Fast paced, well written historical murder mystery adventure. One of the best works of historical fiction that I have read for a while and the first one from this author. I will now have to read the rest! Thoroughly recommended.

An excellent 16th century crime novel. Mary Queen of Scots imprisoned by Elizabeth schemes and plans to have 6 gentlemen carry out the execution of Queen Elizabeth. Full of vivid description of 16th century life this is a crisply written and very entertaining read. Preventing this assassination falls to our detective "Bruno" under the eagle eye of Sir Francis Walsingham. Sir Francis trusts nobody and seems to delight in cruelty and double-dealing so there is action aplenty and sufficient twists and turns to get your head spinning. Great entertainment and highly imaginative.

Awesome book!!!
I am a huge fan of any Tudor based historical novel and this certainly did not disappoint! I loved the darkness of the plot line, the richness of the characters (despite them being so well known!!!!) and the pacy narrative.

Warning - once you start to read, you just can’t stop!!!

Great read. Love this sort of fiction. Felt not as good as his others books in the series but still enjoyed.

I have read one of the author’s books before, and I remember enjoying it immensely.

This book is the 6th of the Giordano Bruno series , but it is a standalone book, and I didn’t feel I missed anything by having not read the previous books (something I need to remedy!!)

It’s a historical book (obviously), around the plot to bring Mary Queen of Scots to the throne by killing Queen Elizabeth, and the infiltration of the conspirators to being them to justice.

It’s an absolutely excellent book, truly excellent, incredibly exciting and keeps you turning the pages. I found it difficult to put down once I’d picked it up..which is exactly what you want from a book!

A strong recommendation from me! My thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the copy in exchange for a honest review

If you know the historical plot, you know how this is going to pan out, but that just adds rather than detracts to this fantastic book. 100% recommend it. Twists, turns, interesting characters and Parris makes you feel you are there in the room or walking the streets of London.

A murder to solve, a plot to foul, a undercover persona to keep - I was hooked , it is a real page turner.

Execution is a convincing and beguiling work of historical fiction set during that unparalleled period of post-reformation England. The author, SJ Parris has woven a clever and intriguing tale of subterfuge, double-crossing and mis-placed conviction during this much-storied period of history.

In this episode in the series, Giordano Bruno is required to infiltrate a militant group of Catholics planning to overthrow Queen Elizabeth and replace her on the throne with the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots. Bruno's arrival in England coincides with the discovery and murder of Sir Francis Walsingham's previous undercover agent. He must impersonate a man he has never met and is not convinced that he can succeed especially after the recent brutal murder of Clara Poole.

The author brilliantly recreates and breathes life into an array of authentic and resourceful characters that could have lived in London at that time; the reader gets a real sense of the atmosphere and lifestyle of 16th century England.

Loved this book and looked forward to each read and each new chapter! Have read about Bruno before! I like him and his dry humour and his unrequited love for Sophia! The author manages to conjure up the sixteenth century streets of London vividly and I could almost smell the smells and feel the smog, I was able to immerse myself totally in the Babbington plot and very much look forward to reading of Bruno’s next historic adventure!

This is, I think, the sixth novel featuring Italian heretic Giordano Bruno from S. J. Parris. I've not read the previous ones but that didn't seem to affect my enjoyment of this one. Yes, it mentions the events in previous novels but there is no real prior knowledge needed.

The plot revolves around Giordano Bruno being instructed to infiltrate a plan to execute (or murder depending on your point of view) Elizabeth I and to put Mary Tudor on the throne in her place, returning England to the Catholic faith. A series of coincidences (Bruno arriving in England at the same time as a Spanish Catholic priest who bears enough resemblance to Bruno for their identities to be swapped) allows for the infiltration.

Alongside that, there is the grisly murder of Clara Poole, another one of Walsingham's agents in the plot, to investigate: has the infiltration been compromised? Do the conspirators know they are being spied on? Who murdered Clara? Can we secure enough evidence to trap and put on trial the conspirators, and even Mary Tudor herself?

This was a perfectly adequate enjoyable thrilller - a great fun summer read akin to C. J. Sansom. It suffers from the same issues as a number of these Tudor thrillers: the main character is almost always rather anachronistic and feels like a twentieth century character dropped into the sixteenth. Some of the depictions of characters was a little stereotyped and felt a little box-ticky: we had the somewhat aspergers character, the gay, the moor...

But at the end of the day, this is a great fun read!

Treason and plot... 2 stars

Giordano Bruno has returned to England from Paris to bring a message to Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster. A plot is underway to assassinate Elizabeth and install Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne. Walsingham is aware of this already but sees a use for Bruno – to impersonate a priest who has arrived to bring Spanish aid to the conspirators. Walsingham also thinks Bruno might be helpful in finding out who murdered Clara Poole, a young woman who was one of Walsingham’s spies.

I’m afraid I found this incredibly slow and dull, and finally gave up just after the halfway point. Partly this may be because I already know the story of the Babington plot to assassinate Elizabeth quite well, and didn’t find this brought anything new to the table. I assumed that, given how well known the plot and its outcome are, the real story would be about Clara’s murder, with the Babington strand merely acting as an interesting background. But the emphasis, at least in this first half of the book, is almost entirely on Bruno’s infiltration of the conspiracy. Partly also, though, it’s because it moves at a glacial speed, being far too long for its content. Much of it is action-free, with too much dialogue. There’s one long, long section that takes place over a meal in an inn and is purely made up of all the characters discussing the plot so that Bruno and the reader know everything that has happened to date and who trusts and mistrusts whom – a lazy ploy of all tell and no show.

There’s no doubt that the research is good. The details of and background to the Babington conspiracy seem accurate, as far as I know, and the portrayal of the rather fanatical Walsingham is done very well. I don’t know much about the real Giordano Bruno so can’t say how accurate the fictional one is, but he’s quite a likeable protagonist. The descriptions of the London of this era ring true, and mostly the language is fine – neutral standard English rather than any attempt at Elizabethan dialect – with only the occasional jarringly anachronistic turn of phrase.

As so often I seem to be swimming against the tide with this one – it’s getting almost universal praise from other reviewers so far, most of whom seem to be dedicated fans of the series. So perhaps it works better if you already have an emotional attachment to the recurring characters, or perhaps if you don’t know about the Babington plot going in. Though I can’t imagine anyone remotely interested in the Tudor period who wouldn’t already know what happened to Elizabeth and Mary respectively, making it obvious whether the plot succeeded even if you hadn’t heard of it before; and knowing the outcome means there’s no suspense. With such a well known event as the background, the murder story or Bruno’s personal story would have had to be much stronger than they are to dominate the foreground.

Despite abandoning it, I don’t feel it deserves the 1-star I usually give to books I don’t finish. It’s well written and well researched – I fear it simply didn’t hold my interest.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, HarperCollins, via NetGalley.

This is the 6th book in the Giordano Bruno series, with the hero, an excommunicated priest, now spying for Sir Francis Walsingham, spy master for Queen Elizabeth I. Sent to find out more information in another plot to bring Mary, Queen of Scots, to the throne, he goes undercover as Prado, a Spanish priest.

This is exactly what you expect from this author, a fast paced, well researched and engaging story, with well fleshed characters and an excellent sense of life at that time. Despite knowing that the plot will never succeed it’s still a book that grips you to the final page. Although part of a series, it is still a stand alone read. Excellent book, I thoroughly enjoyed it, as I have her previous books

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC I return for an honest review.

Until the end of the book when there were adverts for other books by the same author, I was not aware that this was part of a series – it definitely stands alone though I am sure that any previous books would help to explain some of the characters even more.
Growing up close to some of the locations where Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner, and being intrigued by the life of people like Bess of Hardwick, I have been aware of “the Babington Plot” for many years - a plot by Catholics to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I, a Protestant, and put Mary Queen of Scots, her Roman Catholic cousin, on the English throne.
This story takes us into the heart of 1586 London – but not just the palace of Whitehall or the house of Lord Walsingham, but also the shadowy alleyways near the docks, a graveyard in Southwark, and some less than reputable inns, and on more than one occasion we have to stop to consider who is on which side as people betray those closest to them, or become double agents.
Most of the characters depicted are historical ones, supplemented by vividly described fictional people who complement the historical figures & support the main story well. There is evidence of significant historical research into some of the smallest details.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The story line was very believable, and complemented the historical facts well. The pace was good and at various points there was tension and excitement and twists that all worked very well to keep the reader engaged & interested.

Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via both NetGalley & ThePigeonhole. Whilst thanks go to the publisher & author for the copy of the book, all opinions are my own.

This is not my first book in this series and it was great to revisit Bruno and his work solving yet another mystery. The pace is good and the historical Babington plot is the backdrop for this particular tale. The descriptions of London is atmospheric and history and fiction are well blended. Although this is part of a series each book is complete in itself and can be read alone. A real pleasure to read.
Many thanks to Netgalley/S.J. Parris/HarperCollins UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Giordano Bruno, a heretic turned spy, arrives in England with shocking information for spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham. A band of Catholic Englishmen are plotting to kill Queen Elizabeth and spring Mary Queen of Scots from prison to take the English throne in her place. Bruno is surprised to find that Walsingham is aware of the plot, led by the young, wealthy noble Anthony Babington, and is allowing it to progress. He hopes that Mary will put her support in writing – and condemn herself to a traitor's death. Bruno is tasked with going undercover to join the conspirators. Can he stop them before he is exposed? Either way a queen will die; Bruno must make sure it is the right one.

After I finished reading this I bought the entire preceding set of SJ Parris novels and am hoarding them for my summer holiday reading. 'Execution' grabbed me from the outset. and pulled me in to Elizabeth I's London - the squalor of the city and the sharp, dangerous brightness of the royal court. It was an exciting murder mystery which had me guessing at every chapter and I loved every page of it.

Absolutely brilliant. Parris's novels are all so beautifully written, invoking real atmosphere and connection with the times.
His characterisation is so good - he uses a light touch, yet every personality has depth and we are able to understand not only our hero's motivations, but the passions (strange as they might seem to us) that drive every individual we meet.
This was a fascinating era in English history, and we know a great deal about the monarchy and aristocracy and their stories, but so little is said about the common man - his fears, dreams, way of life and beliefs. These novels give us a deeper understanding of society in the teeming streets of London and not only in the palaces.
A fast-paced read, demanding late nights and the casting away of household chores until the book is done. Loved it, can't wait for the next!

i haven't read previous books in the series, but as this is one of my favourite periods of history , I enjoyed it as a standalone. Mixing fact and fiction is always great fun and makes for a fascinating read.

Another one in the series about Bruno, the ex Dominican monk who has fled Italy because of his 'heresy' and who is determined to win favour with Elizabeth I in return for spying on Catholic conspiracy plots. This one involves Mary Queen of Scots where she is said to have been plotting to kill her cousin.

I have enjoyed previous books in the series but I found this one heavy going. Everyone seemed to be double dealing and not who they were supposed to be, there were huge lumps of expositional dialogue to help us understand who did what and why. Overall I found it hard to connect to. .

I did like the detail of Elizabethan London, though and that's why I've given it 3 stars rather than 2. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was another excellent read from the writer. I find Parris' books very remarkable in historical mystery and this was no exception.
I loved the story, the pace, and characterization. I was completely hooked from beginning to end.
If you like the genre, this is one not to miss.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

I read other books in this series and always loved them, this one was no exception.
Even if the book Giordano Bruno is a bit different from the historical one, I love how he is written and I find him an interesting and well thought characters.
The plot is engrossing and entertaining, there's a lot historical research and you can note them in the details and in the vivid historical background.
The mix of fiction and historical facts works well and creates an interesting and entertaining plot.
I liked the well thought cast of characters and I loved the mystery side of this story.
I can't wait to read the next instalment.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This book is part of a series but reads equally well as a stand alone novel. I always enjoy books that teach you history incidentally, and this book does exactly that. The tension between Catholics and the Church of England is perfectly encapsulated. The characters are very well drawn out, and not too many that you forget who’s who. And unlike some novels set in this period, there are some excellent female characters too. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.