Prince. Rory Clements. John Murray (2011)

An engaging and enjoyable historical thriller. In London in 1593 there is considerable discontent at the influx of Dutch (Protestant) refugees fleeing Spanish (Catholic) armies and likely death. The refugees are a disturbing element in the city, they are a focus for discontent and a series of gunpowder bombings occur that are clearly targeted at the refugees. One of the bombings kills the wife of intelligence agent John Shakespeare, however he is directed away from investigating the bombings to investigate an equally potent but much subtler threat to the peace of Elizabeth 1’s kingdom.

 A Spanish nobleman appears to have information which would be very important to the English government and Shakespeare is sent to negotiate for it. He continues to investigate the bombings as well and finds that they may have very dangerous connections. The story unwinds very neatly, the elements draw together very smartly to deliver a very strong conclusion.

Rory Clements uses the context for more than set dressing, the political and social circumstances in England and Europe in 1593 when the struggle between Protestant England and Catholic Spain was fierce as Europe started to divide across religious lines that directly threatened existing political structures, is crucial to the story. The plot arises directly and naturally from the conflict and is very cleverly structured to capture a very wide range of the forces at work.

John Shakespeare has  been given a problem, a very tight and consuming story problem, a direct conflict between his personal desires and his professional requirements. This is a staple of the genre because it offers tremendous story possibilities, if used as well as Rory Clements does. The difficulty is that the character becomes a function of the plot rather than the plot being driven by the actions of the character. John Shakespeare is a strong enough character that he is not overshadowed by the plot, the anger he feels at his loss and his genuine loyalty to Protestant England provide strong enough motivation to be the driver of the story.

The way that the various strands of the story play out, the hunt for the gunpowder plotters, the Spanish nobleman’s secret and the murder of Christopher Marlowe all are used is very impressive. The supporting cast, with one significant exception is compelling and full of life. The villain of the piece is clever, competent and very committed, he is a genuine opponent for John Shakespeare and this benefits the story greatly. There is one cast member who is a simple plot requirement, they are used to solve some plot requirements and cannot escape to independent life. Rory Clements does his best to disguise the problem but the character is trapped by the plot.

Rory Clements supports the genre requirements with care and force and uses the context to give the story addition and very welcome substance. A really good read.

Martyr. Rory Clements. John Murray (2009)

This is a very enjoyable and engaging historical crime story where the context is considerably more than a colorful backdrop. In 1587 in London, John Shakespeare who works for Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth I's spy master, is called to a murder scene. The victim is a cousin of the Queen and there is a strong suggestion that the death has a connection with the Catholic opposition to the Queen. Richard Topcliffe, a very dangerous and powerful man with a professional and personal mission to destroy the Catholic threat is also involved in the case. When Walsingham receives credible information about a plot against Sir Francis Drake, Shakespeare is given the task of protecting Drake from the assassin. The story splinters the narrative across a large cast as the plot threads are cunningly drawn together in a very satisfactory way. The reveals are cunningly staged, the action set pieces are smart and sharp, the conclusion nicely mixes losses and gains.
For any historical thriller the relationship between the plot and the context is critical and in this case the connection is natural and compelling. Protestant England was rife with rumor and plots as the greatest superpower of the age, Spain, was its sworn enemy. There were significant numbers of the population who still professed the Catholic faith and they had a direct conflict between their faith and their loyalty to the government of England. This conflict was consistently exploited by forces on both sides as they sought to force the choice for one side or another, ambiguity was deadly. The relevance to contemporary politics is clear and it gives the story a sharp edge which is never overstated by Rory Clements. The actions of the cast are stitched carefully into the fabric of the times, their choices are informed clearly and fully by their circumstances, there is no imposition of a 21st Century world view on the cast.
The cast themselves are engaging, vivid and full of life. John Shakespeare, brother of  William, is a dedicated and very competent officer of Walsingham's secret service. He his not afraid to use the brutal methods of the time to get what he needs, he does not indulge in cruelty. Richard Topcliffe, the Queens's torturer and hunter of subversives is a driven man who has a dash of personal relish in his work which makes him very dangerous. There are a host of characters with lesser roles , each of them is given the space and time to emerge clearly and they  give the narrative colour and depth. Naturally William Shakespeare himself makes and appearance and it is a tribute to the skill and control Rory Clements has used that the appearance is clever, relevant and unobtrusive, it does not feel like a guest cameo by a well known face.
The plot mechanics are enjoyably complicated and diverse, the sub-plots are worth the time they are given, they push and pull the cast in engaging ways without ever distracting or undermining the central thrust of the story. With a excellent balance between cast and plot this is a gripping read.
Other Voices, Other Views:
http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8198
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/14/AR2009061401953.html
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6397014-martyr