Rory Clements Books In Order

Publication Order of John Shakespeare Books

Publication Order of Tom Wilde Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Rory Clements is an English author of spy thriller and historical mystery novels. He has worked in the newspaper area of media in a long career that includes working as the associate editor and features editors of Today, editor of the Good Health Pages for the Daily Mail, and health section editor for the Evening Standard.

Rory Clements first became a published author when Martyr was published in 2009. This debut novel was the first of the popular John Shakespeare series. He currently writes full time in Norfolk, England. He is the author of seven books that make up the John Shakespeare series. He is also the author of the Tom Wilde series, which features initial books Corpus and follow-up novel Nucleus.

Martyr is the debut novel in the John Shakespeare series. This intelligent first book introduces readers living everywhere around the world to one of the most remarkable investigators working in Elizabethan England– John Shakespeare. A story of conspiracy and murder will having you turning the pages to see what happens in this crime thriller!

When an aristocratic young cousin of Queen Elizabeth is found murdered in a burned house, things are bad. Things get stranger and more heinous when they find that her flesh was marked with symbols of the profane. The year is 1587 and England’s most famous sea warrior Sir Francis Drake is targeted by an assassination around the same time as the murder. If the plot is pulled off, Spain could have the opportunity to invade a defenseless England.

Main character John Shakespeare is given both cases to solve. Mary, Queen of Scots, is scheduled for execution and the Spanish Armada is ready to strike. Traitors and enemies have their heads displayed on pikes high above the London Bridge. It is a time of peril for England, where chaos and fear threaten to reign. Shakespeare must go into an underworld that includes a strange array of people– including his brother Will, the struggling writer.

Following a path of family secrets and struggling to compete with his rival (chief torturer for the queen), Shakespeare must put the pieces of a grand conspiracy together– one that threatens to unravel an empire and threatens to have horrible implications. With a killer on the streets of England and the peaceful rule of the country threatened, Shakespeare is racing against the clock to figure out who murdered the young woman and who is plotting to undermine the oceanic power of England before it’s too late.

Revenger is the second book in the John Shakespeare series. It was published in 2010. In this exciting sequel to Martyr, the year is 1592. The countries of Spain and England are at war. But while there are risks going on and the war being waged, home is not safe either. The regal Queen Elizabeth is left vulnerable ever since the passing of Sir Francis Walsingham, who was her most trusted spymaster. This is one of the worst things that could happen while a country is at war, but what can you do?

With the conspiracies growing by the day, John Shakespeare is living a rather quiet life. That all goes up in flames when he receives a summons from Robert Cecil. Cecil is a young statesman who must be taken seriously. In his career, he has been able to dominate within the structure of the Queen’s reign. Now he is demanding that Shakespeare enter the service of the government and the queen once more. Whether or not Shakespeare wishes to do so is irrelevant; he must serve his country. Especially since these are times of war and strife with great uncertainty.

What Robert Cecil wants him to do is to track down some papers. They are currently being possessed by the Earl of Essex, and the papers are vital to the needs and goals of the crown. Unfortunately, the Earl is certainly a man with some ambitions. He currently is one of the stars of the firmament, and on top of that he is in the process of wooing a woman for her affection. Does it matter that it is the Queen, or that she is thirty-three years in total older than him? The Earl of Essex seems to be gunning for her approval full-throttle as though they were contemporaries of the same age.

Unfortunately, it looks as though the queen is not totally opposed to the advances of the ambitious earl. In fact, the Queen seems to be fairly flattered by his overtures and attempts to win her over. This is also surprising because his mother is Lettice Knollys. Gorgeous and dangerous at the same time, Lettice presides over her own court. Maybe it’s a strange court of people, but they should not be taken lightly.

Shakespeare comes into this world only to find out the worst news possible– that the queen is in danger. Not only that, but he and his family also find themselves at the center of some interest that they rather would not have attracted. And when the death of two lovers young in age appears to link into a plot, Shakespeare doesn’t know what to do. Could the Earl of Essex be involved? It appears so when the deaths of the two lovers somehow are related to an alleged plot by the Earl to take the English throne when Queen Elizabeth I passes.

Even though the Queen is enjoying the courtship of the earl, Shakespeare knows better. On top of that, his mother might be more of a threat than he previously thought. Shakespeare only has Boltfoot Cooper by his side, his footsoldier who is loyal to him no matter what. That is somewhat of a comfort in this situation, but the two may be up against forces greater than they may have thought. More than that, the people that are out there may just think that they alone are above the law and kill and do whatever they like without having any second thoughts or stopping themselves.

Can he trust Cecil to have the best interests of the crown at heart? And can the search for a woman who is missing and a colony in the new world be more connected than anyone thought? More than that, will his wife Catherine leave him so she can practice Catholicism? Tensions at home and abroad run high.

This exciting story from Rory Clements brings sixteenth-century London to life. On the brink of a plague and facing international pressures and challenges abroad, the English empire is faced with a period of growth and struggle unlike ever before. Clements shows off his knowledge of history in this thriller novel that makes an excellent addition to the John Shakespeare series. Will Shakespeare be able to protect the queen and help England prevail in war? Pick up this heart-pounding novel from Clements to find out!

2 Responses to “Rory Clements”

1. Tom: 2 years ago

   “Chronologically. The Heretics takes place after Traitor.” Does it imply that the story chronological order would be Traitor – The Heretics – The Man in the Snow?

   Because there is a dialogue in The Man in the Snow that suggests otherwise. In chapter 9, Shakespeare and Arthur Gregory talk about Frank Mills and his wife as if she was still alive, and she dies in The Heretics.

   However, little contradiction with the timeline if one pays attention to it. we know that The Heretics takes place in 1595, and in this book we learn that [Shakespeare met Giovanni Jesu in 1586, 9 years ago – almost 10 (hide spoiler)], which suggest it’s December 1595, after The Heretics.

   So it’s ambiguous, but the story is more important than approximate dates, and it makes more sense to read in this order: Traitor – The Man in the Snow – The Heretics.

   Reply
2. Gerard zoxford: 3 years ago

   I can’t wait for the next Ton Wilde novel. I’ve read all 5 this far.

   Reply