attends the summit of the Field of the Cloth of Gold where she realises the advantages that might await her at the Tudor court as an Englishwoman with French sensibilities. The series culminates in Anne’s return to England in the first months of 1522, fully armed with Continental flair, Reformist ideals, and a drive for self-determination fuelled by the new learning of Renaissance humanism.
“I am delighted to work with Sapere Books, with their strong commitment to historical fiction and historical biography. The team comes highly recommended for their personal touch, and I look forward to working with them to bring to readers Anne Boleyn’s formative years in a series that both informs and entertains.”
We are thrilled to announce that we have signed three new instalments in the Tom Walsingham Mysteries Series by C.P. Giuliani.
The series follows the espionage adventures of Tom Walsingham during the Elizabethan era in Tudor England.
In C.P. Giuliani’s words:
“Tom Walsingham sleuths on! I’m thrilled to have signed up three more adventures featuring my Elizabethan detective and spy with Sapere Books. I have great plans for Tom. He will be tasked with recovering a misplaced foreign ambassador — whose mission could change the course of Anglo-Spanish relations; he’ll become involved in a personal investigation when death strikes at his family home, Scadbury Manor; and poor Tom will find himself in prison when his money troubles and Sir Francis Walsingham’s plans collide. Plenty of mysteries and dangers lie ahead for Tom!
“I’m really happy to be working with Sapere, whose welcoming and stimulating atmosphere and competent, friendly and helpful team have made (and are making) my publishing journey a truly lovely adventure.”
Congratulations to David Field, whose gripping historical mystery, To Kill A King, is out now!
To Kill A King is the fifth novel in the Bailiff Mountsorrel Tudor Mystery Series – private investigation crime novels set during the reign of Elizabeth I and beyond.
Nottingham, England, 1603
Queen Elizabeth’s long reign has finally come to an end and the Tudor era is over. Scottish King James has been handed the crown of England, but not everyone is happy about that, and there are several plots being hatched to replace him with an alternative.
Bailiff Edward Mountsorrel already has his hands full with an increase in destitute vagrants flooding the county, who seem to be victims of a human trafficker. But before he can find the man responsible, he is tasked by an official with royal authority to infiltrate a local group, who it is rumoured are plotting to assassinate the new king.
Edward enlists the help of fellow bailiff, Francis Barton to find the group, who are hiding out in Sherwood Forest.
But the only way to discover the plot is to place themselves right in the heart of the danger. And there’s a good chance they will be killed before they can save the king…
Who is leading the band of rebels? Can he be stopped?
And is there a connection between the treasonous plot and the desperate vagrants Edward is trying to assist…?
Congratulations to David Field, whose twisty Elizabethan mystery, The Clamorous Dead, is published today!
The Clamorous Dead is the fourth historical thriller in the Bailiff Mountsorrel Tudor Mystery Series – private investigation crime novels set during the reign of Elizabeth I and beyond.
Nottingham, England, 1596
A routine hanging at Gallows Hill is disrupted when a wild woman begins screaming a curse on the execution site, calling down nightly visitations from the undead to claim the souls of the living.
County Bailiff Edward Mountsorrel attempts to pursue her, but she vanishes into thin air.
Nightly thereafter, Gallows Hill is the scene of ghastly happenings that Edward is ordered to investigate. Rumours of witchcraft infiltrate the county and the bailiff is sent to arrest a local woman, suspected of devilry.
Edward finds her and realises she is merely a wise woman with ancient knowledge of herbs and medicine and with no ill intent. He decides to hide her to keep her safe from those calling for blood.
But his efforts are complicated by the arrival of a professional witch-hunter from Scotland, who is scouring the length and breadth of England in a blood-thirsty mission to destroy any woman, man or child found guilty of sorcery.
As mass hysteria and prejudice threaten to engulf the country, can Edward bring justice to his county, while still keeping his morals intact? Or will innocent women be thrown to the wolves…?
In this behind-the-scenes blog series, Sapere Books authors offer an intriguing insight into how, where and why they write.
Today, we are delighted to spotlight C.P. Giuliani, author of the Tom Walsingham Mysteries Series.
C.P Giuliani’s garden house
Every year, as soon as summer comes, I move my writing to the garden house. It’s not really cooler, as temperature goes, but it feels summery and pleasant. I love the tall ceiling, the terracotta floor, the desk that used to belong to my great-grandfather, and the view onto the garden. There’s a little pond outside the French windows, and the birds bathing or drinking are, I confess, something of a distraction — but they also provide a cheerful break whenever I find myself stuck. A paragraph refusing to take the right shape? A character mutinying? A dull passage? I step away from the desk and watch while the blackbirds play in the water — and, more often than not, a solution will suggest itself.
For all its rustic pleasantness, the garden house has decent Wi-Fi — which is rather essential when my pile of reference books is not enough to confirm some detail — and is equipped with an electric kettle to make cup after cup of tea, which is a fundamental of my writing method.
In truth, beyond the insane amounts of tea, I have little in the way of a writing routine. Working in theatre means that my hours are flexible. Sometimes I write in the morning, sometimes very late at night, sometimes both; sometimes I must snatch the odd hour here and there, between a rehearsal session and a meeting with the techs. One thing I do is to always keep a notebook with me. Through the years, I’ve learnt to keep a dedicated notebook for each project, beside a general one for everything and anything: notes, stray ideas, snatches of dialogue overheard or imagined, lists, questions… It’s the general notebook that I carry around, so I can jot down anything that occurs to me — to be transferred to the relevant one later. This means that I do some of my writing at the theatre, at the vet’s, as I stand in a queue at the Post Office…
My family, friends and colleagues have developed a high degree of amused tolerance for my ‘Notebook Moments’, when I drop whatever I’m doing to take a note; strangers are occasionally a little put out until I explain that, for one thing, I’m prone to forgetting what I don’t write down and, for another, sometimes an idea will present itself in a very iridescent shape, little more than a flicker of colour under the surface of the water — and will need to be recorded quickly and thought through in writing, at least a little, if it’s to be of any use.
So to recap, I’m absent-minded, easily distracted, forgetful, and can’t keep a routine… I suppose it’s no wonder that a quiet, pleasant place like the garden house is important to my writing process.
Congratulations to Adele Jordan, whose nail-biting historical thriller, Murder At Greenwich Palace, is published today!
Murder At Greenwich Palace is the first book in the Shadow Cutpurses Tudor Thriller Series. It is an espionage adventure set during King Henry VIII’s reign in England with a feisty female lead.
1536, London
Mother and daughter ‘shadow cutpurse’ team, Emlyn and Gwynnie have been stealing to survive for years, but they are ready to make their big break and escape a life of crime forever.
While Emlyn distracts the guards at Greenwich Palace, Gwynnie sneaks inside, searching for the royal jewels that will set them up for life.
But Gwynnie is disturbed in the act and whilst hiding, she sees something she can never unsee.
A man is murdered in front of her.
Gwynnie flees the crime scene but extreme flooding blocks her escape from the palace grounds.
And with the break-in discovered, suspicion for the murder is placed on the thieves.
If Gwynnie admits to what she has seen, she could find herself executed for a crime she didn’t commit.
Can Gwynnie find a way to reveal what she saw? Will she manage to find her way to freedom?
Or will her a career as a cutpurse end in death…?
In this behind-the-scenes blog series, Sapere Books authors offer an intriguing insight into how, where and why they write.
Today, we are delighted to spotlight David Field, author of numerous historical series including the Bailiff Mountsorrel Tudor Mystery Series and the New World Nautical Saga Series.
I’ve always written stories, even as a child, then I progressed from childhood scribbles to more serious attempts at literary glory on an old upright Olivetti typewriter (one of those with a red and black ribbon, if you’re old enough to remember) when my handwriting graduated from ‘untidy’ to ‘execrable’.
Reluctantly I then honoured my mother’s wish, and my father’s insistence, and got a ‘real job’ as a criminal trial lawyer, which was about as relaxing as standing on one leg on the top outer ledge of The Shard in London, without the reassurance of a safety harness. To relieve the stress I decided to start working on a novel — but what should I choose for a genre?
A good friend of mine who already earned a precarious living as a novelist was insistent that one should always write about things that one knows, and by this stage I knew two things outside my professional straightjacket — some history from my schooldays, and the streets of my home town, Nottingham. During the final years of my working life I spent stolen moments imagining the lives of those living in Nottingham during the Luddite Riots, and In Ludd’s Name was eventually published by a boutique publishing house owned by an old school friend.
Bitten by the bug, and buoyed up by having finally been published, I grew ambitious, and searched the history books for possible storylines, most notably from that most colourful of periods of English history, the Tudor era. The literary world seemed to be awash with Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I and even ‘Bloody Mary’, but two seminal characters from that era seemed never to have received much attention from novelists.
First was the progenitor of the Tudors, the boy from Wales, Henry VII, and I climbed inside his head to bring to the pages that followed his boyhood imprisonment in a bleak castle in South Wales, his youthful exile in Brittany, his triumphant return at the head of a ramshackle army that deposed Richard III at Bosworth, and his love match with Elizabeth of York that brought the Wars of the Roses to an end in the nursery rather than on the battlefield. To my delight, and secret surprise, I found a publisher — Sapere Books — and Tudor Dawn was launched.
Then — unbounded joy and amazement! — Sapere wanted another one, so this time I focused on a butcher’s son from Ipswich who rose from obscurity to become Archbishop of York, Papal Legate for life, Lord Chancellor and the diplomacy coach of choice of Henry VIII. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey’s spectacular downfall was just as dramatic, and The King’s Commoner was published, as testament to the fact that I had a second novel in me.
Dozens of titles have since been published, all by Sapere Books, and all ‘historical’ in genre. As one of the characters in Alan Bennett’s delightful creation, The History Boys, says of history — ‘It’s just one ******* thing after another’, and so it has been for me.
Congratulations to C. P. Giuliani, whose gripping espionage thriller, A Snare of Deceit, is out now!
A Snare of Deceit is a page-turning adventure set during the Elizabethan era in Tudor England. It is the fifth book in The Tom Walsingham Mysteries series.
London, 1587
A new year is being celebrated at Greenwich Palace, but not everyone is in the mood for rejoicing.
Mary Stuart, the imprisoned Queen of Scots has been officially declared a traitor. But Queen Elizabeth is reluctant to sign the death warrant and her mood has been downcast, even in the middle of the festivities.
And the night is soured further when one of the performers is found dead in the tiltyard.
The show must go on, but Tom Walsingham, spying for his cousin Sir Francis, stays behind to investigate. The dead man was no ordinary player, but a man called Jack Perkin, who Tom knew was meant to be passing information to the queen’s confidants about a plot against her life.
With Perkin’s death unlikely to be an accident, Tom feels the danger of the murderous plot escalating out of control. And the player was killed before he could pass on his warning.
But that would place the murderer at court. And dangerously close to the queen…
Can Tom find the killer? Will he uncover the deadly plot?
Or will the web of deceit close in on him…?
Following the success of her Jane Austen Investigations series, we are thrilled to announce that we have signed a new dual timeline series set in the modern day and Tudor times by Laura Martin.
In Laura’s words:
“I am absolutely delighted to be writing a new dual timeline series for Sapere. With threads of the present day and Tudor times, as well as hints of the occult, the books are fantastically interesting to research and write. In the present day the series follows two friends — Alice and Lydia — whose lives are ripped apart when Lydia suffers a catastrophic accident whilst they are playing with a Ouija board. Alice tries to move on with her life until it becomes apparent Lydia’s condition is linked to an unsolved mystery in the past.
“Vivacious and charming, Bessie Blount is an immediate favourite at court when she joins the household of Queen Katherine of Aragon. With her skill at singing and dancing she soon catches King Henry VIII’s eye and quickly has to learn how to navigate the intrigue and politics at court. When she falls pregnant with the King’s son she begins to wish for a normal life, but the price she has to pay is watching her firstborn son grow up from afar. She cannot guide Henry Fitzroy through the dangerous world of the Tudor court, and cannot stop worrying about her eldest son’s safety.
“The happenings of the present day and the Tudor times are inextricably linked and only by unravelling the mysteries of the past can Alice have any chance of saving her friend.
“I am thrilled to be working with Sapere again on this new series. The whole team are wonderful to work with and have a way of making the complicated process of producing a book appear seamless.”
In the Jane Austen Investigations series:
We are delighted to announce that we have signed a new series of Tudor mysteries by Kate Robertson.
In Kate’s words:
“The series follows Anne Winston, a lady at the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Quiet and unassuming, she is a keen observer and has a skill for puzzling out problems.
“When we first meet Anne, she has just returned to court from burying her husband. She soon learns that her nephew has been arrested for sedition and must race against the clock to prove his innocence while also being drawn into the emerging spy network under Sir William Cecil, the Secretary of State.
“As the series progresses, we will see Anne uncover intrigues and conspiracies, using her powers of observation and ability to go unnoticed in most situations. I wanted to write a story about an older female protagonist who discovers the power of her voice and finds her agency in a complicated world, all while trying to right wrongs and find justice for the forgotten.
“I met Amy Durant at the Historical Novel Society Conference in San Antonio in 2023. I initially pitched her a different story but when she asked what else I had, I knew I needed to share Anne, my most personal protagonist, entrenched in the Tudor era, which is my first historical period love.
“I’m excited to work with Sapere — it’s inspiring to work with a publisher that knows and loves historical fiction so well.”
Congratulations to Amy Licence, whose intriguing Tudor drama, Lady of Misrule, is published today!
Lady of Misrule is the fourth book in The Marwood Family Tudor Saga.
1528
The mood at court is sombre. The fractures in the royal marriage are spreading and King Henry’s desires are threatening the stability of the realm.
Eighteen-year-old Thomasin Marwood feels aged beyond her years in service to Queen Catherine of Aragon.
Her time as a lady-in-waiting has exposed her to intrigues and dark plots that have cast a shadow over her future.
And now King Henry is becoming more open in his plot to divorce the queen and marry Lady Anne Boleyn.
Queen Catherine has sent for her daughter, Princess Mary to join her at court and remind Henry of his fatherly duties. But Anne Boleyn is always at Henry’s side, resplendent in her lavish gowns, reminding the king of her youth and ability to carry an heir.
Thomasin is loyal to her mistress, Queen Catherine, but she finds herself noticed by the Boleyns and she fears her position at court may soon change.
What will happen to Thomasin if the king is successful in his petition for a divorce? Will Queen Catherine be cast out of court?
And will Lady Anne Boleyn finally get the throne she has been lusting after…?
Congratulations to
A Deadly Complot is the fourth book in The Tom Walsingham Mysteries series.
England, 1586
Tom Walsingham has been tasked with keeping watch over the network of spies recruited by his spymaster cousin, Sir Francis Walsingham.
After intercepting a series of letters sent to and from Chartley Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots has been imprisoned, the spies have infiltrated a ring of Catholic plotters. Led by the zealous Anthony Babington, the conspirators plan to murder Queen Elizabeth and replace her with Mary, thus restoring Catholicism to the realm.
With most of the plotters under careful observation, the spies have only to wait for the right moment to have them arrested. However, when one of the spies’ couriers — Isaac Finch — is murdered, it seems that Babington’s conspirators may suspect that they have informers in their midst.
Fearing that Finch may have been forced to reveal the spies’ plans, Tom vows to find out who killed him.
As he follows the sinister trail, Tom discovers that there is no shortage of people who may have wished Finch harm. And with the queen and the realm under threat, the pressure is on to solve the mystery before any more of Sir Francis’s recruits are lost…
Have Sir Francis’s spies been discovered? Is there a traitor in their midst?
And can Tom unravel the courier’s fate before Babington’s plotters act on their treasonous scheme…?
Congratulations to David Field, whose absorbing historical thriller, The Assassination Players, is published today!
The Assassination Players is the second instalment in the Bailiff Mountsorrel Tudor Mystery Series – private investigation crime novels set during the reign of Elizabeth I and beyond.
Nottinghamshire, England, 1591
Two of Queen Elizabeth I’s justices have been murdered within a week of each other, along with a woman who was involved with one of them and a man who had been awaiting trial by the other.
County Bailiff Edward Mountsorrel and Town Bailiff Francis Barton are tasked with investigating the deaths, but they are thrown off course by a visit from the queen’s secretary, Baron Burghley.
Burghley has discovered a plot to kill the Protestant queen and replace her with a Catholic alternative.
He tasks the bailiffs with journeying into a neighbouring county to infiltrate the gang of suspected traitors.
Time is of the essence as the threat already seems to have infiltrated Elizabeth’s court.
But the men behind the plot are ruthless and the path to discover them is fraught with danger.
Will Mountsorrel and Barton unmask the traitors? Who is behind the plot to kill the queen?
Can the bailiffs stop them before they change the course of history forever…?
Congratulations to Angela Ranson, whose gripping murder mystery, Dead Foretold, is published today!
Dead Foretold is the second book in the Catrin Surovell Tudor Mystery Series. It is an exciting historical thriller set at the court of Elizabeth I.
1561
Queen Elizabeth is under pressure from all her advisors to marry, but no one can agree on a potential husband.
The conflict is slowly eroding Elizabeth’s power and authority among the nobility, especially when a prophecy starts to spread that seems to predict the deaths of senior members of the queen’s court.
Tension grows when one of the queen’s maids of honour, Mathilda, is killed and placed on a false altar of hawthorn branches.
Her death follows the first lines of the prophecy, making people fearful about who could be next.
Amid rising hysteria, the queen orders her trusted lady-in-waiting Catrin Surovell to investigate.
Catrin soon learns that there is more to this mysterious death than anyone thought.
Strange symbols and eerie events put her on the trail of the murderer.
What do the symbols mean? Is someone using the guise of magic to destabilise the queen’s reign?
Catrin has to figure it out and stop the murderer before he strikes again…
Congratulations to David Field, whose page-turning Tudor mystery, The Castle Abductions, is out now!
The Castle Abductions is the first historical thriller in the Bailiff Mountsorrel Tudor Mystery Series: private investigation crime novels set during the reign of Elizabeth I and beyond.
Nottingham, England, 1590
County Bailiff Edward Mountsorrel and Town Bailiff Francis Barton have vowed to root out the criminals of Nottinghamshire and bring them to justice.
But after acting on information from a questionable source, Edward is tricked into allowing several deer to be stolen from a local estate. Furious, he sets about tracking them down.
Meanwhile, Francis is asked to investigate the disappearance of Nell, a young woman who was last seen at a local alehouse with a wealthy stranger.
When the bailiffs’ shared house is burned down and their servant is found stabbed to death, Edward and Francis begin to suspect that their cases are linked.
And when more young women go missing, the two bailiffs worry they are running out of time to retrieve them from danger…
Who wishes to silence to Edward and Francis? What happened to the missing women?
And can the two bailiffs find them before it’s too late…?
Congratulations to Angela Ranson, whose absorbing historical mystery, Shades of Death, is out now!
Shades of Death is the first book in the Catrin Surovell Tudor Mystery Series: exciting historical thrillers set at the court of Elizabeth I.
1560
When Elizabeth Tudor first became queen, the realm rejoiced. Now, two years later, the queen has formed an attachment to Lord Robert Dudley that is causing widespread restlessness and discontent.
The tense situation threatens to become a full-blown disaster when Lord Robert’s wife, Amy, is found dead at the bottom of a staircase. Rumours fly through court suggesting Lord Robert killed her so he could marry the queen.
He is banished from court, but the queen is sure he is innocent. She sends her ladies-in-waiting, Catrin Surovell and Lucy Howard to the scene of Amy’s death, Cumnor Place, to discover as much as they can about what really happened.
Once there, Catrin and Lucy find evidence that the death was no accident, and discover that a stranger was with Lady Amy on the day she died.
And as Catrin investigates further, she finds a secret cache of dangerous documents in Amy’s handwriting, suggesting that she was part of a conspiracy against the crown.
But to find out who was responsible for Lady Amy’s death, Catrin will have to put her own life in danger…
Who was the stranger with Amy Dudley on the day of her murder? Did he cause her untimely death?
And can Catrin escape this dangerous web of secrets and betrayal?
We are delighted to announce that we have signed a new series of Tudor mysteries by Paul Walker.
In Paul’s words:
“I’m thrilled to have a contract with Sapere Books for my new series. With a well-deserved reputation for publishing outstanding and innovative historical fiction, it’s a privilege to join such a talented group of authors under the Sapere banner.
“The series is a spin-off from the first of my William Constable books, State of Treason. Hector Askham, a captain of Spymaster Walsingham’s guards, was rewarded with retirement to a small estate in North Norfolk for his role in foiling a plot against Queen Elizabeth. Eight years later, now a country squire settled into his new life, an unwelcome command from Walsingham arrives only a few weeks after the dispersal of the Spanish Armada. Another threat, more subtle and insidious, is understood to be nearing the Norfolk coast. Askham is expected to lead an ill-prepared and under-resourced defence. But is the intelligence flawed? Can he trust the word of spies and paid informers? To disobey Walsingham’s command is not an option, but the odds are stacked against success and if he fails, the consequences could be severe.”
Congratulations to Adele Jordan, whose captivating espionage adventure, The Traitor Queen, is out now!
The Traitor Queen is the fifth book in the Kit Scarlett Tudor Mysteries Series.
1586
Female espionage agent, Kit Scarlett is stationed at Chartley Castle, where Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, is under house arrest for plotting against the English Queen Elizabeth.
Kit helps Sir Francis Walsingham’s top codebreaker, Thomas Phelippes, as they intercept Mary Stuart’s communications with her conspiring supporters.
And when they have the proof that Mary Stuart has sanctioned Queen Elizabeth’s assassination, Kit races to deliver the message to Walsingham.
But before they can persuade Queen Elizabeth to sign Mary Stuart’s death warrant, the Scottish queen escapes.
And as Kit delves deeper into her mission, she finally discovers answers about her own past that shock her to her core.
With Queen Elizabeth’s life now in imminent jeopardy, can Kit find Mary Stuart and bring her to justice?
Even if Kit achieves her task, will she find the London she returns to is no longer the home she once thought it was…?
Congratulations to David Field, whose gripping nautical adventure, Pirates and Patriots, is out now!
Pirates and Patriots is the first novel in The New World Nautical Saga Series: historical adventures set during the reign of Elizabeth I and beyond.
England, 1554
Fifteen-year-old Francis Drake is realising his dream of sailing on the open seas. After training with his cousins William and John Hawkins in their naval business, he takes his first commission upon the Bonaventure.
But when disaster strikes the ship and Francis saves the men with his quick-thinking, he makes an enemy of the captain, who threatens to charge Francis with mutiny.
Francis must seek a new path to make his fortune and he joins with the Hawkins brothers to search for glory in foreign lands.
But trading on the world stage is already being dominated by Spanish and Portuguese explorers and so Francis must act quickly if he wishes to make his mark.
And as one Tudor queen makes way for another, and Spanish relations grow ever tenser, Francis Drake may soon be needed to help save his country from the threat of war…
Congratulations to C. P. Giuliani, whose absorbing espionage adventure, Death in Rheims, is published today!
Death in Rheims is the third book in the Tom Walsingham Mysteries series: spy thrillers set during the Elizabethan era in Tudor Europe.
France, 1585
Tom Walsingham has been sent to France by his spymaster cousin, Sir Francis.
One of Sir Francis’s French informers has recently died in suspicious circumstances and Tom has been dispatched to investigate the death.
The dead man’s daughter is sure her father’s death was quite natural – but this doesn’t mean there aren’t strange circumstances surrounding it.
The informer lived in Rheims, close to a local English college where Catholic exiles are known to train for forbidden priesthood, and Sir Francis’s current plant at the college – a fiery young poet named Kit Marley – claims at least one of the young men has been murdered.
With yet another bout of civil war looming over France, and everyone pursuing their own agenda, Tom has his work cut for him, with plenty of aliases, betrayals and lies to disentangle.
And with relations still tense between the French and English, he must be careful not to betray his true identity and end up as the next victim…
Was the English informer targeted? Is there a serial killer at large?
And can Tom prevent any more deaths in Rheims…?
Congratulations to Adele Jordan, whose gripping espionage adventure, The Lost Highlander, is out now!
The Lost Highlander is the fourth book in the Kit Scarlett Tudor Mysteries Series.
1586, London
Covert espionage agent, Kit Scarlett, is once again tasked with defending Queen Elizabeth against an assassination attempt.
With the attacks on the queen’s life mounting, Kit and spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham know they need to find a firm link between these deadly plots and Mary Queen of Scots.
But Kit is also keen to investigate a more personal matter. Her espionage partner, Iohmar Blackwood, did not return from his last mission set by Walsingham and has not been seen for a year.
When Kit is given a task by Queen Elizabeth to deliver a letter to Mary Queen of Scots, a letter not to be read by officials or any political figure, she takes advantage of the opportunity search for Iomhar and find out what happened to him.
But she soon finds herself trailed by Mary Stuart’s supporters and her journey becomes fraught with danger.
Can Kit complete her mission? Will she find out what happened to Iohmar?
Or will she become a victim in the fight to overthrow the queen of England…?
Congratulations to Adele Jordan, whose page-turning espionage adventure, A Spy at Hampton Court, is published today!
A Spy at Hampton Court is the third book in the Kit Scarlett Tudor Mysteries Series.
1585, London
Queen Elizabeth is gravely ill and her spymaster, Francis Walsingham, has received intelligence that there is a plot to assassinate her.
He sends his protégé Kit Scarlett and Scottish agent Iomhar Blackwood to gather information.
To their horror, they discover there is a plot to blow up Hampton Court Palace.
With Queen Elizabeth too unwell to be moved from the palace, it is imperative the plot is foiled as quickly as possible.
A search of Hampton Court is launched, with Iomhar leading the way, while Kit is given the task of guarding the queen.
Watching her queen fighting death and suspecting she has been poisoned, Kit soon realizes the threat could be within Hampton Court’s own walls…
Is there an enemy spy at the palace? Has gunpowder already been planted by an assassin? And is someone in Queen Elizabeth’s inner circle slowly poisoning her…?
Congratulations to Amy Licence, whose page-turning Tudor drama, Troubled Queen, is published today!
Troubled Queen is the second book in the Marwood Family Tudor Saga Series.
1528
Escaping from her family’s scandalous involvement with Anne Boleyn’s circle, Thomasin Marwood is beginning a new life in the service of Queen Catherine of Aragon.
Thomasin is trying to forget Rafe Danvers, the man who stole her heart and then betrayed her, and when a group of Venetians arrive at court, she is drawn to the sophisticated Nico.
But a great danger is lurking. The dreaded sweating sickness has returned, which claimed the life of Catherine’s first husband, Prince Arthur, many years ago.
Catherine and her ladies are forced to flee, and their shared isolation with King Henry brings the couple closer again.
But Anne Boleyn will not let herself be forgotten.
Thomasin finds herself torn between new friends and old loyalties as Rafe comes back into her life.
Who will win Thomasin’s heart? Will she survive the dreaded sickness?
And will Anne Boleyn become victorious in her quest for the throne?
Congratulations to C. P. Giuliani, whose absorbing Tudor espionage novel, A Treasonous Path, is out now!
England, 1583
Tom Walsingham is back in London, being groomed for intelligence work by his spymaster cousin, Sir Francis.
An anonymous informer has started sending letters from the French ambassador’s residence, claiming to have bribed the man’s secretary to pass on information.
The informer has discovered messages between the French and Mary, Queen of Scots, which could harm the English Queen Elizabeth.
When someone who works for the French Ambassador is killed in suspicious circumstances, Sir Francis sends Tom to investigate the matter – and to uncover the identity of the informer.
Tom must find a way into the French Ambassador’s good graces and make friends within his retinue without giving himself away.
And as the news from Scotland grow more and more alarming, it becomes imperative that Tom unveils the identity of the secret informer and exposes the intrigues at play.
Can Tom unravel the mystery and protect the Queen? Will he unmask the killer?
Or could he find himself the target of a deadly plot…?
Congratulations to Alexandra Walsh, whose page-turning historical saga, The Jane Seymour Conspiracy, is published today!
The Jane Seymour Conspiracy is the fourth book in the Marquess House series, dual timeline conspiracy thrillers with an ingenious twist on a well-known period of Tudor and Stuart history.
London, 1527
Nineteen-year-old Jane Seymour arrives at court to take her place with Queen Katherine of Aragon. Discovering a court already beginning to divide into factions between Katherine and Jane’s second cousin, Anne Boleyn, Jane finds herself caught between the old world and the new. Determined to have a son, the king appears to be prepared to take whatever steps he deems necessary to secure the Tudor dynasty.
When King Henry VIII finally succeeds in his pursuit of Anne, Jane witnesses the slow unravelling of his interest in the new queen as she, too, fails in her task to deliver a son. Having watched both Katherine and Anne fall from grace, Jane has no ambition for the throne, but when the king begins seeking her out, Jane realises the decision may be out of her hands…
Pembrokeshire, 2020
When a set of papers called The Pentagram Manuscript makes its way to Perdita and Piper at Marquess House, they find they have a new mystery to unravel. The manuscript is the tale of five women on a quest to find true love, written while Anne Boleyn was queen. As Perdita begins to unravel the text, she discovers a code that leads to a whole new outlook on Henry’s relationship with Jane Seymour.
But before they have a chance to reveal all, the twins find themselves under threat from a different source. Their second cousin, Xavier Connors, is determined to wrest Marquess House from them. As Marquess House must be passed down through the female line, and Perdita and Piper do not have children, Xavier sees his twin daughter as being next in line. And when Piper is nearly driven off the road, they realise he will stop at nothing to get what he wants…
What really happened to Henry VIII’s Tudor queens? Why was history rewritten?
Will Piper and Perdita be able to unravel all of the secrets before it’s too late…?
Congratulations to
England, 1581
Nineteen-year-old Thomas Walsingham is thrilled to be working as a confidential courier, carrying messages between London and Paris for his illustrious cousin, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham … until everything goes wrong.
Tasked with escorting an English glove-maker to the French Court, Tom is also playing messenger for the Duke of Anjou, Queen Elizabeth’s French suitor, as well as carrying confidential instructions to the English Ambassador in Paris.
When French soldiers assault his convoy en route, Tom loses a letter he had sewn into his clothes. And the next morning, the glove-maker is found stabbed to death.
Determined to prove himself, despite failing so disastrously in his mission, Tom pushes on to Paris, but when he gets there, he discovers the glove-maker may not have been who he said he was.
Certain the queen may now be at risk, Tom is determined to report back to Sir Francis, but he cannot afford to wait for official orders.
Who was the glove-maker working for? Why was he killed? Isolated and without a passport, Tom must travel incognito and return to the English court before anyone else ends up dead…
Click here to order Road to Murder
We are delighted to announce that we have signed a new dual timeline series set in the modern day and Tudor times by Phillipa Vincent-Connolly.
Told in authentic detail, the four-book series explores the intrigue and plots within King Henry VIII’s court. The books include ingenious twists on Boleyn family history, retold through a twenty-first-century history student’s eyes. The first instalment will be published later this year.
In Phillipa’s words:
“It’s very exciting to be working with Sapere Books on my first historical fiction series. The series is very special to me, as it includes appearances from some friends and colleagues of mine, who are featured as cameo characters from the modern day, with the history of the Tudor period also wound through, creating an exciting retelling of Anne Boleyn’s story. The narrative moves between the present day and the middle of Henry VIII’s reign.
“Set in South London and Queen Mary University of London, the first book follows an enthusiastic history undergraduate called Beth Wickers, who gets the shock of her life when her professor’s gold cypher ring opens up a mysterious portal that takes her to Tudor England and Hever Castle, where she becomes an integral part of Anne Boleyn’s life. She’s been warned not to meddle or risk changing history, but can she allow her dear friend to go on to become the second wife of King Henry VIII and to meet a horrific death? Can Beth save herself from the machinations of the Tudor Court, or will she meet the same fate as the queen to be? Only the ring has the answer.”
Amy Durant, publishing director of Sapere Books, commented: “I am thrilled to be working with Phillipa on these books, which breathe new life into the Tudor period. We are sure our readers are going to love the series!”
Click here to visit Phillipa’s website
We are thrilled to announce that we have signed a new Tudor saga series by Amy Licence.
Told in vibrant, colourful detail, the series follows young Thomasin Marwood as she finds her place within the turbulent court of Henry VIII.
Amy’s previous fiction has been met with critical acclaim.
In Amy’s words:
“I’m very excited to be able to publish the story of the Tudor Marwood family with Sapere Books. The saga will bring to life the English court of the 1520s, with all its intrigue and drama, through the eyes of my narrator, young Thomasin. Newly arrived from the country, she and her friends must navigate the treacherous paths of politics and love, finding their loyalties divided as Henry VIII tries to cast off his Spanish wife Catherine in favour of the young, vivacious Anne Boleyn. Temptations lurk around every corner, and secrets are waiting to be revealed, as Thomasin embarks upon a lengthy court career that will span all of Henry’s reign.”
Click here to visit Amy’s website
We are delighted to announce that we have signed up the fourth instalment of Alexandra Walsh’s captivating Marquess House Series – dual timeline conspiracy thrillers with ingenious twists on Tudor and Stuart history – as well as the next novel in her new Victorian series.
In Alexandra’s words:
“It’s wonderful to have signed with Sapere Books to continue writing about my favourite eras: Victorian and Tudor. THE MUSIC MAKERS tells the tale of another branch of the family tree established in THE WIND CHIME (the first novel in my new Victorian series). THE MUSIC MAKERS follows two timelines: one set in the Victorian era and one set in the present day. The Victorian timeline follows the life of Esme Blood, a singer and performer in the music halls and theatres of London. Adopted at birth, Esme has no desire to find her birth mother, but fate has other plans. In the present day, Eleanor Wilder is recovering from a serious illness and has returned to the family farm in Pembrokeshire to rebuild her life. Delving into Esme’s life, she uncovers a tale of love, loss and survival, all of which help her to unravel her own problems and those of the man who has unexpectedly arrived in her life.
“My other forthcoming book, THE JANE SEYMOUR CONSPIRACY, is a return to Marquess House. Although I had always intended this series to be a trilogy, when I completed it in 2020 it felt as though there was more to tell. I resisted for a while but when Perdita, Piper and Kit began interrupting my research with suggestions, I realised my trilogy was about to expand. Having always pitched it as three-book series, I was unsure how Sapere Books would feel about it continuing, but my editor, Amy Durant, said she would be delighted to return to Marquess House.
“THE JANE SEYMOUR CONSPIRACY follows Perdita and Piper as they fully embrace their lives at Marquess House. A friend of Kit’s asks for advice on a manuscript that has been in his family’s archive for generations, which seems to suggest an entirely new interpretation of the events leading up to Anne Boleyn’s execution, Jane Seymour’s marriage to Henry VIII and the death of the king’s only acknowledged illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset. In the present, danger reaches out to Perdita and Piper again as they realise their battle with the Connors family is far from over. THE JANE SEYMOUR CONSPIRACY will be released in 2022.
“Being part of the Sapere Books family is one of the best things about being published; Amy, Caoimhe, Richard, Natalie, Matilda and Helen make everyone feel so welcome and are a dynamic and forward-thinking team. My books could not be in safer hands. The weekly Zoom meet-ups with the other authors are fascinating, funny, inspiring and often educational! It’s a great feeling to be part of such a talented group of writers and publishers who are always willing to help or offer advice.”
Click here to find out more about The Marquess House Series
Click here to pre-order THE WIND CHIME
We are delighted to announce that we have signed a new Tudor mystery series by C P Giuliani.
The Tom Walsingham Mysteries follow a young sleuth as he becomes embroiled in the shady world of espionage. The first instalment will be published in 2021.
In Giuliani’s words:
“Signing with Sapere Books for my first murder mystery series has been truly wonderful!
“Book 1, A Road to Murder, is set in 1581 between England and France, and follows a young diplomatic courier’s efforts to untangle a murder that could have wider, political implications. With France constantly teetering on the brink of religious unrest, and Queen Elizabeth toying with the idea of marrying the French king’s Catholic heir, even the death of a glove-maker can hide sinister machinations. And my hero, Tom Walsingham — a relation to Queen Elizabeth’s powerful spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham — knows better than most just what could be at stake…
“This is going to be my first publication in the UK, and Amy and the whole team at Sapere Books are being incredibly supportive, friendly and very competent — and they have gathered together a very welcoming author community. A lovely experience through and through.”
Following the publication of Alexandra’s Walsh’s captivating Marquess House Trilogy – dual timeline conspiracy thrillers with ingenious twists on Tudor and Stuart history – editorial director Amy Durant has signed her fourth book.
In Alexandra’s words:
“It’s very exciting to be working with Sapere Books on my new publication. THE WINDCHIME is a story that is very special to me, as it involves some of my own family history. Once again, it’s a dual timeline novel, with the split moving from the present day to the Victorian era. Set on the Pembrokeshire coast, it involves a multi-generational family with a secret at their heart. It also explores hereditary madness and the contrasting treatments of mental health in the Victorian era and the present day.
“A love story brings it all together as the present-day characters uncover the tragedy that took place in the past. I hope everyone enjoys this shift of era and will like my new characters. Once again, it’s been a pleasure to work with everyone at Sapere Books and be part of the Sapere family. Not only is the support and guidance of the publishing team of Amy, Caoimhe, Richard and Natalie, invaluable; the encouragement, friendship and advice of the other Sapere Books authors has been extremely helpful and has offered great inspiration.”
Click here to order THE CATHERINE HOWARD CONSPIRACY
Click here to find out more about The Marquess House Trilogy
