The new historical crime thriller, a Sunday Times bestseller, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Hilary Mantel

Prague, 1588.

A COURT IN TURMOIL
The Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II, wants to expand the boundaries of human knowledge, and his court is a haven for scientists, astrologers and alchemists. His abiding passion is the feverish search for the philosopher's stone and thus immortality. The Catholic Church fears he has pushed too far, into the forbidden realm of heresy - and the greatest powers in Christendom are concerned about the imperial line of succession.

A MURDERED ALCHEMIST
Giordano Bruno is sent to his court by Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth I's spymaster. His task: to contact the famous English alchemist and mystic John Dee, another of Walsingham's spies. But Bruno's arrival in Prague coincides with the brutal murder of a rival alchemist - and John Dee himself has disappeared.

AN UNFORGIVING ENEMY
Ordered by the emperor to find the killer, Bruno's investigations bring him face to face with an old enemy from the Inquisition. But could the real danger lie elsewhere? Amidst the jostling factions at court and the religious tensions brewing in the city, Bruno has to track down a murderer as elusive as the elixir of life itself.

'The clever twists and turns of Alchemy are assuredly plotted and Prague, a city in religious and political turmoil, makes for a powerful setting' The Times

'Over the past dozen years, S. J. Parris's novels... have been among the most enjoyable of all historical thrillers' Sunday Times

'Breathless pace and acutely observed detail make for a story that confounds and surprises' Observer

S. J. Parris's book Alchemy was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 03-07-2023

The latest new gripping historical crime thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author

About the Author

No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller S. J. Parris is the pseudonym of the author and journalist Stephanie Merritt. It was as a student at Cambridge researching a paper on the period that Stephanie first became fascinated by the rich history of Tudor England and Renaissance Europe. Since then, her interest has grown and led her to create this series of historical thrillers featuring Giordano Bruno, which has now sold over one million copies.

Stephanie has worked as a critic and feature writer for a variety of newspapers and magazines, as well as radio and television. She has also written the contemporary psychological thrillers While You Sleep and Storm under her own name. She currently writes for the Observer, and she lives in Surrey.

Reviews

'The clever twists and turns of Alchemy are assuredly plotted and Prague, a city in religious and political turmoil, makes for a powerful setting' The Times

'Over the past dozen years, S. J. Parris's novels... have been among the most enjoyable of all historical thrillers' Sunday Times

'Breathless pace and acutely observed detail make for a story that confounds and surprises' Observer

Praise for S. J. Parris:

'A brilliantly realised fictionalisation of the Babington plot against Elizabeth 1...Nimbly braiding history with suspense, this is a classy mystery' Observer

'Immaculate... the depth of period detail, the all-enveloping sense of time and place, and the sheer gory drama' Metro

'Sumptuous' New York Times

'Parris's attention to the details of Elizabethan life and her ability to create characters of depth are again on display in a gripping narrative' The Sunday Times

'Fast-paced and entertaining, it's a well-researched and authentically claustrophobic romp through the Elizabethan underworld' Mail on Sunday

'Parris is one of the stars of historical crime fiction and this, her sixth Giordano Bruno novel, is among her best' i

'Superbly plotted, shimmeringly written, it will have you on the edge of your seat' Kate Williams, author of The Storms of War

'An impressive feat. The plot, one of exhilarating complexity, was handled with aplomb' 'Marisa Haetzman, also writes as Ambrose Parry

'A delicious blend of history and thriller' The Times

'A tight plot combines with subtly-realised characters and an omnipresent sense of danger ... My pleasure in the vividly textured backdrop and a cracking story was accompanied by an uneasy shudder' Daily Mail

'Colourful characters, fast-moving plots and a world where one false step in religion or politics can mean a grisly death' Sunday Times

'S. J. Parris is one of my favourite authors - and unquestionably our greatest living writer of historical thrillers' A.J. Finn

Book Information
ISBN 9780008208547
Author S. J. Parris
Format Hardback
Page Count 480
Imprint HarperCollins
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 720g
Dimensions(mm) 240mm * 159mm * 40mm