Renaissance Trilogy

WELCOME TO HIGH RENAISSANCE ITALY: The age of Michelangelo and Leonardo, of Machiavelli and Raphael - a belle epoque for warrior popes, prelates, princes, poets and the realpolitik. But even as the philosophers claim that 'man has come of age,' Europeans once again arm for war and march on Italy. Into this inferno of intrigue and bloodletting, the knights of Rhodes send Hugh de Erpingham to assassinate his hero, Marcantonio Vendramin, a knight who has disappeared with the gold that could save Rhodes from a growing Turkish threat. As the Sultan amasses a monstrous armada in Gallipoli, these two errant knights; two refugees from the collapse of chivalry, lock horns in a desperate dance of death across the Italian city states in a bid to save Christendom.... and their own souls. PRAISE for BOOK III - 'THE HERETIC' 'An exceptional new novel... masterful story... delicious, multifaceted.' The Historical Novel Review (US) 'A book of big ideas, political intrigue, and action; I came to love Brother Pacificus, Simon, the children, and the many other characters, and I have to admit, I shed several tears on their behalf. Based on historical events, this book has it all, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in such a tumultuous time period.' The Historical Novel Society 'Magnificent... a work of importance... moments of astonishing power... could become a cult book of its kind.' Author, Penelope Wilcox

In this sequel to THE MERCY OF LIONS; Knight of Rhodes, Hugh de Erpingham, continues his quest into the dark heart of renaissance Italy. Keeping one step ahead of the mysterious White Cardinal, and always just beyond the reach of his arch-nemesis Antonio Vendramin, Hugh and company still find time to make new enemies in Ferrara, Mantua and Venice, and some new friends too. Caught in the jaws of the venetian war, Hugh struggles between the claims of church and state, his commission and his conscience, his intimate friendships and the call of duty. Crossed and double-crossed, jailed and tortured; from the leper houses of Assisi to the ducal palaces of Urbino and Bologna, Hugh cuts a bloody swathe north. Its an odyssey that brings him into contact with the finest minds of the era, and ever nearer to his goal; not just the Borgia gold, but also the spiritual solace he so desperately seeks. PRAISE FOR BOOK III - 'THE HERETIC' 'An exceptional new novel...masterful story...delicious, multifaceted...' The Historical Novel Review (US) 'A book of big ideas, political intrigue, and action; I came to love Brother Pacificus, Simon, the children, and the many other characters, and I have to admit, I shed several tears on their behalf. Based on historical events, this book has it all, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in such a tumultuous time period.' The Historical Novel Society 'Magnificent... a work of importance... moments of astonishing power... could become a cult book of its kind.' Novelist Penelope Wilcox

THE RENAISSANCE TRILOGY – BOOK III – ENGLAND - Its 1536; heyday of Henry VIII's new world order and boon-time for the Tudor elites. The working poor endure what they must, even as their local institutions are plundered by an increasingly rapacious and centralised state. Many are growing rich, many are growing powerful, and many more are burnt for the ideas they hold. - In Norfolk, far from the centers of power, England's last monastery is mired in murder and political intrigue. Brother Pacificus and Simon the leper are hiding from a troubled past. But when a local family are arrested for heresy and treason, they help hide the children with an elderly eel-catcher on the marsh. As their fate becomes increasingly entwined with the children and their mother, other allegiances are spread thin, and their anonymity is threatened. - After a second murder at the abbey, Pacificus falls under suspicion and so begins his own investigations. The children also begin to suspect that neither their parents, nor their protectors are quite what they seem. They too must adjust quickly; seeking their own identity in a world grown cold. - And so, from the bloodied crypts of St Benet's to the brutal backstreets of London and Antwerp, these unlikely companions must risk betrayal and death to protect those they love. From the coarse woollens and shattered dreams of the Norfolk marsh, to the duels and jousts of the Tudor court, they must learn to flex every sinew and break every rule if they want to survive. From high treason in the north, to high seas smuggling in the south, from heartbreak to jailbreak; fire and sword, they must learn to hang together, lest they hang separately.