1593. Queen Elizabeth's trusted spymaster Walsingham has been dead for two years...
As plague sweeps through the streets and stews of London, so suspicion and mistrust sweep through the court and government. No one feels safe. Even the celebrated swordsman, adventurer and philanderer, Will Swyfte, must watch his back.
It is when his best friend and colleague, the playwright Christopher Marlowe, is killed in a pub brawl that Will decides he must act. The murder has all the hallmarks of an assassination. But in going in search of Kit's killer, he discovers that there are those in positions of power and influence who are not what they seem...
Against a backcloth of growing paranoia and terror, Will detects the malign machinations of England's hidden enemy, the Unseelie Court. With these devils at his back, the country's greatest spy may find that even his vaunted skills are no match for the supernatural powers arrayed against him. The choice is simple: uncover the true nature and intention of this vile conspiracy - or face the executioner's axe...

Swashbuckling adventure, historical action and supernatural thrills come together in the second novel in Mark Chadbourn's genre-busting Swords of Albion series.

About the Author
A two-time winner of the British Fantasy Award, Mark Chadbourn was raised in the mining communities of South Derbyshire, and studied at Leeds University before becoming a journalist. Now a screenwriter for BBC TV drama, he has also run an independent record company, managed rock bands, worked on a production line and as an engineer's 'mate'. Mark Chadbourn lives in a forest in the Midlands. To find out more about him and his writing, visit www.markchadbourn.net

Reviews
Pulse-pounding... combined with references to myth and history, it's potent stuff * LOCUS Magazine *
Thrills and spills aplenty * SFSITE *
Another cracking, and (dare I say it), 'Swyfte' read... Recommended * SFFWORLD *



Book Information
ISBN 9780553820232
Author Mark Chadbourn
Format Paperback
Page Count 560
Imprint Bantam Books (Transworld Publishers a division of the Random House Group)
Publisher Transworld Publishers Ltd
Weight(grams) 378g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 127mm * 34mm