The Seeker
by S G MacLean
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 teeming warren of spies and merchants, priests and soldiers, exiles and assassins. One of the web’s most fearsome spiders is Damian Seeker, agent of the Lord Protector. No one knows where Seeker comes from, who his family is, or even his real name. All that is known of him for certain is that he is utterly loyal to Cromwell, and that nothing can be long hidden from him.
In the city, coffee houses are springing up, fashionable places where men may meet to plot and gossip. Suddenly they are ringing with news of a murder. John Winter, hero of Cromwell’s all-powerful army, is dead, and the lawyer, Elias Ellingworth, found standing over the bleeding body, clutching a knife.
Yet despite the damning evidence, Seeker is not convinced of Ellingworth’s guilt. He will stop at nothing to bring the killer to justice: and Seeker knows better than any man where to search.
"This is a clever book – the contradictions and compromises of Cromwell’s Protectorate are rather brilliantly woven into the thrilling plot. MacLean’s characters are subtle and convincing. If his next outing is as riveting as this one, he could challenge C. J. Sansom’s Shardlake for dominion of the crowded historical crime niche." - Antonia Senior, The Times
“A believable, compelling plot and some wonderful characters make this a must-read for fans of historical crime.” - The Times
“Seeker is a compellingly tough, taciturn hero with a soft centre… The story twists, turns and grips. … [MacLean] has an assured voice of her own, vividly evoking a good man’s effort to navigate an honest path through treacherous times. An excellent read.” - Historical Novel Society
“…brilliantly evokes the fear and suspicion of the uneasy era… In her capable hands, London itself becomes a character in the novel…the capital is a brooding, uneasy warren of intrigue and deception… MacLean takes us on a whirlwind tour of the seedy underbelly of the capital and the whispering corridors of the palaces in pursuit of the killer.” - Karen Charlton
Other Books by S G MacLean
