A Cruel Necessity
Published on 7. May 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-4721-1504-1 (ISBN)
Description
The first John Grey historical mystery
The theatres are padlocked.
Christmas has been cancelled.
It is 1657 and the unloved English Republic is eight years old. Though Cromwell's joyless grip on power appears immovable, many still look to Charles Stuart's dissolute and threadbare court-in-exile, and some are prepared to risk their lives plotting a restoration.
For the officers of the Republic, constant vigilance is needed. So, when the bloody corpse of a Royalist spy is discovered on the dung heap of a small Essex village, why is the local magistrate so reluctant to investigate? John Grey, a young lawyer with no clients, finds himself alone in believing that the murdered man deserves justice. Grey is drawn into a vortex of plot and counter-plot and into the all-encompassing web of intrigue spun by Cromwell's own spy-master, John Thurloe.
So when nothing is what is seems, can Grey trust anyone?
'Tyler juggles his characters, story wit and clever one liners with perfect balance' - The Times
'A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?' - The Bookbag
The theatres are padlocked.
Christmas has been cancelled.
It is 1657 and the unloved English Republic is eight years old. Though Cromwell's joyless grip on power appears immovable, many still look to Charles Stuart's dissolute and threadbare court-in-exile, and some are prepared to risk their lives plotting a restoration.
For the officers of the Republic, constant vigilance is needed. So, when the bloody corpse of a Royalist spy is discovered on the dung heap of a small Essex village, why is the local magistrate so reluctant to investigate? John Grey, a young lawyer with no clients, finds himself alone in believing that the murdered man deserves justice. Grey is drawn into a vortex of plot and counter-plot and into the all-encompassing web of intrigue spun by Cromwell's own spy-master, John Thurloe.
So when nothing is what is seems, can Grey trust anyone?
'Tyler juggles his characters, story wit and clever one liners with perfect balance' - The Times
'A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?' - The Bookbag
Reviews / Votes
Tyler juggles his characters, story wit and clever one liners with perfect balance. - The TimesMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Little, Brown Book Group
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
218 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4721-1504-1 (9781472115041)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
L. C. Tyler was born in Essex and educated at Jesus College Oxford and City University. His comic crime series featuring author-and-agent duo Ethelred Tressider and Elsie Thirkettle has twice been nominated for Edgar Allan Poe Awards and he won the Goldsboro Last Laugh Award with Herring in the Library. His latest crime series is set in the seventeenth century and features lawyer John Grey.
He has lived and worked all over the world, but has more recently been based in London and Sussex.
To find out more about L. C. Tyler visit www.lctyler.com or follow him on twitter @lenctyler.
He has lived and worked all over the world, but has more recently been based in London and Sussex.
To find out more about L. C. Tyler visit www.lctyler.com or follow him on twitter @lenctyler.