Spycatcher

by Steven Veerapen 3 books in this series

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 in 1606 amid the security fears that followed the Gunpowder Plot.

Ned’s investigations are fictional, but Veerapen places him beside James VI & I, Cecil, Anne of Denmark, Christian IV and Francis Bacon and within documented political crises. The series uses the machinery of royal security and intelligence to connect the uncertainties of succession, epidemic disruption and post-Gunpowder suspicion.

Reading order

Books in this series (3 books)

1. Succession

Steven Veerapen

First published 2020

4.1(866)

England, 1603. Elizabeth I is dying and Robert Cecil is working to secure the succession of James VI of Scotland, but rumours surrounding the Scottish king’s past create opportunities for blackmail and political sabotage. Ned Savage, a thief with talents useful to the state, is recruited…

Amazon

2. Coronation

Steven Veerapen

First published 2020

4.1(553)

The accession of James I has transformed the court, but plague has also transformed London. As the royal household and government attempt to establish the new Stuart regime amid epidemic disruption, Ned Savage is drawn into another investigation for Robert Cecil, one that links murder, corruption…

Amazon

3. Assassination

Steven Veerapen

First published 2020

4.3(501)

Summer 1606. England is still living with the political consequences of the Gunpowder Plot when Christian IV of Denmark visits his brother-in-law James I. Ned Savage is summoned by Robert Cecil and Francis Bacon to investigate a threat that appears to place a king in danger…

Amazon