This is an atmospheric historical thriller that brilliantly captures the repercussions of the English Civil War in the 1650s. It is set in Oliver Cromwell's reign where Coffee Houses are one of the major places where news is acquired and political discussions take place. MacLean is a gifted storyteller who has the ability to construct a portal through which we can enter Cromwell's London and the royalist hotbed that is Oxford. The historical period is meticulously researched and the descriptions vibrantly bring alive the sights, sounds and smells of London. The river is the source of all wealth and the city is the centre of trade in sugar, tobacco and the unsavoury slave trade. Defeated royalists, the irish, street children and others have been offloaded as slaves for the plantations. There are those who illegally grab people and children and sell them as slaves.

John Milton has made a complete volte face from being a person who sought freedom of expression to now being a censor for the regime. The Generals who once preached freedom and overturning the old order are now men of property acquired as the spoils of war, change no longer suits them. Cromwell has all the trappings and status of a King. Those who continue to advocate freedom and change, like Elias, are now viewed as enemies of the state. The paranoia of the regime extends to seeing royalist plots and sedition everywhere. This is countered with spies and intelligence networks lurking everywhere. The head of security is the enigmatic Damien Seeker, a loyal, austere, and talented truth seeker with a fearsome reputation. Crowds part and people scuttle away upon sighting him. Very little escapes his notice and his information networks stretch across the city and the country.

Vociferous leveller and lawyer Elias is discovered at the scene of the murder of the highly esteemed soldier, John Winter. Elias is taken to the Tower of London to await trial prior to being hanged. Seeker ascertains that Elias could not be the killer thanks to Anne Winter's testimony, but her word carries little weight with the regime, it is widely known that she did not love her husband and she consumes opium to bear the strain that her marriage has imposed on her. Ordered to desist from investigating, Seeker is determined to secure the truth despite the impossible odds of preventing the death of Elias. The trail takes in royalist plots, troubled preachers, slavery markets, trade merchants, assassination attempts on Cromwell, and the machinations of Anne Winter. Seeker discovers who killed John Winter, which is the last person you would expect.

This is a superbly plotted and well written story that I could not let go of until I finished. The narrative is full of suspense and tension. The writing is assured with a cast of characters that you come to care about. Seeker is a man that you want to know more about, with much more to him than you might expect. Brilliant and stunning read which I highly recommend. Thanks to Quercus for an ARC via netgalley.