The Heresy of Dr Dee (John Dee Papers) - Couverture souple

Tudor intrigue, murder and the dark arts - the second in a stunning and acclaimed historical series starring Dr John Dee, perfect for fans of C.J. Sansom All talk is of the End-time...and the dead are rising. At the end of the sunless summer of 1560, black rumour shrouds the death of the one woman who stands between Lord Robert Dudley and marriage to the young Queen Elizabeth. Did Dudley's wife, Amy, die from an accidental fall in a deserted house, or was it a calculated murder? Even Dr John Dee, astrologer royal, adviser on the Hidden and one of Dudley's oldest friends, is uncertain. Then a rash promise to the Queen sends him to his family's old home on the Welsh Border in pursuit of the Wigmore Shewstone, a crystal credited supernatural properties. With Dee goes Robert Dudley, considered the most hated man in England. They travel with the entourage of a London judge sent to try a sinister Welsh brigand with a legacy dating back to the Battle of Brynglas, in which close to a thousand Englishmen died at the hands of the Welsh. After the battle, many of the bodies were, according to legend, obscenely mutilated. Now, on the same haunted hill, another dead man has been found, similarly slashed. Devious politics, small-town corruption, twisted religion and a brooding superstition leave John Dee isolated in the land of his father...It is suitable for readers of C.J. Sansom, Iain Pears, S.J. Parris and Rory Clements.
Praise for The Bones of Avalon:
'Phil Rickman is one of my all-time favorites. He's done it again with his usual sense of permeating atmosphere, with vivid characters in a complex plot that grows through the bones of history like a deadly nightshade.' - Diana Gabaldon
'Brilliantly imagined and grippingly executed.' - The Times
'This one is rather special... Rickman makes a wonderfully assured leap into the sixteenth century... compelling and historically convincing.' - Spectator
'We don't praise our home-grown thriller writers enough, it's high time we praised Phil Rickman' - Daily Mail

... a fabulously murky tale, full of dark detail, gruesome violence and twisting plotlines... --Daily Mail

A great sense of atmosphere --We Love This Book

The story is as dense and as character-led as the Merrily Watkins novels, and also shares the strong sense of place and spooky atmosphere. There is humour as well as horror. Much recommended. --Eurocrime.co.uk
This is one of my favourite historical series for a long time and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a very exciting read. --Bookbag.co.uk