The Serpent's Mark

From the author of The Angel's Mark, a CWA Dagger longlisted novel and a Walter Scott Prize Academy Recommended Read 2019

Treason sleeps for no man...

London, 1591. Nicholas Shelby, physician and reluctant spy, returns to his old haunts on London's lawless Bankside. But, when spymaster Robert Cecil asks him to investigate the dubious practices of a mysterious doctor from Switzerland, Nicholas is soon embroiled in a conspiracy that threatens not just the life of an innocent young patient, but the overthrow of Queen Elizabeth herself.

With fellow healer and mistress of the Jackdaw tavern, Bianca Merton, again at his side, Nicholas is drawn into a sinister world of zealots, charlatans and dangerous fanatics...

The second in [Perry's] series about the Elizabethan doctor-cum-sleuth Nicholas Shelby... is as elegantly written as the first The Times
An excellent romp through an exciting era. Jon Wise, the Sunday Sport
No-one is better than S. W. Perry at leading us through the squalid streets of London in the sixteenth century. Andrew Swanston, author of the Thomas Hill Novels
A satisfyingly convoluted plot. Sunday Times
The writing is of such a quality, the characters so engaging and the setting so persuasive that, only two books in, S.W. Perry's ingeniously plotted novels have become my favourite historical crime series. S. G. MacLean, author of The Seeker series
The Serpent's Mark is an excellent evocation of Elizabethan England, with espionage, intricate conspiracies, strange medical practises and a gripping story. A rattling good read. William Ryan, bestselling author of The Constant Soldier
A gorgeous book - rich, intelligent and dark in equal measure. It immerses you in the late 16th century and leaves you wrung out with terror. This is historical fiction at its most sumptuous... Rory Clements, author of the the John Shakespeare series, on The Angel's Mark
Wonderful! Beautiful writing, and Perry's Elizabethan London is so skilfully evoked, so real that one can almost smell it. Giles Kristian, author of Lancelot, on The Angel's Mark
An impressively dramatic and gripping debut novel. Elegantly written, thoroughly researched, The Angel's Mark draws us into the murky world of Elizabethan London where life is a game of chance, and savage death a close neighbour, quick to pounce on the unsuspecting. I predict that we will be seeing much more of Nicholas Shelby, physician and reluctant spy. Anne O'Brien, author of The Scandalous Duchess, on The Angel's Mark
I knew before I got to the bottom of the first page that The Angel's Mark was the real thing. In an increasingly crowded field, this one is going to stand out. S. G. MacLean, author of The Seeker series, on The Angel's Mark

S. W. Perry was a journalist and broadcaster before retraining as an airline pilot. He lives in Worcestershire with his wife. The Serpent's Mark is his second novel.

From the author of The Angel's Mark , a CWA Dagger longlisted novel and a Walter Scott Prize Academy Recommended Read 2019 Treason sleeps for no man... London, 1591. Nicholas Shelby, physician and reluctant spy, returns to his old haunts on London's lawless Bankside. But, when spymaster Robert Cecil asks him to investigate the dubious practices of a mysterious doctor from Switzerland, Nicholas is soon embroiled in a conspiracy that threatens not just the life of an innocent young patient, but the overthrow of Queen Elizabeth herself. With fellow healer and mistress of the Jackdaw tavern, Bianca Merton, again at his side, Nicholas is drawn into a sinister world of zealots, charlatans and dangerous fanatics...

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