Last Protector

From the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Ashes of London comes the next book in the phenomenally successful series following James Marwood and Cat Lovett.

A dangerous secret lies beneath Whitehall Palace...

Brother against brother. Father against son. Friends turned into enemies. No one in England wants a return to the bloody days of the Civil War. But Oliver Cromwell's son, Richard, has abandoned his exile and slipped back into England. The consequences could be catastrophic.

James Marwood, a traitor's son turned government agent, is tasked with uncovering Cromwell's motives. But his assignment is complicated by his friend - the regicide's daughter, Cat Lovett - who knew the Cromwells as a child, and who now seems to be hiding a secret of her own about the family.

Both Marwood and Cat know they are putting themselves in great danger. And when they find themselves on a top secret mission in the Palace of Whitehall, they realize they are risking their lives...and could even be sent to the block for treason.

Praise for Andrew Taylor

'One of the best historical crime writers today' The Times

'If you like C. J. Sansom, or Hilary Mantel, you'll love Andrew Taylor' Peter James

'Effortlessly authentic...gripping...moving and believable. An excellent work' C. J. Sansom

'This is historical crime fiction at its dazzling best' Guardian

'One of the best historical novelists around' Sunday Times

'A breathtakingly ambitious picture of an era' Financial Times

'A masterclass in writing for the genre' Ann Cleeves

'Andrew Taylor is one of our finest storytellers' Antonia Hodgson

'Vivid and compelling' Observer

'A novel filled with intrigue, duplicity, scandal and betrayal, whose author now vies with another master of the genre, C. J. Sansom' Spectator

'Taylor brings the 17th century to life so vividly that one can almost smell it' Guardian

'A most artful and delightful book, that will both amuse and chill' Daily Telegraph

“Praise for Andrew Taylor: 'One of the best historical crime writers today' The Times 'If you like C. J. Sansom, or Hilary Mantel, you'll love Andrew Taylor' Peter James 'Effortlessly authentic...gripping...moving and believable. An excellent work' C. J. Sansom 'This is historical crime fiction at its dazzling best' Guardian 'One of the best historical novelists around' Sunday Times 'Taylor has long been the pre-eminent chronicler of beautifully atmospheric historical crime' The Times 'A breathtakingly ambitious picture of an era' Financial Times 'This is how historical crime should be written, with rich authenticity underpinning a twisting plot' The Times 'A masterclass in writing for the genre' Ann Cleeves 'Andrew Taylor is one of our finest storytellers' Antonia Hodgson 'Few historical novelists write with more authority and a greater sense of authenticity than Andrew Taylor' Sunday Times 'Vivid and compelling' Observer 'A novel filled with intrigue, duplicity, scandal and betrayal, whose author now vies with another master of the genre, C. J. Sansom' Spectator 'This is a novelist of consummate skill at the absolute peak of his power' Manda Scott 'Glorious' Sunday Express 'The plot is twisty, the characters engaging' Literary Review 'One of the most reliably enjoyable of historical novelists' The Sunday Times 'An atmospheric pleasure, full of twists and memorable characters' The Times 'Cunningly plotted and movingly written' Mick Herron, bestselling author of Slow Horses 'Taylor brings the 17th century to life so vividly that one can almost smell it' Guardian 'Taylor combines his detailed research with a deviously twist-laden storyline' Observer 'A most artful and delightful book, that will both amuse and chill' Daily Telegraph 'A depth few other historical crime novels can match' Sunday Times 'Terrific' Sarah Hilary 'Elegant, engrossing' Sunday Express 'A complex weave of history and mystery' The i 'This is terrific stuff' Daily Telegraph eater sense of authenticity than Andrew Taylor' Sunday Times 'Vivid and compelling' Observer 'A novel filled with intrigue, duplicity, scandal and betrayal, whose author now vies with another master of the genre, C. J. Sansom' Spectator 'This is a novelist of consummate skill at the absolute peak of his power' Manda Scott 'Glorious' Sunday Express 'The plot is twisty, the characters engaging' Literary Review 'One of the most reliably enjoyable of historical novelists' The Sunday Times 'An atmospheric pleasure, full of twists and memorable characters' The Times 'Cunningly plotted and movingly written' Mick Herron, bestselling author of Slow Horses 'Taylor brings the 17th century to life so vividly that one can almost smell it' Guardian 'Taylor combines his detailed research with a deviously twist-laden storyline' Observer 'A most artful and delightful book, that will both amuse and chill' Daily Telegraph 'A depth few other historical crime novels can match' Sunday Times 'Terrific' Sarah Hilary 'Elegant, engrossing' Sunday Express 'A complex weave of history and mystery' The i 'This is terrific stuff' Daily Telegraph and delightful book, that will both amuse and chill' Daily Telegraph 'A depth few other historical crime novels can match' Sunday Times 'Terrific' Sarah Hilary 'Elegant, engrossing' Sunday Express 'A complex weave of history and mystery' The i 'This is terrific stuff' Daily Telegraph”

'Confirms his status as one of our finest writers of historical thrillers' The Sunday Times

'Boasting political intrigue and evocative period atmosphere, The Last Protector is crime writing at its most elegant and assured' Waterstones blog

Praise for Andrew Taylor:

'One of the best historical crime writers today' The Times

'If you like C. J. Sansom, or Hilary Mantel, you'll love Andrew Taylor' Peter James

'Effortlessly authentic...gripping...moving and believable. An excellent work' C. J. Sansom

'This is historical crime fiction at its dazzling best' Guardian

'One of the best historical novelists around' Sunday Times

'Taylor has long been the pre-eminent chronicler of beautifully atmospheric historical crime' The Times

'A breathtakingly ambitious picture of an era' Financial Times 'This is how historical crime should be written, with rich authenticity underpinning a twisting plot' The Times

'A masterclass in writing for the genre' Ann Cleeves

'Andrew Taylor is one of our finest storytellers' Antonia Hodgson

'Few historical novelists write with more authority and a greater sense of authenticity than Andrew Taylor' Sunday Times

'Vivid and compelling' Observer

'A novel filled with intrigue, duplicity, scandal and betrayal, whose author now vies with another master of the genre, C. J. Sansom' Spectator

'This is a novelist of consummate skill at the absolute peak of his power' Manda Scott

'Glorious' Sunday Express

'One of the most reliably enjoyable of historical novelists' The Sunday Times

'An atmospheric pleasure, full of twists and memorable characters' The Times

'Taylor brings the 17th century to life so vividly that one can almost smell it' Guardian

'Taylor combines his detailed research with a deviously twist-laden storyline' Observer

'A depth few other historical crime novels can match' Sunday Times

'Terrific' Sarah Hilary

'A complex weave of history and mystery' The i

'This is terrific stuff' Daily Telegraph

Andrew Taylor is the author of a number of crime novels, including the ground-breaking Roth Trilogy, which was adapted into the acclaimed TV drama Fallen Angel, and the historical crime novels The Ashes of London, The Silent Boy, The Scent of Death and The American Boy, a No.1 Sunday Times bestseller and a 2005 Richard & Judy Book Club Choice.

He has won many awards, including the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger, an Edgar Scroll from the Mystery Writers of America, the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award (the only author to win it three times) and the CWA's prestigious Diamond Dagger, awarded for sustained excellence in crime writing. He also writes for the Spectator and The Times.

He lives with his wife Caroline in the Forest of Dean.

From the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Ashes of London comes the next book in the phenomenally successful series following James Marwood and Cat Lovett. A dangerous secret lies beneath Whitehall Palace... Brother against brother. Father against son. Friends turned into enemies. No one in England wants a return to the bloody days of the Civil War. But Oliver Cromwell's son, Richard, has abandoned his exile and slipped back into England. The consequences could be catastrophic. James Marwood, a traitor's son turned government agent, is tasked with uncovering Cromwell's motives. But his assignment is complicated by his friend - the regicide's daughter, Cat Lovett - who knew the Cromwells as a child, and who now seems to be hiding a secret of her own about the family. Both Marwood and Cat know they are putting themselves in great danger. And when they find themselves on a top secret mission in the Palace of Whitehall, they realize they are risking their lives...and could even be sent to the block for treason. Praise for Andrew Taylor 'One of the best historical crime writers today' The Times 'If you like C. J. Sansom, or Hilary Mantel, you'll love Andrew Taylor' Peter James 'Effortlessly authentic...gripping...moving and believable. An excellent work' C. J. Sansom 'This is historical crime fiction at its dazzling best' Guardian 'One of the best historical novelists around' Sunday Times 'A breathtakingly ambitious picture of an era' Financial Times 'A masterclass in writing for the genre' Ann Cleeves 'Andrew Taylor is one of our finest storytellers' Antonia Hodgson 'Vivid and compelling' Observer 'A novel filled with intrigue, duplicity, scandal and betrayal, whose author now vies with another master of the genre, C. J. Sansom' Spectator 'Taylor brings the 17th century to life so vividly that one can almost smell it' Guardian 'A most artful and delightful book, that will both amuse and chill' Daily Telegraph

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