If this is the start of a new historical novel series featuring retired spy Lady Sophie de Wolfe, then I am quite excited.

This story is set in the winter of 1598 and Sophie takes it upon herself to investigate the murder of a 13 year old girl on the site of The Theatre in London, noting that the girl had a note written in Sophie's old spy code tucked in her body.

Plenty of important characters emerge, namely Walsingham, and ,yes William Shakespeare - they all adds to atmosphere.

I am pleased to have moved on from Bruno as I felt that Ms Parris needed another main character but still in Tudor times.

However, I really enjoyed the book with a slow start but that was surely down to it being the first (of many?).

Thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins UK for the chance to read and review.

Traitor’s Legacy is the first book in a new historical crime fiction series from S.J. Parris featuring Sophia de Wolfe. Her investigation into the murder of a young heiress during the turbulent reign of Elizabeth I was a thrilling read brimming with political intrigue. I found it hard to put down!

Sophia is an unusual woman for her time. She’s financially independent, unafraid to speak her mind to powerful people and she defies social convention by employing a female steward. Her unofficial partnership with Anthony Munday allowed the plot to develop at pace as they each pursued separate lines of enquiry and speculated upon theories. Although there were many characters in this novel, the pacing of their introductions was excellent and this allowed me to immerse myself more deeply in the plot, assess possible murder suspects and judge whether they were concealing the truth.

S.J. Parris cleverly linked motives for the murder to events considered threats to national security towards the end of Elizabeth I’s reign, notably the suppression of Irish rebellion and the zeal of Catholics devoted to bringing England back to Rome. This made for excellent historical fiction with a political slant.

Traitor’s Legacy would be a great book for anyone who enjoys historical crime thrillers, especially if they have an interest in Tudor history. Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to HarperCollins publisher and NetGalley for the advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is really well researched historical fiction, one of my favourite genres, it’s also a great whodunnit with some well written characters, our understanding of whom develops over time. I have to admit that a few less characters would be preferable to me, as I find it difficult to follow too many, but that’s obviously a personal bias. I liked that factual people such as Burbage and Shakespeare and members of the Queen’s court are woven into this story, and I always appreciate learning a little more history from a good novel. It is another of those books where the ending seems to be dealt with too quickly, but perhaps that’s partly because it will continue. This is the first in a series featuring Sophia De Wolfe and I look forward to reading Sophia’s next adventures. I recommend this read

This is a beautifully written piece of historical fiction, set in Elizabethan England in the latter days of Elizabeth’s reign, featuring Will Shakespeare himself (as a minor side character).
Sophia is a widow with a past; a spy for the Elizabethan Court, who’s tempted out of retirement by Robert Cecil, Elizabeth’s spy master. But there’s a stronger motivation to tempt Sophia; her son, Tobie, has been arrested for the murder of a young heiress with powerful connections.
Convinced of his innocence, Sophia will do everything in her power to find the real perpetrator of the crime, all the while having to keep her true identity secret, as Tobie (and most of London), have no idea she is his mother.
There are twists and turns a plenty to keep you guessing, while the machinations of the Elizabethan court turn ominously in the background.
A solid five-star read, which I’m sure you’ll enjoy if you’re an historical thriller fan.
With thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for an advance copy. Traitor’s Legacy releases on 8 May.

I am new to S J Parris's books and didn't realise that this one, although described as the first in a new series, is in fact a follow on with charatcers from previous series. I felt it would have helped to be more familiar with those characters. I kept the list of people open on the kindle app on my phone so that I could refer to it - many times. I found the plot complicated and quite boring. A very repetitive story too. But the ending set the scene for future books in the series without leaving a cliffhanger. With thanks for the e-ARC to read and review.

Set in the winter of 1598 our heroine is retired spy Sophie de Wolfe who gets dragged into the investigation of the murder of a 13 year old girl on the site of The Theatre as the girl had a note written in Sophie's old code tucked in her bodice.
This is a first SJ Parris novel for me and I chose it as I like historical novels set in the 16th century and was intrigued with the idea of a woman as a spy/investigator in this period. The book contains a mixture of real and imaginary characters which are combined in a very convincing manner. I always look up unfamiliar names and was surprised when some didn't actually exist! They felt so real! Although this book is the first in its own series and as such can be read as stand alone, I definitely think I'm going to have to read the Giordano Bruno series if only to get the full story on the characters and players. A great story well researched and definitely recommended for historical fiction fans.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Once a spy always a spy. In 1598, Sophia de Wolfe (née Underhill) is a rich widow, but she has been Kate Kingsley, or Mary Gifford, or Kit, or ….? She went by those names when she worked undercover for Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elzabeth’s Spy Master, which she did until he retired her and married the rich merchant, Humphrey de Wolfe, a Gentleman but not a member of the aristocracy. As a spy she had used a personal cipher, known only to her, Walsingham and his cryptographer. The cipher was retired when she was. Except, it has just been found on a note attached to the body of a young girl, Agne Lovell, ward of Sir Thomas North. The body was dumped on a demolition site from which the “Lord Chamberlain’s Men” had just removed their old theatre prior to rebuilding it on the Southbank of the Thames (when it will be known as “The Globe” home of William Shakespeare). What is the connection, if any, between the dead girl, an heiress of noble birth promised in marriage to Edmund North, the theatrical company, and the former spy? For the security of England, Sir Robert Cecil, Walsingham’s successor in the Spy Master rôle, must be certain this is not part of a Catholic conspiracy, so recalls Sophia to clarify the source of the enciphered note. But things take a turn for the worse when young actor, Tobie Strange, (Sophia’s unknowing bastard son) is arrested for the murder. She now must resolve this tangled web by activating all of her old skills, and the clock is ticking.
In Parris’s novel “Sacrilege “, Sophia Underhill had a relationship with Giordano Bruno and she has been resurrected for this new series. She is an interesting and well developed character, and brings a change of emphasis from the Bruno series, especially in providing a much deeper look at the position and travails of women in the late Elizabethan period. The plot is not complex per se but it does have a good many turns of the ‘I know whodunnit – oh no he didn’t’ variety. It’s a bit slow going to begin with, a consequence of having to build a new cast of characters working in a new environment, and I think it could have been tighter. However, the detail does help with the realism, the feel of London, the political machinations, the social structure, so swings and roundabouts perhaps – the mystery needs the history and vice versa . The second part has more of a thriller structure. It’s better than a 4 not quite good enough to be a 5 but I can’t give 4.5 in the star rating so 5.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Another great book from S J Parris - perfect for the fans of her Giordano Bruno series. This time, our chief protagonist/spy is the recently widowed Sophia de Wolfe.

The book opens in London during the winter of 1598, with the body of a 13 year old heiress (found in a theatre). There is a mysterious note attached to her body, written using the cipher Sophia herself used during her days as one of the great Sir Frances Walsingham’s spies. In the ‘now’ of the novel, Sir Francis is dead and Sophia is called to the presence of Robert Cecil - the next spymaster of Elizabeth I. This brings Sophia out of retirement and back into the world of murder, plotting and intrigue that Parris describes so well.

The introduction of a female spy adds a different spin on this popular genre of novel. Great for fans of CJ Samson’s Shardlake series, as well as Rory Clements’ John Shakespeare narratives too. I am looking forward to more (hopefully) books in this series!

I really enjoyed this book! I really love historical fiction, especially when it involves real life people in the stories.

This one did not disappoint, I loved the main character, this time a female and she was very strong and likeable.

I think I may have just found my favourite new historian fiction writer! Excited to see what comes next !

I enjoyed this book and it was refreshing that the protagonist was a female, especially as the book was set during the late sixteenth century. Sophia de Wolfe had previously worked as a spy and she was good. After settling to a quieter life, she is called up to investigate a case. It is possible this could have been connected to her previous work. The book covers many themes and it is a convincing thriller, a page turner. I like the detail of London and Elizabethan life. Shakespeare plays a small part in the book but it is Sophia, a young widow who is central. I am now going to look at other books by this author, as I like how she has elevated a story of that time and presented it differently.

Top class historical crime - blend of fact and fiction, strong characters and good twists. Loved that Shakespeare appeared but was very much a bit part. Sophia makes a great detective and the Elizabethan age is always a favourite setting. What makes this so good is the clear and gripping narrative that is involved but never too complicated, the humour and the sense of time and place. Looking forward to more.

A new series by the author with a familiar lead. Sophia de Wolfe appeared in the Giordano Bruno novels. Now a wealthy widow Sophia has freedom but is bored. A dead young woman is found in an open trench with a message in Sophia's old cipher that she used when working for Walsingham. Sophia is tasked with finding what happened by Robert Cecil. As she criss crosses London trying to decipher the clues, meeting up with old allies from her her past, she attracts the attention of some people who won't hesitate to get rid of those who get in their way.
A well plotted story with a mix of fictional and historical figures. An exciting new series.

The concept was very appealing, but I found the pacing overly slow, the action lacking (it was mostly going from conversation to conversation). and the characters felt too distant for me to get attached and care about what happened to them.
Unfortunately, I decided to DNF because I wasn't motivated enough to keep on reading.

Based in the same time period as the Bruno Giordano books but jumping ten years on from Alchemy. This new story features Sophia De Wolfe, alo a spy, who now that Walsingham is dead has to work for Cecil at the Elizabethan court. A young woman has been murdered at the theatre and a coded message has been found in her clothing. The cipher needs to be broken and the killer found. London is having the worst winter for decades, the freezing and starving population are not happy. Elizabeth is under pressure to confirm who her successor will be. I really enjoyed this book, SJ Parris is a terrific writer.

A detailed story of Tudor times that I found hard to get into, probably because I had not read the previous books in the series. Nonetheless there was plenty of action - murder, political intrigue, spies - to keep one wondering what next? Given that the whole story seems to have taken a relatively few days it all seemed rather odd and rushed. I like the period, the inclusion of real people and certainly the details of, especially, London. Unfortunately the story didn't really grab me although, clearly, I'm in the minority. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy

The author has started a series with a new central character: Sophia de Woolfe. She is a previous agent of Francis Walsingham but is now a wealthy widow sponsoring the theatre, partly due to son being one of the players. He son was taken form her when he was born and he doesn’t know their true relationship. When a noble girl called Agnes is found murdered at the theatre, a note is left on the body using Sophia’s previous cipher. She is drawn back into the world of politics and intrigue by Robert Cecil, partly to keep her secret. I found her a likeable central character with determination and charisma, Working alongside her is a devoted Anthony who I felt was a bit of a puppy dog. The story twists and turns and he a satisfying ending, I will read more of the series. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

The setting of this story is 1598, a time of numerous plots and conspiracies. S. J. Parris really brings the period to life. Sophia de Wolfe is a brilliant character and the addition of real characters from the period add to the authenticity. The combination of rich historical detail and a thrilling plot make this a compelling read. A wonderful start to a new series. This is historical fiction at its best.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Oh how delightful to read such a fabulous historical novel which captured my interest and maintained in to the end. Excellently researched, greta plot, beautiful execution. I love the combination of historical menace and a thriller. S J Paris has never let me down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. Highly rated 5 star read.

I had a really good time with this book. I did struggle to get into it at first, but I would definitely recommend this book.

I didn’t even read the description, as soon as I saw the author I was sold.

1598 London, Sophia is back, her husband has died and she has inherited almost everything, and lives a happy but lonely life in upper class society. But when a young girl is found murdered with a code only she used back in her spy days she’s dragged back into the world of secrets, lies and twisted motives. Not only that, but Sophia’s most precious secret, her child, is accused of this murder and she must fight to free him and prove his innocence, maternal instinct kicking in and yet he still doesn’t know who she is to him. Young lovers, cruel motives and a smart woman kicking ass in a world where woman are still seen as property and breeding stock, Sophia will find the truth and have her justice.