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Traitor’s Legacy

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Traitor’s Legacy

By: S. J. Parris
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
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Summary

 THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

INTRODUCING AN INCREDIBLE NEW SERIES FROM THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING MASTER OF HISTORICAL CRIME, S. J. PARRIS

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'Sophia is a dazzling heroine, and the world of late Elizabethan England brimful of plot and conspiracy, is vividly and thrillingly brought to life' LAURA SHEPHERD-ROBINSON

'Right from the intriguing opening pages everything Parris layers into this Elizabethan crime drama screams bestselling series' OBSERVER

'A new historical crime from S. J. Parris is always cause for celebration but she really has excelled herself with Traitor's Legacy' ANDREW TAYLOR

'A writer who repeatedly proves that she is one of the most stylish of historical crime practitioners' FINANCIAL TIMES

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England, 1598. Queen Elizabeth’s successor remains unnamed. The country teeters on a knife edge.

When a young heiress is found murdered at the theatre, the Queen’s spymaster Robert Cecil calls upon former agent Sophia de Wolfe to investigate.

A cryptic note found on the dead girl’s body connects to Sophia’s previous life as a spy, and her quest soon takes her into dangerous waters. Powerful enemies emerge, among them the Earl of Essex: the Queen’s favourite courtier and a man of ruthless ambition.

This is a murder that reaches directly into the heart of the court. And Sophia is concealing a deep-buried secret of her own. She must uncover the truth before her past threatens to destroy her.

Traitor's Legacy was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 12-05-2025

READERS LOVE TRAITOR’S LEGACY…

‘Top class historical crime’ 5 STARS

‘Another fantastic historical thriller from master of the Elizabethan mystery’ 5 STARS

‘A straight 5* for me! A very compelling novel I highly recommend’ 5 STARS

‘The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it kept me reading way past midnight’ 5 STARS

‘Sophia De Wolfe is a truly epic character’ 5 STARS

‘I had very high expectations for this novel. It is excellent. And the even better news it is that this is the first of a new series’ 5 STARS

‘The richly detailed Elizabethan setting and clever twists kept me hooked from start to finish’ 5 STARS

‘The murder mystery is layered with political intrigue, keeping you second-guessing every revelation’ 5 STARS

‘Excellently researched, great plot, beautiful execution. I love the combination of historical menace and a thriller’ 5 STARS

‘S. J. Parris does it again’ 5 STARS

‘I didn't know who to trust or who to believe the whole way along’ 5 STARS

‘Another glorious dive into the murky world of Elizabethan spies and lies’ 5 STARS

‘Loved every minute of this book. More please featuring Sophia!’ 5 STARS

‘I'm already looking forward to book two’ 5 STARS

‘Tense, well-paced, twists that feel real and it’s easy to become immersed in a different world’ 5 STARS

©2025 Stephanie Merritt (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers Historical Historical Fiction Mystery Renaissance Romantic Suspense Suspense Thriller & Suspense England Crime Exciting Espionage Royalty
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Critic reviews

'Right from the intriguing opening pages everything Parris layers into this Elizabethan crime drama screams bestselling series' Observer

'SJ Parris begins what promises to be an equally entertaining new series with this novel set in late Elizabethan England' The Times

‘Sophia is a splendid creation, brave, entrancing, warm and disdainful of convention. Parris writes as vividly about her characters and their feelings as she does about landscape and action. She uses enough modern words and phrases to break down barriers between readers and the 1590s, and her research is impressive’ Literary Review

‘SJ Parris is a writer who repeatedly proves that she is one of the most stylish of historical crime practitioners. Traitor’s Legacy finds England in 1598 awaiting the successor to Elizabeth, and the Queen’s spymaster Robert Cecil asks former agent Sophia de Wolfe to investigate the murder of an heiress. It’s commanding fare’ Financial Times

‘Elizabethan London comes alive in the hands of S. J. Parris […] Traitor’s Legacy, with its many twists and turns, offers an absorbing read. Highly recommended' Historical Novel Society

'S. J. Parris has long been one of my favourite authors of historical crime thrillers, and this new series is every bit as compelling as her wonderful Bruno books. Sophia is a dazzling heroine, and the world of late Elizabethan England, brimful of plot and conspiracy, is vividly and thrillingly brought to life. I loved everything about it' Laura Shepherd-Robinson

'A stone-cold triumph … I hope this will be the first in a long series' S.G. MacLean

‘A new historical crime novel from S.J. Parris is always cause for celebration but she really has excelled herself with Traitor’s Legacy' Andrew Taylor

'Thrilling, taut and utterly involving … a heart-stopping mystery. S.J. Parris brings time, place and protagonist, the deliciously brilliant Sophia de Wolfe, to dark and glorious life' Helen Castor

All stars
Most relevant
As usual with S. J. Parris, Elezabethan London is rendered vividly, providing an atmospheric backdrop to an engaging "whodunnit," that kept me guessing until the reveal. Anyone who's familiar with Parris', mostly, wonderful Giordano Bruno series is likely to be familiar with the name of the main character, even if they struggle to immediately place her. Sofia de Wolfe is an excellent protagonist whose life I look forward to exploring in more detail in future releases.

P.S. The reader also deserves a very great deal of credit. She was impressive in every aspect of her performance.

SJ Parris + Excellent Narratir = Exciting New Series

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The author has excelled herself in this wonderfully exciting adventure set in a historical context. She knows how to engage the reader's curiosity and imagination for a truly entertaining Audible listen which is well delivered by the narrator. I found it so absorbing and hard to set aside that I binged my way through it over a short period of days. Absolutely recommended.

Another winner from Stephanie Merritt aka S.J Parris.

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Read it. Definitely worth your time. Fabulous narration. Best I’ve heard in a long while.

Best I’ve heard since Bruno!

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Fabulous story and fantastic narration. This is a different take on the crime/thriller genre and the setting has enough real historical characters to make it feel properly grounded in the late Elizabethan age. Looking forward to the next instalment!

Complex and unusual

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Loved the story but had to listen at x0.85 speed as narrator reading too fast for me!

Engaging story

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