Thieves' Castle
(The Tyburn Folios
Book 2)
By Dean Hamilton
London 1576.
Kit Tyburn, ex-soldier turned play-actor and part-time intelligencer for the Queen’s spymaster Francis Walsingham, is back in London and adrift. Penniless, cut loose from both his playing troupe and his mercurial employer, Tyburn is hired to track down a missing gold-seller who has vanished, along with the monies needed for the completion of London’s first permanent theatre.
But London’s dark and fetid back-alleys hide deadly secrets, as Tyburn uncovers a more treacherous game – a war between two noble houses that pulls him into a murderous conflict on the streets, a deadly Spanish conspiracy and a twisted thief-lord chasing her vengeance.
“I know you have a
talent for turning over rocks and setting everything under them running...”
Oh yes, Christopher Tyburn has a talent
for making things run. That was why he worked part-time for spymaster
Walsingham. In his other life, he is a play-actor for Worcester’s Men, but he
has been away for too long, there is no place left for him on the stage.
James Burbage, however, might offer him
employment, but not on the stage as Tyburn would prefer. Burbage is building a
theatre, but his gold-seller has gone missing, along with Burbage’s money and
papers. Without them, Burbage cannot build his theatre — his grand cathedral
dedicated to the arts. If Tyburn can find the gold-seller along with the money,
then that is worth at least 20 shillings.
However, as Tyburn begins to turn over the
stones, he finds himself in the middle of a murderous war between two noble
houses and tangled in the latest Spanish conspiracy. But, it is the vengeance
of one woman that threatens to destroy them all.
From the capricious Channel wind to the
seemingly lawless streets of Southwark, Thieves’ Castle (The Tyburn Folios #2)
by Dean Hamilton is the highly anticipated sequel to the widely acclaimed The
Jesuit Letter.
It has been a long wait for book #2 in The
Tyburn Folios series, but it was certainly worth it. As rich and as vibrant in detail as any of Shakespeare’s plays, Thieves’ Castle
has it all — warring houses, intrigues, violence, love, death, a spymaster, and
a plot that will keep you up until late into the night while at the same time
you sincerely hope that the story will never end. This is the kind of book that
reminds me why Historical Fiction is my favourite genre.
I thought the characterisation of
Christopher’ Kit’ Tyburn was wonderfully drawn. His story is tense, shamelessly
compelling, and utterly captivating. I was not only thoroughly entertained by
Hamilton’s depiction of Tyburn, but I was also wholly enchanted. Hamilton
writes with imagination and a great sense of energy, which made this book
absolutely irresistible from start to finish.
It is clear that Hamilton has
painstakingly researched the era that this book is set in. He also seems to
have an almost intimate knowledge of the people who lived during this time, and
he writes seemingly effortlessly. Hamilton’s portrayal of James Burbage was
simply divine, and it was exactly as I imagined him to be. All of the
supporting characters, whether real or fictional, are given the same care and
attention to detail as Tyburn, and although many come into the story and depart
very quickly, we still get a sense of who they are and why they do what they
did.
Hamilton's depiction of the backstreets of
London and the theatre has to be commended. Hamilton spares no detail at the
deprivation of areas such as Southwark. The depravity which seemed to run
alongside the players and the theatre is immortalised in Hamilton’s crystalline
prose and wonderful narrative.
Although this is the second book in the
series, Thieves’ Castle stands very firmly on its own two feet and can be read
comfortably as a standalone.
This novel is a real treat for lovers of
Elizabethan historical fiction, but it would also appeal to those who like to
read a tautly gripping historical thriller. Thieves’ Castle (The Tyburn Folios
#2) will undoubtedly appeal to fans of Bernard Cornwell’s fabulous Fools and
Mortals. I cannot wait to get my hands on book 3 of this not to be missed
series.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.
Pick up your copy
of
Thieves' Castle
Dean
Hamilton
Dean Hamilton
was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He spent the first half of his
childhood chasing around the prairies and western Canada before relocating to
Toronto, Ontario. He has three degrees (BA, MA & MBA), reads an
unhealthy amount of history, works as a marketing professional by day and
prowls the imaginary alleyways of the Elizabethan era in his off-hours. Much of
his winter is spent hanging around hockey arenas and shouting at referees. He
is married, with a son, a dog, and a small herd of cats.
He is the
author of the gripping Elizabethan era thriller The Jesuit Letter. Thieves’
Castle is the second book in the Tyburn Folios series.
