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Sacrilege
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Sacrilege
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Sacrilege
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Sacrilege

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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About this ebook

The No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling series

The third book in S. J. Parris’s bestselling, critically acclaimed series following Giordano Bruno, set at the time of Queen Elizabeth I

London, 1584. Giordano Bruno travels to Canterbury for love. But finds only murder …

Giordano Bruno is being followed by the woman he once loved – Sophia Underhill, accused of murder and on the run. With the leave of the Queen’s spymaster, he sets out to clear Sophia’s name. But when more brutal killings occur a far deadlier plot emerges.

A city rife with treachery. A relic steeped in blood.

His hunt for the real killer leads to the shadows of the Cathedral – England’s holiest shrine – and the heart of a sinister and powerful conspiracy …

Heretic, maverick, charmer: Giordano Bruno is always on his guard. Never more so than when working for Queen Elizabeth and her spymaster – for this man of letters is now an agent of intrigue and danger …

Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Hilary Mantel

Praise for S. J. Parris

‘A delicious blend of history and thriller’ The Times

‘An omnipresent sense of danger’ Daily Mail

‘Colourful characters, fast-moving plots and a world where one false step in religion or politics can mean a grisly death’ Sunday Times

‘Pacy, intricate, and thrilling’ Observer

‘Vivid, sprawling … Well-crafted, exuberant’ Financial Times

‘Impossible to resist’ Daily Telegraph

‘Twists and turns like a corkscrew of venomous snakes’ Stuart MacBride

‘It has everything – intrigue, mystery and excellent history’ Kate Mosse

‘The period is incredibly vivid and the story utterly gripping’ Conn Iggulden

‘A brilliantly unusual glimpse at the intrigues surrounding Queen Elizabeth I’ Andrew Taylor

LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 26, 2012
ISBN9780007317790
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Sacrilege
Author

S.J. Parris

S. J. Parris is the pseudonym of Stephanie Merritt. It was as a student at Cambridge that Stephanie first became fascinated by the rich history of Tudor England and Renaissance Europe. Since then, her interest has grown and led her to create this series of historical thrillers featuring Giordano Bruno. Stephanie has worked for a variety of newspapers and magazines as well as radio and television. She currently writes for the Observer and the Guardian and lives in Surrey with her son.

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Reviews for Sacrilege

Rating: 3.7807692076923076 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Of the first three books in this series, this is certainly the best. The plot is convoluted but very clearly developed and the "who-dun-it" element retained until the last few pages. It benefits from a very fast pace and, after the initial set-up the classic unities of time, place and action. I am not drawn to Bruno as a character, but he serves as useful means for Parris to explore the ideas and attitudes of Elizabethan England. I look forward to book 4 in the series.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I made it through the book to the end of Sacrilege, but the way this novel is written grates with me. I can just about ignore the various character cliches, but the way our supposed brilliant investigator just stumbles about blindly in an unknown town, consistently simply happening to bump into the person who'll provide his next clue strains credulity, let alone the fact that they all just seem to trust and open up to a complete stranger. I don't think I could be bothered to read another in this series... though I thought that after the last one as well.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I got this as an early reviewer and I put off reviewing it in the hope that I would someday finish it. But I can't. And I am a voracious reader and read almost anything through to the bitter end. But I couldn't find the energy to get through this story. I hate writing negative reviews, but I just didn't like it enough to keep on wading through. Perhaps I would have liked it better if I had read the first books in the series and maybe(?) gotten interested in the characters.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the third book in a series. I was fortunate enough to have read the second book, Prophecy (which I thoroughly enjoyed.) Sacrilege I think is a bit better...Bruno, an ex monk and supposed heretic is spying for Walsingham s during the reign of Elizabeth I. Sophia, accused of her husband's murder asks him to prove her innocence. Bruno needs to travel to Canterbury but times are dangerous and he is running from the Inquisition - but Walsingham can use what he can find out along the way to save the Queen.The book was a page turner for me. Full of suspense and plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. There were many plots afoot to dethrone Elizabeth and put the Catholic Mary on the throne and Bruno finds himself deep in trying to prevent one from succeeding. Bruno is smart and a well developed character and he knows when something is not right. Despite his flaws he is someone to root for.I truly enjoyed the book and want to add the first novel, Heresy to my collection to read at a later date. S.J. Parris has a way with an historical suspense/thriller.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I cannot get into this book. I am halfway through and it has failed to stimulate my interest. Onward to the next audio book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    More great fun! These books are real page turners. I don't think there is anything very innovative about them. They're murder mysteries that follow the standard formula. But that leaves plenty of room for creative plot twists, period details, and of course the wonderful Giordano Bruno. He has a short discussion here with Queen Elizabeth on the idea of the infinite universe.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the third in the author's Giordano Bruno series. This time the action and the inevitable Catholic plot are centred around the precincts of Canterbury cathedral, an area which I know well, which added depth to the novel for me. The plot was rather convoluted, involving a fake miracle and the bones of St Thomas a Becket. It's colourful and absorbing and there were some interesting minor characters such as old Meg, Rebecca and Brother Anselm, but it doesn't have the impact on me of C J Sansom's novels. I think the issue for me is partly that, while Bruno is a fascinating figure in the history of religion and science, he is just not really plausible as a sleuth and spy, given that he stands out so much in Elizabethan England.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A gripping historical thriller set in sixteenth-century England and centered on the highly secretive cult of Saint Thomas Becket, the twelfth-century archbishop murdered in Canterbury Cathedral. London, summer of 1584: Radical philosopher, ex-monk, and spy Giordano Bruno suspects he is being followed by an old enemy. He is shocked to discover that his pursuer is in fact Sophia Underhill, a young woman with whom he was once in love. When Bruno learns that Sophia has been accused of murdering her husband, a prominent magistrate in Canterbury, he agrees to do anything he can to help clear her name. In the city that was once England's greatest center of pilgrimage, Bruno begins to uncover unsuspected secrets that point to the dead man being part of a larger and more dangerous plot in the making. He must turn his detective's eye on history—on Saint Thomas Becket, the twelfth-century archbishop murdered in Canterbury Cathedral, and on the legend surrounding the disappearance of his body—in order to solve the crime. As Bruno's feelings for Sophia grow more intense, so does his fear that another murder is about to take place—perhaps his own. But more than Bruno's life is at stake in this vividly rendered, impeccably researched, and addictively page-turning whodunit—the stability of the kingdom hangs in the balance as Bruno hunts down a brutal murderer in the shadows of England's most ancient cathedral.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Parris continues her Tudor England mysteries starring Gordiano Bruno - ex-monk, radical thinker, ladies' man, Elizabethan spy and solver of murders. Sacrilege is set in Canterbury, then a claustrophobic, inward-looking town fearful of strangers and strangenesses. Bruno has arrived to determine the true killer of his friends' husband and to determine if Canterbury is still loyal to the Queen or is being swayed to the French cause. Parris writes well and keeps the reader guessing through to the end with plenty of narrative twists and colourful characters. SHe is clearly at ease with the period, but for me there is not enough detail about the daily life in Elizabethan England to fully draw the reader into the period. Parris knows a lot about Tudor England and should let more of that knowledge bleed onto the page.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This is a book about power and betrayal. The first quarter reads as a rather dull fairy story, then the investigation kicks in and things pick up. The setting is over-described and the characters tend to be inconsistent or thin. There are a couple of strong set pieces and the general perspective of the presentation is intriguing. Some passages and characters borrow rather too heavily from Shardlake.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have read all of Ms. Parris Bruno novels to date and, if possible, I believe that they have just gotten better. Taking place at a crucial and highly political period at the Tudor court a supposedly simple murder becomes very complicated. Bruno has developed into a full dimensional if flawed character since the beginning of the series and I believe more likable for those flaws. If you enjoy character driven, complex mysteries with heavy historical detail and a twist you should enjoy this book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very good! For once, the solution wasn't obscured with non-clues until the very end. Interesting to read a bit of the life of 16th century England, even though the smells weren't exactly transmitted! Still, we forget the terrible animosity that existed between the forced religious changes in England and the totally heinous crimes committed in God's name against the faithful of both stripes.This book was recommended by LTER.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What can I say? I LOVE S.J. Parris. (pen name of Stephanie Merritt). I can be picky and critical of historical fiction, but I have yet to be disappointed with this author's research, knowledge, and how all that is integrated into a compelling story full of characters I have never failed to like (or dislike!). The narrative flows and I can honestly say that if I skimmed a page, it was because I was so thrilled at what I was reading. I usually had to re-read passages because I couldn't stop myself from rushing on. I've always loved the Tudor time period, and this tale of mystery and intrigue is a perfect addition to that "section" of my home library. Highly recommended!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Another Early Reviewer winGiordano Bruno is a former monk now working for Francis Walsingham, the queen's spymaster. When a woman he fell in love with a year or two ago finds him and tells him she's been accused of the murder of her husband, he naturally agrees to help. He knows that innocence is no guarantee of a not-guilty verdict in a court of law and the punishment for murder is death.So Bruno, under an assumed name, travels to Canterbury to unravel the facts in the death of Sir Edward Kingsley. While there, he is accused of murder, discovers a cult dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket still in existence, and uncovers a conspiracy against Good Queen Bess.While atmospheric--I loved the descriptions of Canterbury--and somewhat reminiscent of The Name of Rose, the book fell short in a few places for me. This was mostly in the characterization of Bruno in regards to Sophia. His whole reason for helping her was to be in her good graces and he always hoped that she would be with him out of gratitude. Maybe that's because he had been a monk and didn't understand women, but to me it felt like he knew nothing of human nature. And to be an effective spy, you need to understand motivation. In other respects, I liked Bruno, but this aspect kept repeating and every time it irked me even more. People don't work like that. Women, even in the Elizabeth era, don't work like that. It made him seem a lot more one-dimensional than he should have been.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    As good as the first two installments of the Giordano Bruno mystery series, but number 2 remains my favorite. I missed some of the characters we were introduced to earlier in the series and was surprised that Sophia reappeared so soon -- shades of increased sales! With Sacrilege, Parris did another good job in crafting this mystery, and this time I really had no clue in who did it! However, the real pat on the back goes to her for crafting a 'Tudor' mystery with Thomas Becket at the center of the tale. Well done! I love historical mystery series. Though I mostly read mysteries set in Victorian times or the early 20th century, Giordano has been added to Shardlake in my stable of "must read series" for the Tudor era.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the best entry yet in S.J. Parris' series of historical crime fiction, set during the reign of Elizabeth I. The story is compelling and gets more so throughout the book, both for its hero and for the realm. My only problem is in Parris' choice of hero -- the real life former monk Giordano Bruno. He spent a couple years in England and eventually came to a very ugly end at the hand of Catholic inquisitors, as anyone who has read much history of this period knows. So it's hard to get attached to him and root for him, knowing the awful end in store. I wish Parris instead had chosen to create a fictional character based on Bruno. When you're writing fiction, why not? Then again, since it is fiction perhaps she will feel free to create a happier ending for him than he got in real life. Overall, a great choice for people who like C.J. Sansom's Shardlake series, or other well-crafted works of historical crime, especially during the Tudor reign.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    S. J. Parris is now releasing the third in her Giordano Bruno series, similar in setting and time period to the successful Matthew Shardlake series written by Ian Sansom. Both Bruno and Shardlake are uniquely placed in Tudor and Elizabethan society and the result is a series of good mysteries with a wide variety of historical figures and actual events. Giordano Bruno is a former monk, a remarkable scholar, who escaped his monastery near Naples and wandered Europe for several years before finding himself at the French court. That led to his joining the entourage of the French ambassador to England and becoming an aide to Elizebeth I’s spymaster, Francis Walsingham. All of this is also the history of the actual Giordano Bruno and Parris cleverly utilizes this historical character as her detective. And that is plenty to get the fictional Bruno into all sorts of interesting situations.Uneasy rests the crown on Elizabeth’s head. There are not only foreign rulers who would be eager to see her lose the throne, there are many factions within England and Scotland who seek the demise of Elizabeth. When a strong supporter of the Church of England in Canterbury is murdered in the cathedral precincts, Walsingham sends Bruno to catch the murderer and determine if there is perhaps a plot afoot to rebel against Elizabeth. This already engaging plot is further enhanced by the involvement of Sophia Underhill, the young woman Bruno fell in love with in the first book of the series (“Heresy”). Sophia just happened to be unhappily married to the newly deceased and fled Canterbury in disguise to avoid being accused of murder and of course asks Bruno’s help in finding her husband’s killer.When Bruno arrives in Canterbury with the still disguised Sophia, the action begins. We learn a lot about the cult that grew up around St. Thomas a Becket, the outspoken Bishop of Canterbury who stood up to Henry II and was later assassinated by his henchmen. Becket’s bones disappeared and their re-appearance in the hands of Elizabeth’s opponents could serve as a rallying point for dissidents. Bruno has his hands full as deaths of key witnesses and informants begins and his and Sophia’s safety is at risk.S. J. Parris (aka Stephanie Merritt) does a skillful job of re-creating Elizabethan England and basing her historical detective in historical settings and circumstances. I somehow missed number two in the series (“Prophecy”) and am eager to find a copy and fill in the middle of this already excellent series.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the third book in a series. I was fortunate enough to have read the second book, Prophecy (which I thoroughly enjoyed.) Sacrilege I think is a bit better...Bruno, an ex monk and supposed heretic is spying for Walsingham s during the reign of Elizabeth I. Sophia, accused of her husband's murder asks him to prove her innocence. Bruno needs to travel to Canterbury but times are dangerous and he is running from the Inquisition - but Walsingham can use what he can find out along the way to save the Queen.The book was a page turner for me. Full of suspense and plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. There were many plots afoot to dethrone Elizabeth and put the Catholic Mary on the throne and Bruno finds himself deep in trying to prevent one from succeeding. Bruno is smart and a well developed character and he knows when something is not right. Despite his flaws he is someone to root for.I truly enjoyed the book and want to add the first novel, Heresy to my collection to read at a later date. S.J. Parris has a way with an historical suspense/thriller.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is an Early Rerviewers copy. Thank you.Sacrilege is an historical novel set in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I at the time of the conspiracy to put Mary Queen of Scots on the English throne. The third in a series features a very good detective, Giordano Bruno, the actual mathematician and astronomer who proposed that the universe was infinite and maybe have other intelligent life. Historically, this did not sit well with the Roman Catholic Church and Bruno found himself on the run from the Inquisition, in England in 1584, and in the secret employ of Elizabeth's spymaster Francis Walsingham. The former Dominican friar seems perfect to investigate the catholic conspiracy in Canterbury centered around the bones of the martyr Becket which could be a rallying point for Mary's cause. That Bruno has more personal reasons to go to Canterbury, to find the murderer of one of the town's aldermen who was the husband of a "former" love, is not just a happy coincidence.This novel has everything a good historical mystery needs. The facts about the period are there, but not intrusive. There is no attempt to "talk Elizabethan" or describe every meal eaten, ribbon worn, or corridor explored. When description is necessary it either furthers the plot, establishes the mood, or defines the character. Good research to a good end. I enjoyed following Bruno around Canterbury because I was there last year and knew just where he was walking in the cathedral close, the great church itself, and especially in the crypt. I think the reader will get the same sense of place as Bruno (and I) had about the majesty of the building . Bruno manages to damp down the catholic uprising for the time being when he exposes the close inhabitants who are still loyal to the old faith and their aim to reestablish Canterbury as a profitable pilgrimage site and center of catholic strength. The domestic murder actually proves more disturbing because Kerr makes Bruno very human. The detective senses something is not right with his client's account of her husband's murder but he has a blind spot as large as Canterbury Cathedral's rose window where the widow Sophie Underhill is concerned. Is he able to resolve the two mysteries? How are they linked? What has the murder of young boys have to do with both cases? Read this satisfying novel and find out! (It is not necessary to have read the first two novels to enjoy this one. There is just enough back story so that it can stand on its own.)
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was asked to read this by the publisher who knew that I hadn't read the first two books in the series, Heresy and Prophecy, as it can be read as a standalone. I loved this book SO much, though, that I'm going to get my hands on a copy of the first two books as soon as possible so I can devour them the way I devoured Sacrilege! I LOVED it! I do enjoy historical fiction, but this went beyond your regular historical fiction - it had one heck of a mystery in it, too! Bruno is contacted by a woman from his past, Sophia, who is on the run after being accused of murdering her husband, a cold, cruel man. She insists she is being set up, so Bruno, who happens to have feelings for Sophia, agrees to go to Canterbury to investigate. As he works for the French embassy to the court of Elizabeth, queen of England, he also volunteers to investigate possible missing funds from the Church of Canterbury. Little does Bruno know, he's going to become involved in so, so much more! He's embarking on a journey that takes many twists and turns before reaching its final destination, including a massive twist at the end of the book that totally took me by surprise! I was delighted that I didn't see it coming because it made it just that much better!I loved the characters in this book, even the ones you love to hate. Every one of them is well fleshed out and carries the plot along to its conclusion. Bruno has a knack for getting himself in trouble, even when he's trying to avoid it. Part of the fun is collecting the pieces of the puzzle along with Bruno as you try to solve the mystery yourself! The plot is tight and, although filled with historical facts, I found it to be an easy read. Notable quote: "I laid a hand over his and a silent tear trickled down his hollow cheek. His words reminded me of Helene's, and I felt suddenly overwhelmed by the weight of their grief and bewilderment; all over our bloody continent, Catholics and Protestants alike went on dying at one another's hands, all looking up to heaven and crying out to their God, whose side are You on? While their God remains deaf and says nothing, because on both sides they have failed to understand who or what He is, as they spill more blood in His name."I can't get across how much I loved this book and can't WAIT to read the other two books in the series, as well as any other books S.J. Parris has written or will write! :D
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sacrilege offers up another good romp through Elizabethan conspiracies with Giordano Bruno, who this time is off to Canterbury to solve a murder in order to help a pretty girl out of a jam. But as you'd expect, there's more to that murder than meets the eye, and the leading men of Canterbury prove to be up to no good at all. Bruno's challenge: unravel the conspiracy before getting himself hanged for murder in the process.While I'd managed to guess the endgame of this one before Bruno got there himself, it's still a good story, and if you enjoyed the previous books, I imagine you'll like this one too (it's not strictly necessary to have read them first, but it may be useful to have the backstory).