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The Queen's Intelligencer #3
Shadow of Treason
‘Tonkin has used his knowledge of the period and craft as a thriller writer to produce a new take on the familiar story of the gunpowder plot. One of the historical crime novels of the year.’ Richard Foreman, author of Spies of Rome.
Redriffe, London, Wednesday 27 April 1603.
A gunpowder mill explodes, causing death and destruction.
A passer-by becomes involved in helping victims but is recognised and arrested – for he is a wanted man.
The arresting officer is Spymaster Robert Poley, Queen Elizabeth’s Chief Intelligencer under Francis Walsingham and now King James’s under Robert Cecil.
The fugitive is the Catholic Robert Catesby.
Catesby is imprisoned. On his release, he secretly begins to recruit a group of desperate associates. Some form of a plot - and an act of violence - is afoot.
Poley turns his attention towards the conspirators. His intelligencers target an expert in gunpowder and explosives.
His name? Guy Fawkes.
And so a desperate game of cat and mouse unfolds as Poley races to discover exactly what the conspirators are planning.
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
Peter Tonkin was born in 1950 in Ulster, Northern Ireland and was raised in the UK, Holland, Germany, and the Persian Gulf. The son of an RAF officer, Tonkin spent much of his youth travelling the world from one posting to another. He is also the author of the Richard Mariner thriller series.
Praise for Peter
”Riveting tale full of fast action.” Publishers Weekly.
”Good technical detail, plus an exciting climax, makes this entertaining reading.” Publishing News.
“A welcome aura of old-fashioned expertise.” Publishers Weekly.
“A good thriller, recommended.” Library Journal.
“Tonkin is a superb storyteller who creates big, brash, swashbuckling adventures with taut suspense, fast-paced action and tough, resourceful characters.” Booklist.
”Equals the best of James Clavell.” Daily Telegraph.
”Edge-of-the-seat terror on the high seas.” Daily Post.
Redriffe, London, Wednesday 27 April 1603.
A gunpowder mill explodes, causing death and destruction.
A passer-by becomes involved in helping victims but is recognised and arrested – for he is a wanted man.
The arresting officer is Spymaster Robert Poley, Queen Elizabeth’s Chief Intelligencer under Francis Walsingham and now King James’s under Robert Cecil.
The fugitive is the Catholic Robert Catesby.
Catesby is imprisoned. On his release, he secretly begins to recruit a group of desperate associates. Some form of a plot - and an act of violence - is afoot.
Poley turns his attention towards the conspirators. His intelligencers target an expert in gunpowder and explosives.
His name? Guy Fawkes.
And so a desperate game of cat and mouse unfolds as Poley races to discover exactly what the conspirators are planning.
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
Peter Tonkin was born in 1950 in Ulster, Northern Ireland and was raised in the UK, Holland, Germany, and the Persian Gulf. The son of an RAF officer, Tonkin spent much of his youth travelling the world from one posting to another. He is also the author of the Richard Mariner thriller series.
Praise for Peter
”Riveting tale full of fast action.” Publishers Weekly.
”Good technical detail, plus an exciting climax, makes this entertaining reading.” Publishing News.
“A welcome aura of old-fashioned expertise.” Publishers Weekly.
“A good thriller, recommended.” Library Journal.
“Tonkin is a superb storyteller who creates big, brash, swashbuckling adventures with taut suspense, fast-paced action and tough, resourceful characters.” Booklist.
”Equals the best of James Clavell.” Daily Telegraph.
”Edge-of-the-seat terror on the high seas.” Daily Post.
510 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 28, 2023
About the author
Peter Tonkin
94 books62 followersPeter Tonkin's first novel, KILLER, was published in 1978. His work has included the acclaimed "Mariner" series that have been critically compared with the best of Alistair MacLean, Desmond Bagley and Hammond Innes.
More recently he has been working on a series of detective thrillers with an Elizabethan background. This series, "The Master of Defense", has been characterised as 'James Bond meets Sherlock Holmes meets William Shakespeare'. Each story is a classic 'whodunit' with all the clues presented to the reader exactly as they are presented to the hero, Tom Musgrave. The Kirkus Review described them as having 'Elizabethan detail, rousing action sequences, sound detection...everything a fan of historical mysteries could hope for."
More recently he has been working on a series of detective thrillers with an Elizabethan background. This series, "The Master of Defense", has been characterised as 'James Bond meets Sherlock Holmes meets William Shakespeare'. Each story is a classic 'whodunit' with all the clues presented to the reader exactly as they are presented to the hero, Tom Musgrave. The Kirkus Review described them as having 'Elizabethan detail, rousing action sequences, sound detection...everything a fan of historical mysteries could hope for."
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 1, 2024
Perhaps the intended explosion from the Gunpowder Plot wasn’t quite the near miss we were taught to believe. Or was it? All things considered, the authorities certainly had their hands full trying to piece together the most current conspiracy against King James, especially when they weren’t sure they had identified the most important culprits. Without the famous letter warning Monteagle not to go to Parliament, would they have focused their efforts in the right place? By all indications, maybe not. It’s a great puzzle. There were a lot of threads to follow in this book, and a lot of characters. I admit I had a little trouble following it all, myself. But one thing’s for sure: Guy Fawkes kept us on the “straight and narrow”, so to speak. Although the whole plot revolved around him and his expertise with gunpowder, Guy was a surprisingly sympathetic character, not without a conscience. He knew that the explosion would destroy much of Westminster, and take out innocent Catholics as well as Protestants. And his temporary landlady added to his sense of horror, such as the moment she gaily talked about the upcoming crowd who would gather on the fateful day:
Her words and gestures made it easy for him to imagine the tiers of temporary – and flimsy – seats also packed with men and women who would receive the full power of the blast which would blow them back into the tavern behind them. But the tavern would no longer be there – only its blazing ruins. And the erstwhile occupants of the tiered benches no longer people; no longer coherent bodies any more than their seats or the walls beside them were anything more than splinters and rubble. He had seen it all often enough to know precisely how it would be. All those spectators, those beside them, those behind them, all just so much minced meat and bone-shards thrown against whatever walls were still standing. The slaughter was likely to be utterly devastating.
Honoring his commitment, Guy Fawkes did not back out of his terrible contract, much though he found himself conflicted. Apparently none of his other co-conspirators were bothered nearly as much, and the plans went on while more and more helpers were added to the list of people sworn to secrecy. At the same time, we follow the intelligence gatherers all the way up to Cecil himself, who walked a fine line between being too suspicious and not suspicious enough. After all, King James was not the most understanding monarch. The lead-up to November 5 was long and complicated, and I learned a lot about the back story. I was disappointed Tonkin had not written an author’s note at the end, for I would have liked to have known where his research ended and speculation began. Regardless, it was a good read and I enjoyed it.
Her words and gestures made it easy for him to imagine the tiers of temporary – and flimsy – seats also packed with men and women who would receive the full power of the blast which would blow them back into the tavern behind them. But the tavern would no longer be there – only its blazing ruins. And the erstwhile occupants of the tiered benches no longer people; no longer coherent bodies any more than their seats or the walls beside them were anything more than splinters and rubble. He had seen it all often enough to know precisely how it would be. All those spectators, those beside them, those behind them, all just so much minced meat and bone-shards thrown against whatever walls were still standing. The slaughter was likely to be utterly devastating.
Honoring his commitment, Guy Fawkes did not back out of his terrible contract, much though he found himself conflicted. Apparently none of his other co-conspirators were bothered nearly as much, and the plans went on while more and more helpers were added to the list of people sworn to secrecy. At the same time, we follow the intelligence gatherers all the way up to Cecil himself, who walked a fine line between being too suspicious and not suspicious enough. After all, King James was not the most understanding monarch. The lead-up to November 5 was long and complicated, and I learned a lot about the back story. I was disappointed Tonkin had not written an author’s note at the end, for I would have liked to have known where his research ended and speculation began. Regardless, it was a good read and I enjoyed it.
April 22, 2023
Opened my eyes to this part of history
The gunpowder plot wonderfully told I never realised all the ins and outs of this part of our history how many thousands of people celebrate this without the slightest idea of what really happened, I was enthralled throughout the book. Brilliantly written.
The gunpowder plot wonderfully told I never realised all the ins and outs of this part of our history how many thousands of people celebrate this without the slightest idea of what really happened, I was enthralled throughout the book. Brilliantly written.
January 31, 2026
Superbly researched really brought a part of my country’s history alive.
Poley was a fascinating complex character a double agent of the highest skill and responsible for exposing numerous plots against the monarchy and state.
An excellent read
Poley was a fascinating complex character a double agent of the highest skill and responsible for exposing numerous plots against the monarchy and state.
An excellent read
May 9, 2024
Fascinating dertail about such a national event! Loved it
July 23, 2024
Just couldn't get into this one another one went back to, not bad at all
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews