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Home / Series / James Marwood & Cat Lovett

Series

James Marwood & Cat Lovett

Andrew Taylor’s Restoration series follows James Marwood, the son of a former Fifth Monarchist who becomes a government clerk and investigator, and Cat Lovett, the daughter of a regicide who rebuilds her life as an architect. Beginning with the Great Fire of London in 1666, their separate paths repeatedly converge around murders that threaten both the recovering city and the restored Stuart monarchy.

Across six novels, Marwood and Cat navigate court factions, religious suspicion, property disputes and the unsettled legacy of civil war and republican government. The cases move from the ruins of St Paul’s and the Fire Court to Whitehall and Anglo-French diplomacy, while their changing relationship gives the political thrillers a continuing personal history.

Reading order

Books in this series (6 books)

The Ashes of London cover

#1 – The Ashes of London

Andrew Taylor

London, 1666. As the Great Fire consumes the city, a murdered man is discovered in the ruins of St Paul’s Cathedral with his thumbs bound behind him. James Marwood, whose father’s republican beliefs make the family politically suspect, is ordered to trace the killer through streets…

The Fire Court cover

#2 – The Fire Court

Andrew Taylor

In the aftermath of the Great Fire, London’s Fire Court attempts to settle competing property claims so the city can be rebuilt. James Marwood is drawn into its world when his confused father reports seeing a murdered woman in the court’s chambers and is then fatally…

The King’s Evil cover

#3 – The King’s Evil

Andrew Taylor

A man is found murdered in the house of a powerful courtier, creating a scandal that could damage the government and the reputation of Charles II. James Marwood is ordered to suppress the circumstances of the death rather than discover the truth, but the evidence points…

The Last Protector cover

#4 – The Last Protector

Andrew Taylor

Richard Cromwell, the former Lord Protector and son of Oliver Cromwell, has secretly returned to England despite the danger posed by the restored monarchy. James Marwood is instructed to discover why he has come back and whether his presence signals a new republican conspiracy. Cat Lovett’s…

The Royal Secret cover

#5 – The Royal Secret

Andrew Taylor

In 1670, two girls perform a supposed act of witchcraft shortly before a government clerk dies in agony. James Marwood is asked to investigate the death and recover sensitive papers, but the case reaches into the rival interests of England, France and the Dutch Republic. Cat…

The Shadows of London cover

#6 – The Shadows of London

Andrew Taylor

London, 1671. Work on an old almshouse stops when Cat Hakesby’s builders uncover the mutilated body of a man in the ruins. James Marwood is ordered to investigate, and the victim’s identity draws him into corruption within government offices and the dangerous protection enjoyed by powerful…