Bøger af Steven Veerapen

In this new biography, the story of James VI and I is laid bare, and a welter of scurrilous assumptions penned by his political opponents put to rest. What emerges is a portrait of James as his contemporaries knew him: a gregarious, idealistic man obsessed with the idea of family, whose personal and political goals could never match up to reality.

'A twisting fast-paced plot.' Jemahl Evans, author of Becket: Warrior'A gripping and finely-crafted account.' Paul Walker, author of State of Treason1603.The Virgin Queen is dying. She has yet to nominate an heir.The crown looks set to fall to James of Scotland.But it is far from inevitable.Gowrie, a sinister Scottish traitor, has arrived in England. On him is a document containing a shocking secret that will compromise King James.Languishing in prison, artful thief Ned Savage is freed by his patron, the queen's principal secretary, Sir Robert Cecil. His mission is to find the document before it can be made public. If he succeeds, his life will be spared. But he is not alone in seeking Gowrie.On his trail are a ruthless gang of conspirators. The Red Cross Plot aims to prevent any foreigner from taking the English throne. And the Knights of the Red Cross will kill to secure the document.In a journey that will take him from London to Derbyshire and Scotland, Savage must foil the Red Cross Plot, protect King James's darkest secret, and keep himself safe from execution.And he must do it all before the curtain falls on Elizabeth's reign.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 TonkinTHE 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 ForemanBLOOD FEUD: MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS AND THE EARL OF MORAY'Much-needed analysis of a sinister sibling rivalry.' Marie MacphersonELIZABETH AND ESSEX: POWER, PASSION AND POLITICS'A sensitive and lively account of one of the most politically significant relationships of the Elizabethan age.' Lisa Hopkins

"A sensitive and lively account of one of the most politically significant relationships of the Elizabethan age". Lisa Hopkins, author of Essex: The Life and Times of an Elizabethan Courtier.Elizabeth I is England's most iconic queen. Born to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and declared illegitimate at two, she was also one of its unlikeliest monarchs. Though she never married, her relationships have been the stuff of Hollywood movies, biographical studies, and historical fiction.Famously a Virgin Queen, Elizabeth faced rumour, innuendo, and scandal both during her life and in the centuries since. Her relationship with her last courtly lover, however, remains mystifying. The glamorous Earl of Essex, thirty years her junior, became her inseparable companion, wrote loving letters and poetry to her, and dominated the last decade of her reign. But did he love her, or was he simply taking advantage of a vain, ageing woman?As the fabric of her reign unravelled, Elizabeth fought to keep her court under control. Using a curious system of power, patronage, and politics that had served her for decades, she struggled to maintain her hard-won sovereignty against the incursions of idealistic and factious young men.But the story of Elizabeth and Essex is not one of cynicism, and nor is it one of vanity or ambition. It is the tale of a younger man's possessive love for a woman who had to refashion herself as a new queen in an old kingdom.Theirs was a tragic game of passion, jealousy, resentment, and division.He shone in the light of the Elizabethan age, and she was its fading sun.Drawing on letters, legal records, poetry, and scholarly debates, Steven Veerapen reveals a saga of courtly love, political machination, and simmering power struggles. In doing so, he recovers Elizabeth and Essex from the mists of rumour and speculation and reveals them as they were. Essex was neither fool nor cynical manipulator, but the era's last folk hero. She was not a white-painted harridan, but an astute and beguiling woman whom time was leaving behind.The story of Elizabeth I's last years requires reassessment. By re-framing her as a woman forced into the role of history's Virgin Queen and Essex as the loving and beloved star which threatened her eclipse, Elizabeth and Essex provides a new perspective on England's most famous queen.Steven Veerapen holds a Ph.D. in Elizabethan literature and is the author of Blood Feud: The Story of Mary Queen of Scots and the Earl of Moray, A Dangerous Trade: An Elizabethan Spy Thriller and The Abbey Close Mystery Series.Praise for Steven Veerapen: "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, author of A Stage For Murder"Much-needed analysis of a sinister sibling rivalry." Marie Macpherson, author of The First Blast of the Trumpet

Paisley, 1542.As the armies of Henry VIII and James V prepare for battle, Catholic exile Simon Danforth must decide his loyalties.Cast out of England, he is drawn by private grief to a secretive Scottish Abbey, and the mystery of a missing girl who worked there.Though Paisley and its Abbey refuse to give up their secrets, they do give up their dead.In the tense and suspicious atmosphere of a nation at war, Danforth, in an uneasy alliance with his dogged colleague, Arnaud Martin, uncovers murder, madness, and sexual desire infecting the sacred house and its neighbouring town.With the fate of his adoptive country hanging in the balance, does he dare to uncover the unimaginable truth?Some secrets may be better left buried.The Abbey Close is the first book in a new historical crime series, featuring Simon Danforth.Recommended for fans of C.J. Sampson, S.J. Parris and Rory Clements."A superb, page-turning debut. 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.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. The Abbey Close represents his first foray into fictional writing. Steven is fascinated by the glamour and ghastliness of life in the 1500s, and has a penchant for myths, mysteries and murders in an age in which the law was as slippery as those who defied it.

Linlithgow Palace, 1543.As Henry VIII turns greedy eyes northwards towards the baby Queen of Scots, the ghosts of Scotland's bloody past rise from the grave. With the queen a child, her mother a captive, and the governor a puppet, the future of the realm hangs in the balance.Commanded by their master, Simon Danforth and his friend, Arnaud Martin, join the household of Queen Marie of Guise. But the glories of royal service are quickly tarnished for the loyal Danforth and lovelorn Martin. Marie's glittering household hides a deadly secret. When a series of murders takes place, recreating grisly deaths caused by Scotland's kings, Danforth is compelled to take to the political stage. What he finds makes it clear that the crown itself is under threat.Faced with a seemingly invisible murderer and drawn to a strange young woman, Danforth must decide where his own future lies: in loyal service or in marriage - duty or love. Caught in a web of deception, Danforth must unmask the assassin before the crown is stolen - or will chasing ghosts lead him to the grave?Political intrigue is intertwined with a sinister murder mystery in the third book of the Simon Danforth series.Recommended for fans of CJ Sansom, SJ Parris and Michael Jecks."A superb, page-turning debut. 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.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, and has a penchant for myths, mysteries and murders in an age in which the law was as slippery as those who defied it.

"A fascinating and unusual take on an Elizabethan spy thriller with lashings of intrigue and historical colour." Paul Walker, author of State of Treason1570.A sadistic killer haunts England's streets, sent by a secretive band of plotters known only as The Diamond League. With agents across Europe, their goal is to provoke a bloody, religious war.Jack and Amy Cole - servants and spies - are reluctantly drawn into the service of Queen Elizabeth's spymaster, Francis Walsingham. Husband and wife are dispatched on different assignments.Jack is deposited in York, where he is encouraged to betray his fellow Catholics. He infiltrates the Jesuit brotherhood - but can he bring himself to destroy them? As terror grips the north, he finds himself the target of a vicious assassin.Meanwhile, Amy is dispatched to France, to spy on the household of Catherine de Medici. Disguised as a great lady, she is drawn into a glittering, yet perilous, world of intrigue. The spy's every movement seems to be watched.The Diamond League's plot and personnel stretch from England to France. The bodies of Catholics and Protestants alike pile up across Europe. No one is safe.The hunters become the hunted.As the Diamonds' maniacal assassin pursues them across Europe, Jack and Amy must kill or be killed.Divided Loyalties is the thrilling sequel to the bestselling A Dangerous Trade.Recommended for fans of CJ Samson, Rory Clements and SJ Parris.Praise for Author: 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, author of A Stage For MurderThe 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, author of The First Blast of the TrumpetElizabeth & Essex: Power, Passion and Politics"A sensitive and lively account of one of the most politically significant relationships of the Elizabethan age". Lisa Hopkins, author of Essex: The Life and Times of an Elizabethan Courtier

"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, author of A Stage For MurderRebellion stirs in Elizabeth's England.In the bleak midlands, Mary Queen of Scots has begun a long imprisonment. Plots and counter-plots swirl around her.In the earl of Shrewsbury's crumbling castles, the captive queen hopes for rescue. At the heart of the earl's household is Jack Cole, a haunted and secretive figure with a dark past. Converted to Queen Mary's cause by a charismatic secretary, Jack finds himself entangled in a Catholic plot to free her.Yet the queen's household is under surveillance. Everyone is a potential spy, or is being spied upon.As Jack is drawn into the dark web of Catholic plotting, he must face a hideous truth.Meanwhile, his wife Amy must choose whether to protect her husband or betray him.Poison is poured, daggers are drawn, and guns are loaded. England's future hangs in the balance.Moving from crumbling castles to the imposing palaces of Queen Elizabeth, Jack Cole must decide where his loyalties lie - with queen, country, or wife.Recommended for fans of CJ Sampson, Rory Clements and Alison Weir.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.

An Elizabethan Spy Thriller Series - Book Two'Authentic and absorbing. Mystery and menace pulsate from every page.' Michael Ward, author of Rags of TimeLondon.1604.As a devastating outbreak of plague retreats, leaving thousands dead, the capital prepares to celebrate the coronation of England's Scottish king.But all is not well. Freed from quarantine, thief and spy Ned Savage is called before the king's secretary, Sir Robert Cecil.Tasked with investigating the kidnapping of a royal physician, Savage is led into a web of madness and conspiracy that will put him and his family in mortal danger.The great plague has not only ruined much of the city but given birth to a twisted cult calling themselves "The Enlightened". Led by the charismatic but unstable Nathaniel Hope, their aim is to provoke the end of days by finishing what the deadly infection started.In a race against time, Savage embarks on a journey that will take him from the heart of Whitehall to the brothels of Southwark, pitting him against sinister mystics, menacing cultists, and a reclusive earl.Before the Enlightened can destroy the new king, Savage must uncover their plans, unmask their leader, and save London from an explosive end to the coronation.Recommended for fans of Andrew Taylor, CJ Sansom and SJ Parris.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 TonkinThe 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 ForemanBlood Feud: Mary Queen of Scots and The Earl of Moray'Much-needed analysis of a sinister sibling rivalry.' Marie MacphersonElizabeth and Essex: Power, Passion and Politics'A sensitive and lively account of one of the most politically significant relationships of the Elizabethan age.' Lisa Hopkins

In this new biography, the story of James VI and I is laid bare, and a welter of scurrilous assumptions penned by his political opponents put to rest. What emerges is a portrait of James as his contemporaries knew him: a gregarious, idealistic man obsessed with the idea of family, whose personal and political goals could never match up to reality.

Spring, 1523. The King's chief minister, Cardinal Wolsey, prepares to open Parliament at Blackfriars, but all is not well in Wolsey's household. A visiting critic of the Cardinal is found brutally slain whilst awaiting an audience at Richmond Palace. Anthony Blanke, trumpeter and groom, is once again called upon to unmask a murderer.

At the court of Henry VIII a historian charged with proving the king's descent from King Arthur is found murdered, his body posed in a gruesome tableau. A reluctant Anthony Blanke is charged with investigating the crime, and his mission takes him through ancient monastic libraries and the back streets of London.

Anna of Denmark has been castigated as frivolous, vain, stupid, and more interested in pleasure than politics. This study aims to contextualise her not as a woman of minor significance in relation to the queens regnant of the sixteenth century, but as an inheritor of the bloody legacies of previous consorts north and south of the border.