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Plague and Fire #1-2
Plague and Fire - The Complete Series Box Set
Read the full tale of the highwayman Captain Coke, the thief-taker Pitman and the actress Sarah Chalker as they fight the evil Fifth Monarchists – fanatics, killers, fundamentalists – through two of the greatest cataclysms in England’s history: The Great Plague and Great Fire of London!
It begins with PLAGUE…
Winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel from the Canadian Crime Writers Association.
1665. On a dark road outside London, a highwayman stumbles upon slaughter...
As plague grips the city, can the uneasy alliance of a thief, a thief-taker and an actress catch a serial killer?
'A rich and addictive read, ideal for fans of historical fiction.' Publisher's Weekly
‘With Kings and cripples, rats and rotters, highwaymen and loose women, you’d never think a lethal virus could be so much fun.’ Sunday Sport UK
'Fast, exciting historical adventure, to be read in huge gulps. A runaway carriage of a book.' Conn Iggulden, author of War of the Roses
'It's a brilliant depiction of seventeenth century London in all its glory and grime against the grim backdrop of the eponymous plague. A great read all round, and for my money Chris is better than Sansom and more than deserves equal success.' Simon Scarrow, Author of Centurion.
'PLAGUE is one of those books where you turn the last page and wish there were more. The very best of history, mystery, romance and sheer fun. (Well, and a few rats...) London itself is as vivid a character as the actors, adventurers and intriguers who people its all-too-few pages.' Diana Gabaldon
And continues through 1666 with FIRE… And the Devil has not had his due
666 is the number of the Beast, this the year foretold when Christ will return. To slay the Devil. To bring the New Jerusalem. A gang of fanatics – the Saints - choose to hasten that prophesied day. They will kidnap, rape, murder. Above all, they will kill a king. For in the renegade Captain Blood they have the perfect assassin.
Two men - the highwayman William Coke and the thief-taker Pitman - are recruited to stop them. Both fall victim to the Saint’s foul plots. All seems lost…
Yet in the early hours of September 2nd, 1666, something starts that will overtake them all – fanatics, princes, soldiers and fops, actresses and holy murderers. For the year of the Beast is three quarters done and the Devil has not yet had his due.
London’s a tinder box. Politically, sexually, religiously. Literally. And it is about to burn.
‘…in amongst all the breathless adventure and dangerous acts. Humphreys offers up an absorbing and well-wrought blend of heroism and villainy in a story that is ultimately about the danger of unchecked fanaticism and the capacity of bravery to overcome. Plus — it’s a lot of fun.’ - Toronto Star
For the Jack Absolute novels:
'C.C. Humphreys has created the finest series of historical novels since Patrick O’Brian.’
- The Good Book Guide UK
It begins with PLAGUE…
Winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel from the Canadian Crime Writers Association.
1665. On a dark road outside London, a highwayman stumbles upon slaughter...
As plague grips the city, can the uneasy alliance of a thief, a thief-taker and an actress catch a serial killer?
'A rich and addictive read, ideal for fans of historical fiction.' Publisher's Weekly
‘With Kings and cripples, rats and rotters, highwaymen and loose women, you’d never think a lethal virus could be so much fun.’ Sunday Sport UK
'Fast, exciting historical adventure, to be read in huge gulps. A runaway carriage of a book.' Conn Iggulden, author of War of the Roses
'It's a brilliant depiction of seventeenth century London in all its glory and grime against the grim backdrop of the eponymous plague. A great read all round, and for my money Chris is better than Sansom and more than deserves equal success.' Simon Scarrow, Author of Centurion.
'PLAGUE is one of those books where you turn the last page and wish there were more. The very best of history, mystery, romance and sheer fun. (Well, and a few rats...) London itself is as vivid a character as the actors, adventurers and intriguers who people its all-too-few pages.' Diana Gabaldon
And continues through 1666 with FIRE… And the Devil has not had his due
666 is the number of the Beast, this the year foretold when Christ will return. To slay the Devil. To bring the New Jerusalem. A gang of fanatics – the Saints - choose to hasten that prophesied day. They will kidnap, rape, murder. Above all, they will kill a king. For in the renegade Captain Blood they have the perfect assassin.
Two men - the highwayman William Coke and the thief-taker Pitman - are recruited to stop them. Both fall victim to the Saint’s foul plots. All seems lost…
Yet in the early hours of September 2nd, 1666, something starts that will overtake them all – fanatics, princes, soldiers and fops, actresses and holy murderers. For the year of the Beast is three quarters done and the Devil has not yet had his due.
London’s a tinder box. Politically, sexually, religiously. Literally. And it is about to burn.
‘…in amongst all the breathless adventure and dangerous acts. Humphreys offers up an absorbing and well-wrought blend of heroism and villainy in a story that is ultimately about the danger of unchecked fanaticism and the capacity of bravery to overcome. Plus — it’s a lot of fun.’ - Toronto Star
For the Jack Absolute novels:
'C.C. Humphreys has created the finest series of historical novels since Patrick O’Brian.’
- The Good Book Guide UK
662 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 20, 2018
64 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
C.C. Humphreys
29 books422 followersaka Chris Humphreys
Chris (C.C.) Humphreys was born in Toronto, lived till he was seven in Los Angeles, then grew up in the UK. All four grandparents were actors, and since his father was an actor as well, it was inevitable he would follow the bloodline.
Chris (C.C.) Humphreys has played Hamlet in Calgary, a gladiator in Tunisia, waltzed in London’s West End, conned the landlord of the Rovers Return in Coronation Street, commanded a starfleet in Andromeda, voiced Salem the cat in the original Sabrina, and is a dead immortal in Highlander. He has written eleven adult novels including The French Executioner, runner-up for the CWA Steel Dagger for Thrillers; Chasing the Wind; The Jack Absolute Trilogy; Vlad – The Last Confession; A Place Called Armageddon and Shakespeare’s Rebel – which he adapted into a play and which premiered at Bard on the Beach, Vancouver, in 2015. Plague won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel in Canada in 2015. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. His epic fantasy series the Immortals’ Blood Trilogy, beginning with Smoke in the Glass' has just been published by Gollancz. He also published his other fantasy series, The Tapestry Trilogy, beginning in August 2020 with ‘The Hunt of the Unicorn’. His foray into modern crime, 'One London Day' was published in 2021. Hie new novel, the World War Two epic romance, 'Someday I'll Find You' is published by Doubleday in Canada on June 6, 2023.
Several of his novels are available as Audiobooks - read by himself! Find him here:
https://www.authorchrishumphreys.com/...
He is translated into thirteen languages. In 2015 he earned his Masters in Fine Arts (Creative Writing) from the University of British Columbia.
Check out his website: http://authorchrishumphreys.com
Chris (C.C.) Humphreys was born in Toronto, lived till he was seven in Los Angeles, then grew up in the UK. All four grandparents were actors, and since his father was an actor as well, it was inevitable he would follow the bloodline.
Chris (C.C.) Humphreys has played Hamlet in Calgary, a gladiator in Tunisia, waltzed in London’s West End, conned the landlord of the Rovers Return in Coronation Street, commanded a starfleet in Andromeda, voiced Salem the cat in the original Sabrina, and is a dead immortal in Highlander. He has written eleven adult novels including The French Executioner, runner-up for the CWA Steel Dagger for Thrillers; Chasing the Wind; The Jack Absolute Trilogy; Vlad – The Last Confession; A Place Called Armageddon and Shakespeare’s Rebel – which he adapted into a play and which premiered at Bard on the Beach, Vancouver, in 2015. Plague won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel in Canada in 2015. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. His epic fantasy series the Immortals’ Blood Trilogy, beginning with Smoke in the Glass' has just been published by Gollancz. He also published his other fantasy series, The Tapestry Trilogy, beginning in August 2020 with ‘The Hunt of the Unicorn’. His foray into modern crime, 'One London Day' was published in 2021. Hie new novel, the World War Two epic romance, 'Someday I'll Find You' is published by Doubleday in Canada on June 6, 2023.
Several of his novels are available as Audiobooks - read by himself! Find him here:
https://www.authorchrishumphreys.com/...
He is translated into thirteen languages. In 2015 he earned his Masters in Fine Arts (Creative Writing) from the University of British Columbia.
Check out his website: http://authorchrishumphreys.com
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 8, 2021
Two Excellent Historical Novels of Restoration London
“Plague” and “Fire” take place in the back-to back catastrophes that struck London under the reign of Charles II, one of the many Great Plagues, and the Great Fire of London, which destroyed much of that city. The stories are told through the eyes of the two protagonists, both of whom are somewhat marginal members of society. Coke is a disinherited knight who makes a living as a highwayman, and Pittman is a Quaker and a thief-taker. They are an odd couple, and being near-outcasts, vulnerable to the vicissitudes of life on the margins. The stories are told skillfully, and the research behind the effortless storytelling was obviously immense.
“Plague” and “Fire” take place in the back-to back catastrophes that struck London under the reign of Charles II, one of the many Great Plagues, and the Great Fire of London, which destroyed much of that city. The stories are told through the eyes of the two protagonists, both of whom are somewhat marginal members of society. Coke is a disinherited knight who makes a living as a highwayman, and Pittman is a Quaker and a thief-taker. They are an odd couple, and being near-outcasts, vulnerable to the vicissitudes of life on the margins. The stories are told skillfully, and the research behind the effortless storytelling was obviously immense.
Displaying 1 of 1 review