The Heretic's Mark

''Historical fiction at its most sumptuous'' Rory Clements

''S. J. Parris fans will be pleased'' Publishers Weekly

From the bestselling, CWA Historical Dagger Award-nominated author of The Angel''s Mark comes a gripping and atmospheric new mystery . . .

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The Elizabethan world is in flux. Radical new ideas are challenging the old. But the quest for knowledge can lead down dangerous paths...

London, 1594. The Queen''s physician has been executed for treason, and conspiracy theories flood the streets. When Nicholas Shelby, unorthodox physician and unwilling associate of spymaster Robert Cecil, is accused of being part of the plot, he and his new wife Bianca must flee for their lives.

With agents of the Crown on their tail, they make for Padua, following the ancient pilgrimage route, the Via Francigena. But the pursuing English aren''t the only threat Nicholas and Bianca face. Hell