A Masterpiece of Corruption by Len Tyler
Published by by Constable 14 January 2016.
It is December 1657. John Grey, at his
cramped desk in Lincoln's Inn, is attempting to resume his legal career.
A mysterious message from a 'Mr SK' tempts him out into the snowy
streets of London and to what he believes will be a harmless diversion
from his studies.
Mr SK's letter proves to have been intended for somebody else entirely and Grey finds himself unwittingly in the middle of a plot to assassinate the Lord Protector - a plot about which he now knows more than it is safe to know. Can he both prevent the murder and (of greater immediate relevance) save his own skin? Both the Sealed Knot and Cromwell's Secretary of State, John Thurloe believe he is on their side, but he is unsure that either is on his. As somebody is kind enough to point out to him: 'You are a brave man, Grey. The life of a double agent can be exciting but very short.'
Grey just has to hope that prediction is wrong.
Mr SK's letter proves to have been intended for somebody else entirely and Grey finds himself unwittingly in the middle of a plot to assassinate the Lord Protector - a plot about which he now knows more than it is safe to know. Can he both prevent the murder and (of greater immediate relevance) save his own skin? Both the Sealed Knot and Cromwell's Secretary of State, John Thurloe believe he is on their side, but he is unsure that either is on his. As somebody is kind enough to point out to him: 'You are a brave man, Grey. The life of a double agent can be exciting but very short.'
Grey just has to hope that prediction is wrong.
L C Tyler is a crime writer and the current chair of the
Crime Writers Association.
He grew up in Essex and studied at Southend High School, Jesus College Oxford and City University. During a career with the Civil Service and the British Council he lived in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Sudan, Thailand and Denmark. More recently he has been based in Islington and West Sussex. He is an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, of which he was previously Chief Executive.
His first novel, The Herring Seller's Apprentice, was published in the UK in 2007 and in the US in 2009. Subsequent novels in the "Elsie and Ethelred" series are Ten Little Herrings (2009),
The Herring in the Library (2010), Herring on the Nile (2011) and Crooked Herring (2014).
All of these have also been published or are scheduled for publication in the US. The first three have appeared in translation in France. Herring in the Library won the Goldsboro Last Laugh Award for the best comic crime novel of 2010 and Crooked Herring won the same award for 2014. The Herring Seller's Apprentice and Ten Little Herrings were both nominated for Edgar Allan Poe Awards in the US.
A Cruel Necessity (2014) begins a new crime series, featuring C17th lawyer John Grey. Outside these series, he has published one humorous (non-crime) novel A Very Persistent Illusion (2009).
L C Tyler also writes occasional short stories; one of these ("Richard Remembered") won an Ian St James Award in 1993. He has subsequently had stories in the Sunday Express and in the CWA and Mammoth Book of British Crime anthologies.
He grew up in Essex and studied at Southend High School, Jesus College Oxford and City University. During a career with the Civil Service and the British Council he lived in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Sudan, Thailand and Denmark. More recently he has been based in Islington and West Sussex. He is an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, of which he was previously Chief Executive.
His first novel, The Herring Seller's Apprentice, was published in the UK in 2007 and in the US in 2009. Subsequent novels in the "Elsie and Ethelred" series are Ten Little Herrings (2009),
The Herring in the Library (2010), Herring on the Nile (2011) and Crooked Herring (2014).
All of these have also been published or are scheduled for publication in the US. The first three have appeared in translation in France. Herring in the Library won the Goldsboro Last Laugh Award for the best comic crime novel of 2010 and Crooked Herring won the same award for 2014. The Herring Seller's Apprentice and Ten Little Herrings were both nominated for Edgar Allan Poe Awards in the US.
A Cruel Necessity (2014) begins a new crime series, featuring C17th lawyer John Grey. Outside these series, he has published one humorous (non-crime) novel A Very Persistent Illusion (2009).
L C Tyler also writes occasional short stories; one of these ("Richard Remembered") won an Ian St James Award in 1993. He has subsequently had stories in the Sunday Express and in the CWA and Mammoth Book of British Crime anthologies.
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