⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 7/10
I am a big fan of historical fiction series. The genre lends itself so well to authors developing characters and events over a number of books. Each book can be a standalone story, but the main participants can be slowly sketched in, allowing us to get to know them, and gradually understand them and their motivations. So of course it makes sense to read a series in the right order.
Quite by accident, a couple of years ago, I picked up the fifth book in this series by S J Parris – Conspiracy. I enjoyed it (and reviewed it here), but had one or two reservations. Obviously, as I hadn’t read the earlier books, this was partly my fault, but the biggest issue I had was why the author had picked Giordano Bruno as her protagonist. So I thought I had better go back to the beginning and find out.
This is the opener to the series, and introduces us to Bruno. A little of his background is revealed; just enough for us to understand his appearance in Elizabethan England. He is already a well-known figure in much of Europe; to some, an enlightened truth-seeker; to others, a heretic. He walks a fine line between competing nations and religions.
Ostensibly part of the entourage of the ambassador of France to England, he is playing a dangerous game, and there are many who will seek to use him and his talents. He is introduced to Elizabeth’s spymaster, who asks him to look into a possible conspiracy in Oxford. Using the cover of a philosophical debate at one of the colleges, he travels with an old friend to investigate.
This is a time of conflicting loyalties; the ‘official’ religion has switched several times in recent years, with Protestantism finally eclipsing Catholicism. But there are many who have past secrets; some have taken the easy route, and done whatever they needed to do to survive. Others have been unable to ease their conscience, and now hold their beliefs close.
The college he visits has its own secrets, and a murder threatens to bring them into the open. Bruno is asked to investigate, but he soon realises that his efforts to find the killer are being hampered at every stage, and he is surrounded by lies and deceptions. When a second murder occurs, things get more complicated.
The author brings this world of divided loyalties to life very well. A world where to be seen as loyal to Elizabeth, you must be protestant. And where your family’s history can condemn you, no matter what you do personally. A rich cast of characters fill the college, and the wider town of Oxford, many of whom have plausible reasons to come under suspicion.
Bruno’s own character and history fit in beautifully, as his own beliefs are, by their very nature, dangerous. He is an outsider, seen as a heretic by most of Europe, but as a foreigner and papist by protestant Englishmen. Whilst this gives him an element of freedom in his investigations, it means he is not entirely safe on either side.
The book is an engrossing read. The author has real skill in placing her characters in an involving, believable setting, without overdoing the historical preaching. As with many murder mysteries, there are perhaps one or two more bodies than strictly credible, but it doesn’t detract from the overall story. Bruno is an interesting character; some of the real man’s ideas are introduced, and I begin to see why the author chose him. He was one of history’s outsiders, and that makes him wonderfully flexible as a subject. I’m looking forward to reading the next instalment.
This is a review of the Harper Collins 2017 Kindle edition.
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