The Serpent's Mark

This is the second novel I have read by this author. The first novel, The Angel’s Mark, introduced the characters of Nicholas Shelby and Bianca Merton and their relationship is developed in this second novel. I am very interested in the Tudor period and was impressed by the depth of the author’s research into the life of a physician and also the religion and politics of the time. It was refreshing to read a novel set in this period with a strong and independent woman as one of the main characters.
I have read and loved the novels of C J Sansom and S J Parris and this author provides a welcome addition to my list of ‘must read’ authors. The novel revolves around treatment for ‘the falling sickness’, or epilepsy as we would now call it, and the religious intrigues which abounded as Elizabeth neared the end of the reign without providing an heir to the throne.
There are good themes here – the nature of Tudor medicine and surgery, the role of women in business, the place of Catholicism in Elizabethan society. Some readers, however, may find the descriptions of Tudor medicine and torture a little too gruesome but it provided an excellent insight into this fascinating period.