Traitor’s Legacy is intriguing, electric, twisty and powerful. Sophia is so fearless, brilliant and bold I loved reading her tale. Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

This is the first in a new series by S. J. Parris featuring Sophia de Wolfe a rich widow with an interesting past as a former spy for Sir Francis Walsingham. It’s Christmas 1698 and a body of a young girl is found together with a coded message using a cipher that was formerly known only to Sophia, and her former spymasters. When Robert Cecil the Queen’s new spymaster hears of this and knowing something of Sophia’s past he asks her to help with the investigation.
This is a superb tale of intrigue and mystery woven through the lives of real historical figures and is a joy to read.

Sophia De Wolf is a young woman living in Elizabethan London near the close of the Sixteenth Century. She has a past. A former spy for Walsingham, she is sought out by his successor Robert Cecil on the murder of a thirteen year old girl, the ward of the North household. It seems that a message left with the corpse is written in a cipher unique to Sophia. Who has left it? Why was it used? How can it be connected to Sophia?

The reader knows that Sophia De Wolf is actually Sophia Underhill, sometime ally, sometime lover, of Giordano Bruno, the hero of the author's other novels. Bruno makes no appearance here, but the new cast carry the plot superbly: Sophia herself, talented, determined, but impulsive; Anthony Munday, the playwrite, who loves her, and will do anything for her. Sophia must find the murderer because her son is accused of the crime. She also needs to solve the mystery of whoever knows her past.

Real characters mix with the fictional, a melange of the virtuous and the villainous, in a highly entertaining adventure - well worth reading. Observing everything is a crafter of drama, from Stratford, who ultimately makes use of his observations in some of his plays.

A detailed Historical Fiction read. It took me a while to get into it and get my head around the story and characters as I hadn't read any of the previous books. Great scene setting and attention to detail and I love the main female character for her confidence and gumption

"Elizabethan London, 1598. A frozen Thames, a kingdom on edge, and a young heiress found murdered with a cryptic note tucked into her clothes."

That’s how this book kicks off, and let me tell you, it’s a gripping dive into a world of spies, secrets, and shifting allegiances. Enter Sophia de Wolfe—once a spy, now a wealthy widow—who’s dragged back into the game when the Queen’s spymaster, Robert Cecil, demands her help. The coded message on the victim? It ties directly to Sophia’s past, and solving the murder might just mean saving herself.

I loved the rich historical details—London felt alive (and freezing!), and real historical figures pop up in ways that feel natural rather than forced. Sophia is sharp, layered, and more than capable of wielding both a blade and her wits, though I did find myself wishing she got to sleep or eat once in a while. The murder mystery itself plays second fiddle to the intrigue and setup for future books, but the mix of espionage, court politics, and the ever-present danger kept me hooked.

If you love historical thrillers with a smart, complex heroine and a touch of grit, this one’s worth picking up. It’s a strong start to what could be an addictive new series.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Uk, Hemlock Press, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Once again SJ Parris takes us back to the world of Elizabeth's spies. The year is 1598, the location is London and the cast includes the players of the two most famous acting companies, a scattering of nobility, catholic plotters, spies and a young heiress.

If you are familiar with the Giodarno Bruno series then you will find a number of familiar faces, so familiar in fact that I kept wondering when Bruno was going to make an appearance. He doesn't because this time our hero is a woman and one first met in the first Bruno book Heresy, Sophia.

The story centres around the death of a young girl, a wealthy heiress ward of a powerful family and niece of a notorious Catholic rebel. Sophia has to, under threat from the Queens secretary, uncover the truth of the girls murder and save an innocent boy from death.

This story is very much in a similar vein to the Bruno novels bringing to life the factions and intrigues which ran through Elizabeth's Court and all who came into contact with it. No-one is entirely who they seem. The advantage in having a female protagonist is that we get a glimpse into the worlds of the late sixteenth century women. Here they are seen, not romantically or as thoroughly oppressed pawns, but as dynamic humans playing their own games of power and politics. Parris manages to combine historical accuracy with a plot as twisting and turning as the roads of Elizabeth's capital.

I really enjoyed this novel and I hope it will be a start of a new series, but hopefully not at the expense of more Bruno books.

If you enjoy a Tudor mystery, where life and death sit in the hands of a few powerful men, where a former female spy is trying to save her son's life, then this book is for you.

Sophia de Wolfe, a former spy for the Queen, has been trying to live the normal life of a wealthy widow in London. The Queen is ageing, and the future of the crown is uncertain, even though the nation's ruler is a woman, women are still treated lesser and as such Sophia feels the restrictions. But when a young heiress is found dead and her son is accused of murder, Sophia finds herself pulled back into the dealings of powerful men who will do anything to gain the advantage and the Queen's favour. But can Sophia find the true killer while not being targeted by those who have bigger secrets to keep?

Though I have never read Parris' former series, I do not feel like that in any way hampens the strory and characters in this book. People and situations are mentioned in the book, but that simply enriches the characters into fully fledged people. The mystery is fun and the historical details are fun. A definite read if you like historical fiction.

The Giordano Bruno series was an excellent foray into the world of Elizabethan espionage. Sophia, once a spy for Walsingham (and featured several times in the Bruno stories), is now a rich widow and retired from the service.

The discovery of the body a young ward brings her into the orbit of William Cecil, chief advisor to the queen, and Sophia finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation involving some of the more prominent families in the kingdom.

This is a super story, well told and the action and suspense never lets up. Very easy to read and not burdened by a lot of backstory. The reader is immediately thrust into the story and the mystery at its centre is clever and engaging.

Certainly the beginning of a new series which will be welcomed by fans of Parris’ previous work. An excellent read and highly recommended.

SJ Parris has moved on from her successful Giordano Bruno series and has written a surefire winner in Traitors Legacy which brings Sophia De Wolfe, to the forefront.

This is all about the succession crisis as Elizabeth 1 is without an heir ns the struggles and plotting that goes on as candidates vie for position and favour.

There is an associated murder to solve and de Wolfe proves to be a redoubtable character who eventually sees her way through the waze of conflicts and contradictions.

An excellent read which is also historically very accurate.

Firstly thank to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

As a fan of the Bruno series I was looking forward to reading this book . The story was ok for me from a time period that I enjoy reading about - Sophia de Wolfe was a great character and I enjoyed the introduction to her story

This is a fabulous book. I love faction where fact and fiction are skillfully blended and this is a perfect example. Sophia De Wolfe is unusual for a woman of the times given that she is a widow but also fiercely independent. She won't be controlled or pushed around by men which makes her some powerful political enemies.

She's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and she needs all your strength and guilt when someone close to her is accused of a murderer they didn't commit.

Sophia is forced to investigate putting herself and all she holds dear in peril n the process. Loved every minute of this book. More please featuring Sophia.

Very much enjoyed the authors “Bruno” series and this book takes it on with a new lead in Sophia De Wolfe.Set in the late 1500’s when justice was a commodity not a right, the death of a young girl becomes personal to Sophie and, as a woman of independent means, she sets out to both prove an innocence and lay bare the real culprits. I found the book both immersive and atmospheric though I felt it did bounce about a little towards the end. None the less perhaps a new career beckons for Sophie?

Thank you HarperCollins and Netgalley for the ARC.

I have long been a fan of S J Parris’ Giordano Bruno series of books and found Traitor’s Legacy to be equally entertaining. The author writes fast exciting and readable historical fiction and this novel is no exception. It was great to have a female as the lead character for a change - a heroine we have met before in Giordano series. A really enjoyable read and I will be looking forward for the next book in this new series.
Highly recommended

A fabulous historical read with the ever inspiring Sophia de Wolfe as the female lead. A rich, suspenseful plot which will make you feel like you are alongside on this journey.
The characters are very well written and developed, with appearances from memorable legends of this era.
Highly recommend!

A fabulously written gripping story that was a pleasure to read. I would absolutely recommend this book, it was brilliant

There’s a lot going on here: lots of characters, lots of action, lots of plotting. All a bit too much for me. Credibility stretched beyond breaking point. This is obviously the start of a new series, but not one I shall be following, nonetheless I am grateful to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read a pre-release review copy, even if my review comes down on the negative end in this instance. .

A slight moment of worry at the start of the book, when the beautiful heroine is interrupted in her fencing practice to see a visitor. Oh no, not a bodice ripper. Not to worry, after she dressed and became the lady of the house, it became clear that she was so much more! A book of thrills, spies, spills and secrets surrounding the Queen and her court. By the end of the book, not all secrets are revealed - promising the prospect of a sequel.

Set in 1598, this is a murder mystery / espionage thriller set in Elizabethan London, with cameo appearances from well-known historical figures. I'd never read S J Parris before, but she's well known for her historical fiction and I've been seeing the cover of her previous book, Alchemy (2023), everywhere. It was actually one of the covers I looked at closely when pondering how to design the cover for Type Thief.

Traitor's Legacy is the start of a new series with a new protagonist, Sophia de Wolfe, who is a former spy now living as a wealthy and slightly bored widow. Robert Cecil, the aging (and heirless) Elizabeth I's spymaster, calls on Sophia when a young girl (about to come into an inheritance) is found murdered at the site of a theatre with a cryptic note on her body. The note is written in a cipher connected to Sophia's former life as a household spy (during which she was mainly in the business of unmasking Catholic sympathisers).

Sophia's investigations take her (and friends) all over London, from mansions to brothels, and beneath all the historical trappings beats the heart of a contemporary police procedural. For me, the murder investigation seemed designed to set us up for a series of books and was less interesting than the future possibilities suggested by the setting and characters. As often happens, my mind was snagged on details that don't matter but always seem to be a part of such narratives: a protagonist who appears barely to eat or sleep. I don't know why it's a thing, but it is a thing. Anyway, this book is an interesting beginning, and perhaps the future series might include régime change and gunpowder plots.

There are moments here (which I don't want to spoil) which are a little too on the nose in terms of cameo moments, but as they tended to make me smile as well as roll my eyes, I forgive them.

This was a review of an ARC from Netgalley and UK Publisher HarperCollins.

I am a big fan of the Giordano Bruno series so absolutely wanted to read this. Traitor's legacy is set in the twilight years of Elizabeth the 1st reign. The Spymaster Walsingham is dead and the spy network is greatly weakened following the struggle of Cecil and Essex to replace him.
When the body of a young heiress is found at the site of a former theatre, Cecil calls in Sophia De Wolfe from the cold. Fans of the Bruno series will recognise some familiar faces from the series. The mix of real life characters central to the story is excellent and Sophia is a fantastic protagonist and it is wonderful to see her character being developed. S.J. Parris paints the Elizabethan period so evocatively and highlights the status and constraints on women in this time against the background of the Elizabethan court.
Historical fiction fans will love this.

I really enjoyed the writing style and the female main character, she is a force to be reckoned with. I did find the story slowed down towards the middle but picked up again in the final quarter. Intrigue round every corner.