‘A twisting fast-paced plot.’ Jemahl Evans

SUCCESSION

1603.

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, 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.

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.

CORONATION

London.

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.

ASSASSINATION

Summer.

1606.

England still reels from the narrow escape of the Gunpowder Plot and the queen’s brother, King Christian of Denmark, arrives for the first state visit seen in decades.

Ned Savage is summoned by Robert Cecil and the bookish Francis Bacon.

Intelligence has come in concerning the arrival of a female assassin, code-named Locusta.

Savage soon discovers that the agent is in the employ of a secret society called the Brotherhood of Augustus.

Their mission is one of terror and revenge.

But who are they? And who is their target?

Savage’s search takes him into the Tower of London to interrogate the last remaining member of the Gunpowder Plotters – and an old foe, Walter Raleigh. He is also on the trail of the disgraced Penelope Devereux, sister to the late earl of Essex.

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. He is the author of the Simon Danforth Mysteries.

Praise for Steven Veerapen:

‘From its tense beginning to satisfying end, Steven Veerapen skilfully weaves historical fact into a gripping tale, making a superb contribution to 17th century fiction.’ John Pilkington

‘A nail-biting quest.’ Peter Tonkin