*** Pre-order Shona MacLean’s new novel, The Cromarty Library Circle, now! Coming in February 2026 . . . ***
London, 1655. A perfectly preserved body in the robes of a Dominican friar has been found bricked up in the City of London’s crumbling Blackfriars monastery.
Captain Damian Seeker of Oliver Cromwell’s guard recognises the dead man. Why did he meet such a hideous end, and what is his connection to the children who have started disappearing from around the city?
To uncover the truth behind the Black Friar’s death, Seeker must navigate the shifting factions surrounding Cromwell, while quelling religious fanatics, dissenters and Royalist plotters in the seething city beyond Whitehall.
‘Excellent . . . brings a fresh perspective and gold-plated research to [the] period’ Daily Mail
‘A gripping tale of crime and sedition in an unsettled city’ Sunday Times
London, 1655. A perfectly preserved body in the robes of a Dominican friar has been found bricked up in the City of London’s crumbling Blackfriars monastery.
Captain Damian Seeker of Oliver Cromwell’s guard recognises the dead man. Why did he meet such a hideous end, and what is his connection to the children who have started disappearing from around the city?
To uncover the truth behind the Black Friar’s death, Seeker must navigate the shifting factions surrounding Cromwell, while quelling religious fanatics, dissenters and Royalist plotters in the seething city beyond Whitehall.
‘Excellent . . . brings a fresh perspective and gold-plated research to [the] period’ Daily Mail
‘A gripping tale of crime and sedition in an unsettled city’ Sunday Times
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Reviews
MacLean skilfully weaves together the disparate threads of her plot to create a gripping tale of crime and sedition in an unsettled city
Damian Seeker [is] one of the most appealing heroes I've come across in quite some time . . . [the Commonwealth] is paid full service by S. G. MacLean, a fine writer with a terrific grasp of history and character
Damian Seeker really comes into his own in this novel . . . the plot navigates the waters of history with masterful effect
Brilliantly woven into a thrilling plot . . . MacLean's characters are subtle and convincing . . . could challenge C.J. Sansom for dominion of historical crime
The best historical crime novel of the year
MacLean achieves the balance of immersing her readers in a time and place without ever making them feel battered over the head by research, while the central mystery is satisfying and plausibly plotted
A first class, compelling debut for MacLean's new hero
MacLean's light touch portrait of a hard man with a softer core is what makes these books so memorable
A satisfactorily complex and fascinating story backed up by impeccable historical research, all set in a time of extraordinary political and religious turmoil. Highly recommended
Seeker is a complex and fascinating character . . . an absorbing, enjoyable tale
Excellent at conveying the insecurities and unsettling memories that bedevil Cromwell's dying Protectorate, the author brings a fresh perspective and gold-plated research to a period which has been unfairly eclipsed by the popularity of the Tudors
