Traitor’s Legacy by SJ Parris

SJ Parris is best known for her series of historical crime/espionage novels set during the later Elizabethan era (1580s) and featuring a fictionalised version of Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno. The real Bruno lived in London at that time and was suspected of being a spy for Queen Elizabeth. Parris has now spun off one of the side characters from that series to spearhead a new series that picks up where Bruno left off (given that Bruno returned to Italy and was jailed in 1593 and died in 1600). Traitor’s Legacy, set in late 1598, features Sophia de Wolfe, former spy now with a new life and new identity, finding that she cannot outrun her past and, given her skills, maybe does not want to.

In the prologue of Traitor’s Legacy a group of thespians repossess the materials of a theatre from land that they have been evicted from with a view to rebuilding the theatre on the other side of the river. That group, led by a man called Burbage performs plays by a young playwright from Stratford called Will Shakespeare. The next morning, on the site of old theatre the body of a young woman is discovered. Sophia de Wolfe is brought in by Robert Cecil, Queen Elizabeth’s new spymaster, as the dead girl was the ward of the wealthy North family. But, more than that, a cipher has been found on the dead girl’s body that was only used by Sophia when she worked as a spy for one of Cecil’s predecessors. Sophia is tied further to the mystery when one of the players, Tobie, is arrested for the murder because, unknown to most, Tobie is the son that Sophia was forced to give up as a baby many years before.

Parris builds on this opening to create a fast paced murder mystery that takes Sophia and fellow former spy (and playwright and unrequited love) Anthony Munday across London. Along the way Parris is able to tell the story of the Irish Rebellion and the Elizabethan military operations in Ireland, the ongoing war with the Catholics, supported by the Spanish Government, the impending death of Elizabeth I, and the wide gulf between the haves and have-nots in 16^th Century England.

Traitor’s Legacy is a murder mystery/thriller with the lot – shadowy figures, secret identities, tight escapes across snowy rooftops, breaking and entering and sword fights. All anchored around real historical events and characters and driven by a feisty, loyal and resourceful main character who, while not anachronistic, chafes against the strictures of the society in which she lives. The Bruno Giordano series ran for seven books, Traitor’s Legacy opens the door for another long running series.

Traitor's Legacy by SJ Parris

7.5

7.5/10