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The Black Friar

The Seeker 2
Series: The Seeker
4.38 goodreads logo

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( 2,436 ratings, 173 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Black Friar, set in 17th-century London, constable Damian Seeker investigates a gruesome murder in the crypt of Blackfriars monastery. As political tensions rise, with secretive religious factions and clandestine plots threatening the peace, Seeker must navigate this treacherous landscape to uncover the truth. This gripping historical thriller weaves intrigue and danger within a vividly depicted Restoration England.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy historical mysteries with a gripping plot set in 17th-century London. Its blend of intrigue, complex characters, and rich historical detail creates a dark and atmospheric tale, perfect for fans of crime and thriller genres seeking a journey back in time.

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Rebellion in the city, and a Royalist spy in his own ranks - Damian Seeker, Captain of Cromwell's guard, must eradicate both in this twisty, action-packed historical thriller

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Rebellion in the city, and a Royalist spy in his own ranks - Damian Seeker, Captain of Oliver Cromwell's guard, must eradicate both in this twisty, action-packed historical thriller for fans of CJ Sansom, Rory Clements and The Three Musketeers.

'MacLean skilfully weaves together the disparate threads of her plot to create a gripping tale of crime and sedition in an unsettled city' Sunday Times

London, 1655, and Cromwell's regime is under threat from all sides. Damian Seeker, Captain of Cromwell's Guard, is all too aware of the danger facing Cromwell. Parliament resents his control of the Army while the Army resents his absolute power.

In the east end of London, a group of religious fanatics plots rebellion. In the midst of all this, a stonemason uncovers a perfectly preserved body dressed in the robes of a Dominican friar, bricked up in a wall in the crumbling Black Friars.

Ill-informed rumours and speculation abound, but Seeker instantly recognises the dead man. What he must discover is why he met such a hideous end, and what his connection was to the children who have started to disappear from around the city. Unravelling these mysteries is challenging enough, and made still harder by the activities of dissenters at home, Royalist plotters abroad and individuals who are not what they seem...

Series: The Seeker

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  • The Bear Pit
    'Could challenge CJ Sansom for dominion' Sunday Times London, 1656: The Bear Pit follows Captain Seeker who is back in the city, on the trail of an assassin preparing to strike at the heart of Oliver Cromwell's Republic. The Commonwealth is balanced on a knife edge. Royalists and disillusioned former Parliamentarians have united against Oliver Cromwell, now a king in...
    Paperback
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  • The Seeker
    WINNER OF THE 2015 CWA ENDEAVOUR HISTORICAL DAGGER. London, 1654. Oliver Cromwell is at the height of his power and has declared himself Lord Protector. Yet he has many enemies, at home and abroad. London is a complex web of spies and merchants, priests and soldiers, exiles and assassins. One of the web's most fearsome spiders is Damian Seeker, agent...
    Paperback
    $4700
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The book establishes S.G. MacLean as a leading author in the historical crime genre, featuring the complex character Damian Seeker. Reviewers highlight the gripping storyline set in a tumultuous city and praise MacLean's nuanced portrayal of a seemingly tough protagonist with a softer side. The novel is recognised for its well-researched background and thrilling plot, with potential to rival other prominent figures in historical crime literature.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781782068471

Publisher: Quercus Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 27 July 2017

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Quercus Publishing

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 32.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 320g

Pages: 464

About the Author

S.G. MacLean has a PhD in history from Aberdeen University, specializing in sixteenth and seventeenth century Scottish history. She lives in Conon Bridge, Scotland with her husband and four children. She has written four highly acclaimed historical thrillers set in Scotland, The Redemption of Alexander Seaton, A Game of Sorrows, Crucible and The Devil's Recruit. Her latest series of historical thrillers is set in Oliver Cromwell's London. The first book in the series, The Seeker, won the CWA Endeavour Historical Dagger and the second, The Black Friar, was shortlisted for the same award.

Also by S. G. MacLean

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  • The Redemption of Alexander Seaton
    Is the young man simply drunk, or does his staggering walk suggest something more sinister? When he collapses in front of the two sisters on that dark, wet night, the women guess rightly that he's been poisoned. So begins this gripping tale set in the town of Banff, Scotland in the 1620s. The body of the victim, the apothecary's apprentice,...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Bear Pit
    'Could challenge CJ Sansom for dominion' Sunday Times London, 1656: The Bear Pit follows Captain Seeker who is back in the city, on the trail of an assassin preparing to strike at the heart of Oliver Cromwell's Republic. The Commonwealth is balanced on a knife edge. Royalists and disillusioned former Parliamentarians have united against Oliver Cromwell, now a king in...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Seeker
    WINNER OF THE 2015 CWA ENDEAVOUR HISTORICAL DAGGER. London, 1654. Oliver Cromwell is at the height of his power and has declared himself Lord Protector. Yet he has many enemies, at home and abroad. London is a complex web of spies and merchants, priests and soldiers, exiles and assassins. One of the web's most fearsome spiders is Damian Seeker, agent...
    Paperback
    $4700
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Winter List
    Summer, 1660. Cromwell is dead and Charles Stuart has been restored to the throne. Men who supported the Protectorate are being hunted down as traitors. 'S. G. MacLean can make any historical period sing with life' Antonia Hodgson By the summer of 1660, the last remnants of the Republic have been swept away and the Stuarts have been restored under...
    Hardback
    Sold Out

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