The Tyrant&39s Shadow [Paperback]

England, 1652: since Charles I's execution the land has remained untethered, the people longing for change. When Patience Johnson meets preacher Sidrach Simmonds, she believes her destiny is to become his wife and help him spread the Lord's word. Simmonds sees things quite differently. Patience's brother Will has been bestowed the job of lawyer to Oliver Cromwell. Tasked with aiding England's most powerful man, he must try to overcome his grief after the loss of his wife. Then Sam Challoner, Will's brother-in-law, returns unannounced after years in exile, forcing Will and Patience to question their loyalties: one to a ruler, the other, a spouse. Who do they choose to save? Themselves, their loved ones or their country.

"There are echoes ofThe Miniaturistin this picture of a seventeenth century marriage but Antonia Senior's depiction is more complex. The particular setting ofThe Tyrant's Shadow, in the turbulent wake of the civil wars, means the stakes are stratospherically high, making the novel as much a political thriller as a domestic drama . . . . a gripping journey that twists and turns to the very final page. This is refined historical fiction at its very best." —Liz Freemantle

"An extraordinarily good historical novel by an author at the top of her game . . . If there's any justice in the world, it should be a bestseller." —Andrew Taylor

"Fresh and fearless historical fiction set in a fascinating era. And featuring top swearing. Loved it." —Anna Mazzola

"[Senior's] vivid characters [capture] this chaotic era with a lively sense of how it must have felt to those living through it'." —The Times

"A terrific read . . . confidently written." —Daily Mail

Antonia Senioris a former staff writer forThe Timesand the author ofTreason's Daugl&