1. The White Rose Murders
In the aftermath of the Battle of Flodden, Margaret Tudor, widow of James IV of Scotland and sister of Henry VIII, is in England while rival factions compete for influence over the Scottish regency. Cardinal Wolsey sends Benjamin Daunbey and Roger Shallot into her household to…
2. The Poisoned Chalice
England and France, 1521. When Richard Falconer, chief secretary at the English embassy in Paris, is murdered, Cardinal Wolsey suspects that his death is connected with a spy passing English secrets to Francis I. Wolsey sends his nephew Benjamin Daunbey and the irrepressible Roger Shallot to…
3. The Grail Murders
England, 1522. After the execution of the Duke of Buckingham for treason, Roger Shallot and his master Benjamin Daunbey are summoned by Cardinal Wolsey. Buckingham had been searching in Somerset for two legendary relics, the Holy Grail and Excalibur, and Henry VIII now wants the objects…
4. A Brood of Vipers
Spring 1523. Benjamin Daunbey and his rapscallion servant, Roger Shallot, are summoned to London. A Florentine envoy, Lord Francesco Abrizzi, has been murdered and King Henry is determined to unmask the perpetrators of this outrage. In London, Shallot experiences King Henry's rage, the insults of the…
5. The Gallows Murders
In the summer of 1523, sweating sickness and political anxiety unsettle London while Henry VIII has removed his court to Windsor. Threatening letters bearing the name and seal of one of the princes believed murdered in the Tower demand gold and promise public accusations against the…
6. The Relic Murders
In the autumn of 1523, Roger Shallot, self-proclaimed physician, rogue, charlatan and secret emissary of King Henry VIII, has nothing to do. His master, Benjamin Daunbey, has been sent to Italy on a diplomatic mission, leaving him in charge of their manor outside Ipswich. Shallot, forbidden…