‘This gripping thriller shows what a wonderful storyteller Maitland is’ THE TIMES’A dark and enthralling historical novel with a powerful narrative. The mysterious Daniel Pursglove has all the qualifications for a memorable series hero’ ANDREW TAYLOR’A colourful, compelling novel which makes a fine opening to a promised series’ SUNDAY TIMESGunpowder and treason changed England forever. But the tides are turning and revenge runs deep in this compelling historical thriller for fans of C.J. Sansom, Andrew Taylor’s Ashes of London, Kate Mosse and Blood & Sugar.1606. England stands divided in the wake of the failed Gunpowder Plot. As a devastating tidal wave sweeps the Bristol Channel, rumours of new treachery reach the King.In Newgate prison, Daniel Pursglove receives an unexpected – and dangerous – offer. Charles FitzAlan, close confidant of King James, will grant his freedom – if Daniel can infiltrate the underground Catholic network in Bristol and unmask the one conspirator still at large.Where better to hide a traitor than in the chaos of a drowned city? Daniel goes to Bristol to investigate, but soon finds himself at the heart of a dark Jesuit conspiracy – and in pursuit of a killer.—‘Skilfully interweaves the threads of natural catastrophe, murder, conspiracy and espionage that go right to the heart of the Jacobean court’ TRACY BORMAN’Devilishly good’ DAILY MAIL’Spies, thieves, murderers and King James I? Brilliant’ CONN IGGULDEN’There are few authors who can bring the past to life so compellingly – it was a genuine treat to follow Pursglove into the devastated streets of Bristol where shadows and menace lurk round almost every corner… Brilliant writing and more importantly, riveting reading’ SIMON SCARROW’The intrigues of Jacobean court politics simmer beneath the surface in this gripping and masterful crime novel… Maitland’s post-flood Bristol is an apocalyptic world, convincingly anchored in its period, while eerily echoing the devastation of more recent natural disasters. I can’t wait for more!’ KATHERINE CLEMENTS’Beautifully written with a dark heart, Maitland knows how to pull you deep into the early Jacobean period’ RHIANNON WARD