MacLean is a gifted storyteller who has the ability to construct a portal through which we can enter Cromwell's London and the royalist hotbed that is Oxford. It is set in Oliver Cromwell's reign where Coffee Houses are one of the major places where news is acquired and political discussions take place. This is an atmospheric historical thriller that brilliantly captures the repercussions of the English Civil War in the 1650s. Though slightly slow at times, it nevertheless managed to engage me right the way through, and I can definitely recommend it.more The storyline gets right to the heart of things, and brings this brutal time in history right into your front room. Here we have a very interesting character, a man who put the fear of God into everyone he came into contact with, but yet there was clearly another side to him, a more human side, that we were allowed just a glimpse of. The characters were brilliant, none more so than'The Seeker'. I have to say that this was extremely well written, with some serious research, and was SO atmospheric. It makes for a really gripping read the way Seeker sets about questioning and eliminating suspects. Lawyer Elias Ellingworth was discovered standing over John Winter's body, but 'Seeker' doesn't believe that he carried out the murder. Whoever committed this crime, did it in the heart of Whitehall, where John Winter and his wife had their private apartments.
The story centres around the murder of John Winter, one of Cromwell's most trusted soldiers, and it is Seeker's job to discover the identity of the murderer lest he should target Cromwell himself next time.
But walls have ears in the guise of informants, and one has to be extremely careful who to trust - for fear of inviting the wrath of 'The Seeker' upon them. They were places to exchange and debate all the latest news, a place where trades and deals took place, but also somewhere that those with royalist sympathies would pass on coded messages in an attempt to further their cause and bring Charles Stuart to the throne. He might live very much in the shadows but nothing escapes his attention.Ĭoffee houses featured most prominently at this time. Set during the reign of Cromwell, it brings to the fore, the man responsible for Cromwell's safety - Damian Seeker, known simply as 'The Seeker'. It's a living, breathing portrait of life during that troubled period in history. If you fancy immersing yourself in 1650's England, then this historical crime fiction can certainly do that.
THE WHO THE SEEKER THE WHO FREE
He might live very much in the shadows but nothing escapes his a *Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus books for my free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review*
*Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus books for my free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review* If you fancy immersing yourself in 1650's England, then this historical crime fiction can certainly do that. He will stop at nothing to bring the right man to justice.more All London is ringing with the news that John Winter is dead, the lawyer Elias Ellingworth, found holding a knife over the bleeding body of the dying man, held in the Tower.ĭespite the damning evidence, Seeker is not convinced of Ellingworth's guilt. In the new, fashionable coffee houses of London, a murder takes place. All that is known of him for certain is that he is utterly loyal to Cromwell, and that nothing can be long hidden from him. Mothers frighten their children by telling them tales of The Seeker. No one knows where Damian Seeker originated from, who his family is, or even his real name.
In the new, fashionable coffee houses o London, 1657, the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. London, 1657, the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell.