In Time of the Poisoned Queen (Nicholas Segalla series, Book 4)

Book excerpt: With so many enemies, how will Nicholas Segalla unravel the web of mysteries? Nicholas Segalla visits Tudor England once again in Paul Doherty's gripping mystery, In the Time of the Poisoned Queen. Perfect for fans of Susanna Gregory and C. J. Sansom. 1558 was a year of sinister and bloody conspiracy in England. Deserted by her husband, Philip of Spain, Queen Mary faces an ever-tightening circle of conspiracy and deceit. Rumours and whispers abound that she, like her first minister Reginald Cardinal Pole, is being slowly murdered by a subtle poison. There are many who would benefit from Mary's death: Catherine de' Medici, Queen of France and 'Mistress of the Poisons'; beautiful Mary, Queen of Scots, heiress presumptive to the throne in the eyes of English Catholics; Pope Paul IV surveys the silken threads of treachery from his perch in Rome; and the Queen's own half-sister, Elizabeth, who takes council from her 'little wizard' William Cecil. Who is behind the letters signed by the 'Four Evangelists'? What is the secret concealed in the phrase 'Mark 15.34'? What does a verse from the Gospels predict about the future succession of England? Nicholas Segalla, a mysterious scholar and diplomat, must thread his way through this web of Byzantine intrigue. What readers are saying about Paul Doherty: 'A cracker, full of twists and turns, with an overarching mystery of who exactly is Segalla' 'Paul Doherty's books are a joy to read' 'The sounds and smells of the period seem to waft from the pages of [Paul Doherty's] books'