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Author

Steven Veerapen

16 fiction · 3 non-fiction

Steven Veerapen is a Scottish historian, literary scholar and historical novelist specialising in Tudor and Stuart Britain. Born in Glasgow and raised in Paisley, he gained a first-class honours degree in English after writing on representations of Henry VIII’s six wives, followed by a master’s in Renaissance studies and a PhD examining Elizabethan slander. He teaches English literature at the University of Strathclyde and has published academic work on censorship, sedition, national identity and early modern literature. His fiction draws closely on this research, concentrating on murder, espionage, political intrigue and religious conflict during the reigns of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and James VI and I.

Veerapen has written several historical mystery and espionage series. The Simon Danforth novels—The Abbey Close, The Royal Burgh and The Cradle Queen—are set in sixteenth-century Scotland, while the Ned Savage/Spycatcher sequence begins with Succession and follows espionage surrounding the Tudor succession. His Christopher Marlowe thrillers use the playwright and alleged government agent as a central character, beginning with The Queen’s Gold and continuing through novels including The Queen’s Jewel and The Queen’s Fire. The Anthony Blanke Mysteries, Of Blood Descended and Of Judgement Fallen, follow the fictional son of Henry VIII’s real Black trumpeter John Blanke in the world of Cardinal Wolsey. Veerapen also writes non-fiction, including The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I, Anna of Denmark: Queen in Two Kingdoms, studies of Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I’s relationship with the Earl of Essex, and the 2026 Witches, examining witch-hunting from the reign of James VI into the eighteenth century.

Periods and events

Anglo-Spanish War1585–1604 CE Captivity of Mary, Queen of Scots in England1568–1587 CE Essex Rebellion1601 CE Gunpowder Plot1605 CE Jacobean Era1603–1625 CE Reign of Henry VIII1509–1547 CE Rough Wooing1543–1551 CE Spanish Armada1588 CE

Historical fiction

Historical fiction series by Steven Veerapen (5 series)

Spycatcher in Order

by Steven Veerapen 3 books 4.2(1,920)

The Spycatcher trilogy follows Ned Savage, a fictional thief recruited into the intelligence world of Robert Cecil during the transfer from Tudor to Stuart rule. Succession centres on Elizabeth I’s death and James VI’s accession in 1603; Coronation uses the plague-stricken early Jacobean capital; and Assassination is set…

Anthony Blanke Mysteries in Order

by Steven Veerapen 2 books 4.1(390)

The Anthony Blanke Mysteries follow a fictional son of the historical Black Tudor trumpeter John Blanke through Henry VIII’s court in the early 1520s. Of Blood Descended is set during Charles V’s 1522 visit and the renewal of war with France; Of Judgement Fallen moves into 1523 as…

Jack and Amy Cole in Order

by Steven Veerapen 3 books 4.0(2,008)

Steven Veerapen’s Jack and Amy Cole trilogy follows a married couple drawn into the intelligence and religious conflicts surrounding Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots. A Dangerous Trade begins during Mary’s English captivity; Divided Loyalties moves to the crisis created by the papal excommunication of Elizabeth in…

Simon Danforth Mysteries in Order

by Steven Veerapen 3 books 4.0(1,838)

The Simon Danforth Mysteries are set in Scotland during the violent transition from the final weeks of James V’s reign into the minority of Mary, Queen of Scots. The Abbey Close opens around the Battle of Solway Moss in 1542; The Royal Burgh follows the regency crisis of…

Christopher Marlowe Spy Thriller in Order

by Steven Veerapen 3 books 2.5(15)

The Christopher Marlowe Spy Thrillers imagine the playwright as an intelligence operative in the years immediately before his literary fame. The Queen’s Gold is set in 1585 amid privateering and the worsening conflict with Spain; The Queen’s Jewel follows the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1587;…

Historical fiction

Standalone historical fiction by Steven Veerapen (1 book)

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Non-fiction

Non-fiction by Steven Veerapen (3 books)

Reference works, biographies and other non-fiction are kept separate from the historical fiction above.

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