Kill Them All (The Heretics Secret Book 2)

Despite the urban fantasy setting and my shelving it there , this book is much more a mens action-adventure novel along the lines of Max Bolan or Remo Williams. The men are dedicated, capable, and well-trained and they dominate their paradigm in no-uncertai This book isn't horrible. The men are dedicated, capable, and well-trained and they dominate their paradigm in no-uncertain terms.

The villains are dastardly, numerous, and assuredly evil, so there's ample opportunity to indulge high-caliber hijinks. If that were all I asked for in a novel, this one would have gotten high marks. Unfortunately, I just couldn't maintain interest when that was pretty much all it had. Nov 26, E. Copen rated it it was amazing. This book sucked me in from the start, beginning with the brand new cover not pictured. I'm always game for a more action oriented urban fantasy, especially one that doesn't focus on the same old same old types of plots. This one was different, but had some familiar flavors of urban fantasy.

The prose was solid, very stark, which I appreciate. There's no fat to trim plot wise as the story moves quickly from one event to the next with just enough time for the reader to process what's happening. It sort of reminds me of the the sort of story telling that is used in John Wick, but with a heavy dash of Constantine thrown into the mix. There are no brooding angels and demons with hearts of gold here.

Jan 28, Ralph rated it really liked it. I was a bit surprised by this one. The story synopsis had sounded to me like the author was trying to combine too many elements in a story: I am sure I am missing a few others things, too. But it was free at least at the time through Amazon, so I downloaded it, and I finally got around to reading it. I wished I hadn't waited so long. Nassise does a great job of keeping my attention as the story pr I was a bit surprised by this one.

Nassise does a great job of keeping my attention as the story progresses. There are a couple areas where I questioned the reasoning behind some actions, or parts of the story, but am hoping that these will be revealed somewhere in the books that follow this one in this series. Aug 22, Cathy marked it as pass-just-not-interested. Read a story in Urban Allies anthology where the thieves were just blown away by the Templars, not because they were threatened, but upon approach to their hideout and as a matter of course, totally casually and with no thought to other options.

Is theft an executable offense? What gave them the right? Not interested in this series at all after that. Usually anthologies get me interested in authors, and I was a bit intrigued until that insane level of violence for no good reason. The Knights Templar, thought to have been disbanded in the 14th century, are alive and well - reborn with a military hierarchy as an arm of the Vatican. Their new mission is to defend mankind from supernatural threats and enemies. Knight Commander Cade Williams, known as "The Heretic", is head of the Echo Team, a highly specialized unit whose members each have unique "gifts".

Cade had been a highly-decorated Massachusetts police officer and a member of Special Tactics. An attack that left Cade di The Knights Templar, thought to have been disbanded in the 14th century, are alive and well - reborn with a military hierarchy as an arm of the Vatican. An attack that left Cade disfigured and his new wife dead changed the course of his life and left him with the gift of psychometry divining facts through physical contact. His personal mission is to locate and destroy the entity he calls "The Adversary". When a Templar commandery is attacked, leaving all of the Templars there dead but without bullet wounds, Joshua Michaels, the Preceptor for the North Atlantic region, put Echo Team in charge of the investigation.

As one, then another, commandery is attacked, it is up to Cade and his team to find out who and why and to put a stop to it. This novel is billed as "urban fantasy", which kind of had me knitting my brows. It is a rather unique blend of fantasy, horror, and even paranormal. For those who aren't familiar with the Templars, the author quite nicely takes the time to briefly but thoroughly explain their history and hierarchy near the beginning of the novel. It is rather fascinating, and, if you're like me, you'll be online Googling for more information. There is a prologue that isn't fully explained in the novel.

I "kind of" think I know who is involved, but at the end of the novel, I still wasn't certain. There also could be a bit more character-building but that's just me; most of the book is centered on action, which usually doesn't leave a lot of time for character-building. There is a lot of action, some surprises, a group of evil sorcerers, corpse hounds, revenants, mystery, and wonderful tension-building scenes. I fairly flew through the book, and, in many places, had no idea what the next turn of the page would bring. Unlike many first-in-series, the ending is a satisfying one - it closes up many important threads of the story while still leaving room for more to come.

Cade is an unlikely protagonist, wrestling with his own demons while attempting to fulfill his Templar duties, and when the two lines cross, watch out! If you like a touch of horror and paranormal, mixed with fantasy and adventure, pick this one up; you won't regret it. The air is heavy with impending rain and the electrical tension of the coming storm. In the slowly fading afternoon light the shadows around him stretch and move. He learned early on that they can have a life of their own. He avoids them now. There is a blood sacrifice scene. Dec 15, Ginny Lurcock rated it it was amazing Shelves: So Jena, my partner in crime over at Pure Textuality, has been on me to read Joseph Nassise for like … ever.

Now I feel like a total jerk. Nassise writes a pretty story. Well, okay, the story itself is actually gritty and involves a fair amount of insides that are now on the outside … but the actual structure of the story is so damn pretty. The way he used specific words to build a story is just an ar So Jena, my partner in crime over at Pure Textuality, has been on me to read Joseph Nassise for like … ever.

The way he used specific words to build a story is just an art form. Witness his use of horrendous: The story is fast paced and chilling. Like, I'm not sure if I'll be able to sleep tonight chilling.

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Which works out, since I stayed up WAY too late finishing the story So I guess all's well that ends well? It took me awhile to get into the book. But I just wanted to warn you. Also, there was a thing with a dog that I did not enjoy … Who I would recommend it to: Anyone who enjoys UF. Okay, you should probably enjoy UF on the darker side of things, but still The Order of the Knights Templar has persisted in secrecy through the decades, fighting to protect humanity from otherworldly evils most people would rather not know exist.

Cade Williams, one of the most obscure amongst the Order, is also the most enigmatic and unorthodox, instilling fear even amongst his fellows; however, he might be the only person capable of saving the world from an evil so powerful that it threatens to destroy the divide between reality and a realm known as the Otherworld. I The Order of the Knights Templar has persisted in secrecy through the decades, fighting to protect humanity from otherworldly evils most people would rather not know exist.

I enjoyed this novel, which thematically reminded me of a highly supernatural DaVinci Code. Structurally, it came together well, the storyline both sound and well-paced. Characterization was good, although I would have liked to have known more about Duncan, one of the secondary characters assigned to assist Cade. Technically, I found a few minor grammatical flaws, mainly the separation of compound verbs, some unnecessary prepositions, a few improperly used semicolons, and the undue capitalization of a couple of words, but those were the only reason this novel is not receiving a perfect five stars from me.

The Heretic is entertaining, highly creative, and fast-paced, and I give it a solid 4. Apr 05, Andy Smith rated it it was ok. I think I may have only managed to finish this book through a combination of it being really quite short and a hope that at some point it was going to get better.

It isn't an awful book but I struggle to find anything to recommend it. The plot is very simplistic; there are no real surprises. There isn't a single notable female character in this book, and the male ones are one dimensional. There's a guy; he's a strong and silent type. He's been wronged and now he's going to put it right I think I may have only managed to finish this book through a combination of it being really quite short and a hope that at some point it was going to get better. He's been wronged and now he's going to put it right using a combination of all the guns and some paranormal abilities.

If that sounds like something you would enjoy then it may still be for you, but personally I wanted a bit more. I also have to say that the copy I read I was littered with errors. I can believe a typo check was run because they were all real words, just the wrong words, e. There were so many that it's hard to believe this was proof read even once. I'm having difficulty remembering or tracking down where my copy came from. I may have got it from a Humble Ebook Bundle as it doesn't seem to appear in my Amazon Kindle downloads.

So maybe the source of the copy is at fault here. Oct 24, Oni rated it it was ok Shelves: This is a fast paced urban fantasy, with hints of Dan Brown all over it, plus the special ops cast. You can read it in one sitting if you wish, because there aren't any to keep you to read it deeper. The plot is predictable from the beginning, including the twist.

The theme is overexposed already, especially after many books following the bandwagon of Dan Brown's type. So it is not that interesting, I would say. The characters are pure machismo and also predictable. Strangely, with all that downs This is a fast paced urban fantasy, with hints of Dan Brown all over it, plus the special ops cast.

Strangely, with all that downsides, I managed to finish the book without much grumpiness. Maybe because the author try to make it interesting, without adding any material that usually makes me puke such as unnecessary romance or love triangle; even though I would say that it is not that interesting. Given that I get this book for free from Kobo, I am less inclined to feel irritated. I don't think it is a time waster also. But, if I continue to read the other books from the same author, then it will be a major time waster, because it doesn't worth that much, not enough for me to get the book using real money.

Read this if you want an easy read pistol wielding adventure. Avoid this if you want a serious reading with deep characters or complex plot. May 23, Sam rated it really liked it Shelves: This was a fast paced thriller with a strong supernatural element. The Templars were reformed and now work as a mostly military arm alongside the Church, protecting humanity from lurking nasties.

He joined after his wife was brutally murdered by something otherworldly, an attack which left him with some terrible physical and emotional scars, and some rather unexpected abilities. The story moved This was a fast paced thriller with a strong supernatural element. The story moved along at a good clip, and there was certainly plenty of action. It was, perhaps, a bit too modern military for my usual reading preferences. The writing was good, though I did feel that the characters were a bit underdeveloped—they were strong in military matters, but otherwise somewhat weaker.

There were a couple of nice plot twists, and there's certainly plenty packed in along the way. It's a fairly quick and easy read, but if you're expecting romance, there isn't any, and some of the passages are a bit on the gory side, so probably not a good idea if you're of a sensitive disposition. Sean Duncan headed up the Protectors group of the Templars and is in charge of care of the Preceptor for North America. Jeff warned me of 'big twists' towards the end, but even with warning, I was caught totally off-guard by some of the occurrences. The groundlaying for events is subtle, well-crafted, and results in a gut-punch when the big events do happen.

While action scenes are not the meat of this series, there are certainly many of them, and they're handled very well. The craziness of battle is well represented, and while he does not go into the details and brass tacks of large-army or even small platoon logistics as much as he could have, you still end up with a feeling of understanding.

I felt like I grasped the Syldoonian military strategies and policies, their communication methods with their troops, the potential for subterfuge and dissent among the ranks of subordinate soldiers. It was largely handled with a deft hand, not spending too much time focusing on what could come across as 'boring' tactical battle pieces, but still giving enough to work with and imagine the scenes. The ending itself was both heartbreaking, and very satisfying. Even if you guess what's coming, it still hits hard, and is an absolute rollercoaster of emotions, all across the spectrum.

It's epic, huge-scale, big implications, exciting. The fade-out epilogue closes things out in a satisfactory manner, leaving the reader with an understanding of the current state of things, without going on too long, being too sappy, being too flat. It was exactly the kind of ending to such an epic and fantastic series that I was hoping for. There were some steep expectations and hopes for this novel, coming off of the brilliant Veil Of The Deserters, and Salyards delivers in spectacular fashion. Each consecutive book of the series was better and better, and it's hard not to feel like Jeff has set himself up for a long, and hopefully successful, run in fantasy writing.

I, for one, am eagerly awaiting his future endeavors. Aug 14, Tracey the Lizard Queen rated it really liked it Shelves: This series is fantastic, and the last installment is, by far, the best. It has all the things you come to expect from Salyards, great worldbuilding, superb characters, and most of all that authentic dialogue. Plus some added extras. What's the extras I hear you cry?

Well, the mystery is solved! Not just any old mystery, the mystery. I was so afraid the conclusion would not live up to the build-up, but I was gladly proven wrong. What st Full review here: What started out as a small company of soldiers planning on inciting a war with a neighbouring country has evolved into something so much more. This series is totally underrated, more people should know about it. Braylar and his gang find themselves trapped between the enemies and the dreaded Godveil. Gambling on the power of Bloodsounder, they decide to cross over.

What they find on the other side is not quite what they expected or hoped for. And that doesn't even begin to deal with the problem of getting to the deposed emporer. Things get mightily complicated for our band of Syldoon soldiers. Dec 01, Zack Parsons rated it really liked it Shelves: The Bloodsounder's Arc is a Dark Military Fantasy through and through, yet the world author Jeff Salyards crafted to go with the brutal battles is no slouch.

Seldom do fantasy worlds feel as enticing as this. We learned just enough to leave us flabbergasted by the world, but little enough to leave us wanting more. I hope to see a return to this world and its characters again one day! Kudos to Jeff for a great trilogy that feels like one long book with the perfect amount of pay off in the end. Chains of the Heretic is the spectacular denouement to a spectacular -ly underrated series, each instalment of which is more thoughtful, more entertaining and more accomplished than the last.

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As before, Ch Chains of the Heretic is the spectacular denouement to a spectacular -ly underrated series, each instalment of which is more thoughtful, more entertaining and more accomplished than the last. As before, Chains picks up right where the previous book left off. The end is in sight for our endearing protagonist Arki, but he still has a long way to go before he completes his journey from insular local scribe to inured military chronicler. The road he travels is rougher and more dangerous than ever before, but so is Arki. Earlier in the trilogy Arki was pathetically grateful when the Syldoon first began to grudgingly toss scraps of knowledge and kindness in his direction — as though Arki were a barely-tolerated mongrel and their non-abusive words, bones.

These scant personal victories provided rare clues that helped us first begin to unravel the layers of posturing, and so we the reader were just as grateful as Arki for these little titbits of information. And then time passes, group dynamics change, and sympathetic gestures and enlightening conversations start to become more frequent though still far from the norm. Arki is no longer someone we feel sorry for, but someone who we admire; no longer a cowering dog but a steadfast jackal. On the other hand, as Arki adapts to his surroundings, so too are the other characters subtly transformed through their interactions with the curious and well-meaning scribe.

Instead, each subplot branches off from the main events of the Arc to flourish or to die elsewhere, or else lie unresolved beneath the surface of future conversations. Coarse but clever, dangerous yet loyal, they thunder into being and charge off the page. After which they grab you by the throat. Then use their free hand to punch you in the balls. But beneath the jokes there lies a surprisingly strong undercurrent of pathos poignantly reminiscent of that which accompanied the closing moments of Scourge of the Betrayer.

For example, Salyards creates unique settings, awe-inspiring mythologies and a plot that is stunningly epic and original, and essentially uses them as tools with which to hone and develop his protagonists. This clever inversion of form — using events that, as they escalate, work to enhance rather than dilute the focus on humanity — ensures two things: Blow-by-blow descriptions, fallible weapons, dodgy armour, long-term injuries and unlucky timing.

Suffice it to say that Chains takes everything — everything — to the next level with its larger-than-life anti-heroes, settings both bizarre and beautiful, and an increasingly brutal body count. And make no mistake: Which is fortunate, since Salyards has made it clear that while he may eventually return to the world of Bloodsounder he has no immediate intention of doing so. In fact, I urge you to do so. I cannot put into words how brilliant this trilogy is. Military Fantasy of the highest quality. There's a ton of reviews that said all I can possibly write.

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Go read them and then go buy this trilogy! I'm gonna re-read this very soon. Until some new books by Jeff Salyards pop up on the market. Jesus, these three books made me really happy. Nov 25, Soo rated it really liked it Shelves: I should rate this book 3. The POV for the trilogy never really grew on me.

I did grow to like Arky but I wasn't a fan of his viewpoint. I felt that it stifled the story in many ways. I know many people love this trilogy but I feel like the whole thing set me up to yearn for answers that won't be answered any time soon. There's so much detail given on various aspects of the series an Mini-Review: There's so much detail given on various aspects of the series and yet I still don't have a clear idea of the magic system, the history of the lands on either side of the veil or why a man like Braylar would become a dedicated soldier of the Empire.

The series is called Bloodsounder's Arc. What do I know about Bloodsounder? The story tried to keep a steady pace of scene, Arky's contemplation and action but there was too sharp a contrast between the information that was given vs the ones held back. All of the questions I have about the story, plot and characters are barely touched in the series.

The sex scene was subpar. There's no point in going into detail about sex if it's not going to be engaging in some manner. It was funny in the mean kind of way and just as awkward as the first sex scene in book one. Jan 10, Angela rated it really liked it Shelves: A great conclusion to an engrossing series.

I loved how Arki became a part of the troop and he really grew as a character through the series. The ending made complete sense and was a fitting ending for our characters. Salyards created a real mix of characters that were essential to the story and each enriched the story in their own way. Whether is was the rough speaking Mulldoos or Ven and his obsession with eating eggs. A trilogy well worth giving a go. But for others, they hold on even tighter to the things that burn their insides out regardless of the passage of time, or even in spite of it, as if to curse the very world itself.

He has, at least, learned to span a crossbow, and can probably draw a sword without slicing off bits of his own anatomy on a good day , but his talents remain otherwise, and his role remains to assist the Jackals by translating ancient manuscripts in an attempt to help them depose the current emperor who, himself, displaced the Jackals' preferred emperor in a coup by breaking the usurper's hold over the Memoridons, the memory-witches who have been pressed into service to hold the empire together one of whom, it should be noted, is Braylar's not-very-fondly-received sister.

And, of course, to act as archivist and chronicle their travels, which will take them to places none of them could have imagined at the beginning of their journey, and which will ultimately have catastrophic repercussions for the world as a whole. A fine conclusion to a highly recommended trilogy; in this book, necessarily, the scale broadens, but Arki continues to provide an intimate, ground-level view of world-shaking events. Jan 08, Paul Bosonetto rated it it was amazing.

Of all the books I've read this series is one of my all time favorites. I've grown to love the characters, and finishing this last book, I am so sad to leave them behind. I'd read another ten of these If you've read the prior books you know much what to expect, save for a host of truly epic, in scale and awesomeness, and breath catching events.

Great action, great characters, great plot, great pacing, an Fantastic book! Great action, great characters, great plot, great pacing, and great dialogue. I have never been anything less than supremely impressed with this series and the third book is no exception. Thank you, Jeff Salyard. Can't wait to read what you write next. As with each book in this series the one word that comes to mind is unpredictable.

And while that is a huge asset, it also held me back from giving this 5 stars. There were many situations and characters and their relationships that I thought should have been explained and explored more thoroughly throughout this book. Still, I highly recommend this trilogy! I really enjoyed it and will miss these characters now that it is over. Feb 25, Marielle rated it really liked it Shelves: Perfect ending to a wonderful story! I would certainly like to read more about Arki Dec 04, Scott Hitchcock rated it it was amazing Recommended to Scott by: I should have done it long ago.

Phenomenal conclusion to the series. First treat all three books as one and read them back to back to back. They really are one really long book. Second get over any sensibilities you have for crude language. However terms like horsecunt show up a lot which m Book 1: However terms like horsecunt show up a lot which may turn some readers off.

This concluding volume is probably my favorite read of the year minus my Malazan re-reads. The action and grim-darkness go up a notch in each book. The world is unique as is the magic. Recommended to everyone but required if you like Grimdark. Petrik So amazing right? One of my favorite grimdark series! Dec 05, Scott Hitchcock Petrik wrote: It's hard because wh Petrik wrote: It's hard because while I might have given higher stars totals to different trilogies this concluding chapter was a lot better than many of those.

I was provided with an early digital review copy from the author in exchange for my honest opinion and review To put it simply: This novel is leaps and bounds better than Veil! Arki, Braylar, Mulldoos, Vendurro, Glesswick, and few hundred more Slydoon warriors, now find themselves on the run the newly self-imposed emperor Cynead. Having control of the all the Memordians gives Cynead an immense advantage over the Jackals as they are fleeing to reunite with the deposed emperor Thumarr.

Cynead, however, is able to trap and force them to the East, where the only place they can head is to the Godveil. This leaves Captain Killcoin with two decisions: Why was this last book so great? One area no pun intended that comes to mind when I think of the improvements that Salyards made was the location of the story.

We have been traveling around in the previous two books -from Anjuria to the Green Sea, and from the Forest to Sunwrack - but this time we get to see the Land of the Deserters; we cross the Godveil! It was refreshing touch of scenery; literally felt like a whole new world and I was eating up everything that we were learning about it! Major events and twists have happened; the Syldoon empire has changed; Jackals have been killed and we have lost major characters.

And because of that, we need to see more of the world; we need to learn of our burning questions; we need new characters to step-up, other characters to take a step a back, and some to adapt. We cannot have the same characters as before for the story to work. And Soffjian too, as basically the female copy of Braylar. All of these assumptions may have been somewhat right when I first made them - now that I look back at them though, they are all so wrong. They are all right on the bare surface, but these characters are no longer that; they are deep and complex, and incredibly developed to each being a character like their own within this series, and apart from other series too.

Ven runs his mouth, but he does it by bringing up random topics at the most inappropriate times - and he has a love for eggs! D Mulldoos is as bloodthirsty, vulgar, and violent any anything, but dare I say, he has a heart? It is incredible how well Salyards ended up writing these characters - but none were written better than Arki. Do you remember when we first met Arki? This poor, scared, little boy, who had never left the library, never kissed a girl, would near cry himself when Braylar or Mulldoos would so much as look at him, and hadn't a clue how to hold a crossbow; do you remember?

Well, Salyards has been a plaguing sneaky and clever writer, and whether you have been picking up on it or not, he has been changing Arki. It has been ever so slight through out the series, with specific moments here and there as major turning points, but Arki is not the same at all. Even though both those Arkis are pretty much different characters, I cannot pin point an exact moment when he turned. In case you haven't realized it, I will spell it out for you: I think Jeff Salyards in a phenomenal writer! I haven't been listening to podcast much the past year as I had been before, so I may be out of the loop a little bit for what people are saying about him, but when I first heard of Jeff, all I heard about where his fight scenes.

They are top notch, but as each book came out, he showed how talented he was in so many other areas. One last thing I want to mention is the ending: I really do hope we get another series in this world! I won't say which characters I think it will be staring ; but I did catch several possibilities where the story could be continued. P Can't wait for whatever Salyard's next book will be! Feb 06, Nickolas rated it it was amazing. The ultimate coup sends Arki, Captain Killcoin, and the Syldoon soldiers of Jackal Tower fleeing into the unknown where they will confront their own legends.

Excellent character progression, unexpected twists and turns, relentless action, bittersweet goodbyes. A little more time spent learning about the Deserters would have been welcome and the final battle could have been longer. I write this review after a page reading binge to finish Chains of the Heretic: Coming in at just over pages this tome dwarves the two previous entries, and rightly so. We last left off with Arki, our archivist-narrator, fleeing the infamous Captain Braylar Killcoin and a small company of hardbitten warriors fleeing the Syldoon capital of Sunwrack. Hounded by several much larger forces of Imperial soldiers and unable to ditch the Memoridon memory witches trailing them, the outcasts of the Jackal Tower risk an unprecedented crossing beyond the Godveil…and come face to face with the Deserters of myth.

Mild spoilers ahead, read at your own risk. If you enjoyed the first two books feel free to go ahead and skip this review altogether because Chains of the Heretic is better than either of those. A few years ago Jeff Salyards pleasantly surprised me with Scourge of the Betrayer, a very dark and personal dagger punch of a fantasy novel that left me wanting more. Veil of the Deserters, book two, dodged the sophomore slump by continuing to deliver sharp dialogue and sharper action while expanding on the world we caught tantalizing glimpses of during the first go around.

But best of all Chains of the Heretic sees our narrator Arki developing in gratifying ways. Back when I first started this series I wondered if we would ever get to cross the Godveil and encounter the Deserters or if it would remain an enigma. Apart from the memory magic the series felt rooted in the believable. The characters were flawed, the politics were brutal, and the combat left no winners — only those who lost less.

I worried that the inclusion of more mystical aspects might detract from the foundation Salyards built. The Deserters are awesome and far more fearsome and alien than fantasy standard orcs or trolls. We also get to see them in action and they are a force to be reckoned with. Salyards writes combat without any frills. Aug 04, Laura rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is my favourite Shakespeare novel to date. They have steadily been getting better over the series which is unusual.

I recently read C. Sansom Lamentation and was slightly disappointed with the effort so I am especially thrilled to have found that the Shakespeare series is going from strength to strength. I feel that Shakespeare is like a Tudor era Bond like figure.

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I really love the descriptions of the era in the book and particularly with this book I couldn't work out where the plot was This is my favourite Shakespeare novel to date. I really love the descriptions of the era in the book and particularly with this book I couldn't work out where the plot was going until it was revealed to me.

Shakespeare is growing with every book that is written in this series which is a pleasure to read. The only thing I am finding a bit tedious is the running feud with Topcliffe which I don't think is necessary anymore and probably should have been polished off at the end of Traitor however I could be nicely surprised in the books to come in the series. I don't think you need to read the books in order you can follow the plot well enough without the background history but I would recommend that you do as mentioned above Shakespeare has definitely grown with each book.

I look forward to reading the next two books in the series and any yet to be released books.

The Heretic

I think Shakespeare is now giving Shardlake a run for his money! Nov 19, Elisabeth rated it really liked it. This book again finds Shakespeare trying to protect England and Queen Elizabeth I from the Spanish whose intention it is to restore the country to the Catholic faith. Asked by a Jesuit priest who is the next day to be hung, to look for a missing girl who the priest once exorcised, Shakespeare sets about to find the elusive Thomasyn Jade.

However, Shakespeare has his attention from this diverted when intelligence reveals that the Spanish are plotting to invade — will it be another full scale Armada or is it a diversion tactic and is the threat to the English throne closer to the Queen than anyone could imagine. Once again Rory Clements provides and exciting rollercoaster read and evokes perfectly all the sights and smells of Elizabethan London. Although this could be a standalone novel, I think to fully appreciate the book it would be best to read the previous 4 books before reading this one.

Cannot wait to read number 6 in the series! Aug 04, Wendy Jones rated it it was amazing. I love thrillers and murder mysteries and am fascinated as to how things were done in the past. This book is worth it on the historical accuracy alone. The glimpse into Elizabethan England is one of the selling points of this book, however, the mystery aspect is equally as good. The characters are well drawn and I liked and loathed them in turn. The plot is extremely well written and fairly fly's along.

There are enough twists and turns to keep the most ardent of mystery fans happy. The descript I love thrillers and murder mysteries and am fascinated as to how things were done in the past. The descriptions of exorcisms by the church had me feeling exactly as if I were there. The end of the book is electrifying and at the end I didn't want to return to modern day Scotland.

An excellent book which I would highly recommend. Sep 23, Alice rated it really liked it. Clements is back to his best with the continuing saga of English Integlligencer, John Shakespeare, in this novel. Clements artfully spins an engaging saga of mystery, murder and treason, borrowed from true events and real people from the twilight of Elizabeth's reign. The Heretics is another great example of how history and fiction can be combined to create a world that is realistic and exciting. The London and England that John Shakespeare and his colleagues occupy is wonderfully vivid, so when Clements is back to his best with the continuing saga of English Integlligencer, John Shakespeare, in this novel.

The London and England that John Shakespeare and his colleagues occupy is wonderfully vivid, so when Clements also nails the storyline, he creates exciting and entertaining fiction that is difficult to put down. I loved this book. Spain is funding another plot against Queen Elizabeth and, whilst a raid on Cornwall seems a threat, it is not followed up.

Meanwhile the plot leads to Wisbech Castle where a group of Catholic priests and followers are held. What is the link between a converted Puritan, her ex-fiancee, a missing victim of exorcism and the deaths of a number of government spies? As ever Clements creates an exciting and fast-paced story which is heavy on twists and light on politics. That is no bad thing, this is a Spain is funding another plot against Queen Elizabeth and, whilst a raid on Cornwall seems a threat, it is not followed up.

That is no bad thing, this is a period-set thriller, not a historical tome. Mar 05, Emma Slaughter rated it liked it. Good story, and an interesting choice of main character, given that his brother is the one who is usually subject to scrutiny. The writer draws you into the world of Elizabethan England effectively.

The only reason I didn't mark it higher is that I felt the villain was a little too obvious, even early on. However, as long as you read the story for a thrill and possibly to learn some things you may not have known, I recommend this. Oct 24, Simon Gosden rated it really liked it. I have always enjoyed the adventures of John Shakespeare, Will's brother, who is an intelligence officer for Robert Cecil at the court of Queen Elizabeth the First. This is a thoughtful and involving intrigue. John Shakespeare's investigation takes him from the wilds of Norfolk to the Cornish coast as he tries to unravel a plot that seems to threaten the Queen herself.

Historically accurate and full of detail, a splendid read. Apr 16, P. Rory Clements' John Shakespeare series just gets better and better. There was no hanging about with this one - it plunged straight in, and we were off, back in the dangerous unforgiving world of the last years of Elizabeth the First. The plot was complex but so well told that fine details were a pleasure to absorb as it raced along. There are always surprises, but at one point I even wondered if we would lose our hero!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it. Jul 05, Margaret Bramlett rated it really liked it. Just finished this 5th book in the John Shakespeare sagas and it did not disappoint. I really enjoy this series about the fictional brother of Will Shakespeare. Rory Clements really does his historical research homework.

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I recommend this series to anyone interested in a good mystery as well as a richly detailed look at Elizabethan England. Starting the next one, The Queen's Man, in about 15 minutes. Jun 27, Nan rated it really liked it. I listened to this on the Audible version, and really appreciated the quality of the reader. This particular title requires a bit of concentration, but pays off big time. Love the characters, love the time period, and learning a bit of history along the way.

Our hero's more famous brother Shakespeare gets several mentions, too: Feb 15, Paul added it. Once more, John Shakespeare is following a plot without knowing who or what is the purpose. Clement does a beautiful job of bringing it all together piece by piece. Getting our of the city London and into the northern Fen country and our to Cornwall added to the novel.

I'll continue to the next one of the series. Jan 11, Linda Amos rated it really liked it. Shakespeare is charged with finding Thomasyn Jade, a young girl last seen in the care of one of the court ladies after she had been through an horrific exorcism. However, a Catholic conspiracy is discovered. Will Shakespeare foil their plan?