A spy uncovers a nefarious plot on the life of Elizabeth I
Henry VIII and his daughter, Elizabeth I, ruled England for nearly a century (1509–1603). Together, they and the ambitious men and women surrounding them have furnished historians and novelists alike with unmatched opportunities for dramatic stories of passion, intrigue, and betrayal. The Matthew Shardlake mysteries by C. J. Sansom set during Henry’s reign stand out among scores of examples. But Andrew Swanston’s The Incendium Plot, an Elizabethan spy story, is a worthy competitor.
A HISTORY FILLED WITH CHILLING PRECEDENTS
Opening in the year 1572, early in Elizabeth’s reign (1558–1603), the novel follows the ups and downs in the life of Elizabeth’s spy, Christopher Radcliff. His charge is to unravel the strands of a nefarious scheme to assassinate the queen and install her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, in her stead. The stakes couldn’t have been higher: the two women represented warring faiths, with the lives of thousands of British subjects hanging in the balance. In those days, religion was a game played for keeps. The queen’s Protestant partisans feared the return of the rigid, Catholic faith of Queen Mary (reigned 1553–58). Elizabeth’s half-sister had accurately been known as Bloody Mary, who had nearly 300 religious dissenters burned at the stake. And the eponymous Incendium Plot was just one of dozens of attempts to kill Elizabeth I.
THE INCENDIUM PLOT (CHRISTOPHER RADCLIFFE #1) BY A. D. SWANSTON (2017) 418 PAGES ★★★★☆
AN ENGAGING SPY AND A COMPLEX PLOT
Christopher Radcliff is one of the more engaging spies in historical fiction. He is a Doctor of Laws recently transferred from the faculty of Cambridge University to the rough-and-tumble of London and the queen’s court. One of Elizabeth’s chief advisers, The Earl of Leicester, had hired him as one of his “hundred eyes” employed to suss out threats to the Crown. In his turn, Dr. Radcliff had secured the services as informers of a member of the city’s small, illegal Jewish community and a beautiful prostitute. The two represented his most useful agents.
But the novel opens with the murder of another of his top agents, a “stationer” (bookseller). It’s in that opening scene that we learn the name of the plot that furnishes the book with its title. Yet for Dr. Radcliff even that knowledge is a long time coming. Instead, the Earl has charged him with making a long, difficult, and unwanted journey to Paris to meet face-to-face with Sir Francis Walsingham. There, the queen’s top spymaster will share a message with him for the earl’s ears only. Radcliff has no idea that his agent’s murder, the Incendium Plot, and Sir Francis’ message are all closely related. But of course we can guess.
The Incendium Plot is suspenseful until the end. And along the way Andrew Swanston exposes us to the sights, sounds, and above all the smells of 16th-century London. The man has clearly done a great deal of research.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew (A. D.) Swanston‘s bio on his website notes that he “read a little law and a lot of sport at Cambridge University, and held various positions in the book trade, including being a director of Waterstone & Co, and chairman of Methven’s plc, before turning to writing. Inspired by a lifelong interest in early modern history,” Swanston has written eight historical novels to date set during the 16th, 17th, and 19th centuries. He lives with his wife in Surrey, near their three children and two grandchildren.
FOR RELATED READING
You’ll discover a wealth of similar books at Mysteries set in Elizabethan England.
And you’ll find other great reading at:
- The best spy novelists writing today
- The 15 best espionage novels
- Good nonfiction books about espionage
- 25 most enlightening historical novels
- Top 10 historical mysteries and thrillers
And you can always find my most popular reviews, and the most recent ones, on the Home Page of Mal Warwick on Books.
