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THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

INTRODUCING AN INCREDIBLE NEW SERIES FROM THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING MASTER OF HISTORICAL CRIME, S. J. PARRIS

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‘Sophia is a dazzling heroine, and the world of late Elizabethan England brimful of plot and conspiracy, is vividly and thrillingly brought to life’ LAURA SHEPHERD-ROBINSON

‘Right from the intriguing opening pages everything Parris layers into this Elizabethan crime drama screams bestselling series’ OBSERVER

‘A new historical crime from S. J. Parris is always cause for celebration but she really has excelled herself with Traitor’s Legacy’ ANDREW TAYLOR

‘A writer who repeatedly proves that she is one of the most stylish of historical crime practitioners’ FINANCIAL TIMES

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England, 1598. Queen Elizabeth’s successor remains unnamed. The country teeters on a knife edge.

When a young heiress is found murdered at the theatre, the Queen’s spymaster Robert Cecil calls upon former agent Sophia de Wolfe to investigate.

A cryptic note found on the dead girl’s body connects to Sophia’s previous life as a spy, and her quest soon takes her into dangerous waters. Powerful enemies emerge, among them the Earl of Essex: the Queen’s favourite courtier and a man of ruthless ambition.

This is a murder that reaches directly into the heart of the court. And Sophia is concealing a deep-buried secret of her own. She must uncover the truth before her past threatens to destroy her.

Traitor’s Legacy was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 12-05-2025

READERS LOVE TRAITOR’S LEGACY…

‘Top class historical crime’

‘Another fantastic historical thriller from master of the Elizabethan mystery’

‘A straight 5* for me! A very compelling novel I highly recommend’

‘I loved the characters. The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it kept me reading way past midnight’

‘Sophia De Wolfe is a truly epic character’

‘I had very high expectations for this novel. It is excellent. And the even better news it is that this is the first of a new series’

‘The richly detailed Elizabethan setting and clever twists kept me hooked from start to finish’

‘The murder mystery is layered with political intrigue, keeping you second-guessing every revelation’

‘Excellently researched, great plot, beautiful execution. I love the combination of historical menace and a thriller’

‘SJ Parris does it again’

‘I didn’t know who to trust or who to believe the whole way along’

‘Another glorious dive into the murky world of Elizabethan spies and lies’

‘Loved every minute of this book. More please featuring Sophia!’

‘I’m already looking forward to book two’

‘You know what you’re getting with Parris; a stunning mix of fact and fiction with a clever plot woven around real people and the duplicitous Cecil, the court spymaster. It’s tense, well-paced, twists that feel real and it’s easy to become immersed in a different world’

Publisher Review

Praise for S. J. Parris

‘Superbly plotted, shimmeringly written, it will have you on the edge of your seat’ Kate Williams, author of The Storms of War

‘An impressive feat. The plot, one of exhilarating complexity, was handled with aplomb’ Marisa Haetzman, also writes as Ambrose Parry

‘S. J. Parris is one of my favourite authors – and unquestionably our greatest living writer of historical thrillers’ A.J. Finn, author of End of Story

‘A brilliantly realised fictionalisation of the Babington plot against Elizabeth 1…Nimbly braiding history with suspense, this is a classy mystery’ Observer

‘Immaculate… the depth of period detail, the all-enveloping sense of time and place, and the sheer gory drama’ Metro

‘Sumptuous’ New York Times

‘Parris’s attention to the details of Elizabethan life and her ability to create characters of depth are again on display in a gripping narrative’ The Sunday Times

‘Fast-paced and entertaining, it’s a well-researched and authentically claustrophobic romp through the Elizabethan underworld’ Mail on Sunday

‘Parris is one of the stars of historical crime fiction and this, her sixth Giordano Bruno novel, is among her best’ i

‘A delicious blend of history and thriller’ The Times

‘A tight plot combines with subtly-realised characters and an omnipresent sense of danger … My pleasure in the vividly textured backdrop and a cracking story was accompanied by an uneasy shudder’ Daily Mail

‘Colourful characters, fast-moving plots and a world where one false step in religion or politics can mean a grisly death’ Sunday Times