Crime Historical 2006

File Updated: 05/02/2007

Tangled Web UK: New Crime Historical Titles 2006

Simon Levack City of Spies Pbk published May 2006 by Simon & Schuster at Ł10.99 ISBN: 0 7432 6839 3

Mexico. 1517. The Aztec Empire.
Tetzcoco, the second city of the Aztec realm, is a bustling, cosmopolitan town: a city of poets, artists and legendary kings. It’s also a place torn by unrest as rival claimants fight over the throne, and spies and assassins stalk each other through the streets.
It’s here that Yaotl seeks refuge from his master, the Aztec Chief Minister. Lord Feathered-in-Black has decided to rid himself of his disobedient slave and plans to have Yaotl sacrificed in the most gruesome manner possible - provided he can catch him first.
Yaotl’s former lover Lily is in Tetzcoco too on a mission of her own. A mission that goes badly wrong with the discovery of a bloodstained corpse - and Lily’s arrest for murder. Yaotl faces a desperate race against time to find the evidence that will prove Lily’s innocence - and save her from execution.
But the wily slave’s search for the truth will lead him into a lethal trap, laid for him by his most pitiless and implacable enemy ...
The wily slave Yaotl also featured in Demon of the Air: winner of the Crime Writers’ Association’s Debut Dagger Award
'Fascinating… I loved the black humour' Conn Iggulden
‘Gripping and always surprising ... a most rewarding read’ Guardian
‘An exciting murder mystery mixed with a mordant sense of humour. . A marvellous read’ Paul DohertyThousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
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Simon Levack Aztec: Shadow of the Lords Pbk published February 2006 by Simon & Schuster at Ł6.99 ISBN: 0743468155

Mexico, 1517. The Aztec capital is awash with fear. A strange figure has been seen running through the streets. A being with the face of a snake, his body covered with glittering green plumage. Is it an omen? Or has QuetzalcoatI, the Feathered Serpent himself, come to warn of impending disaster?
Yaotl, the Chief Minister’s slave, has more immediate matters to worry about. Engaged in a desperate search for his son, he’s on the run from his vengeful master, the all-powerful Lord Feathered-in-Black.
Attempting to escape his master’s bloodthirsty warriors, Yaotl stumbles upon a dismembered, unrecognisable corpse. As he pieces together the clues to who the dead man was and how he died, Yaotl finds himself drawn into an affair of greed, jealousy and lust among the ancient, secretive society of the feather workers, the Aztecs’ foremost craftsmen.
But before he can solve the mystery, Yaotl will need his wits about him simply to stay alive - for Lord Feathered-in-Black and his henchmen are never far away .. .
Praise for Simon Levack
‘The adventure proves gripping and always surprising, and uses its historical background to perfection. A most rewarding read’ Guardian
‘The tale makes for a neat twist on the historical detective story and is packed full with details of an Aztec world at its height. A formidable debut’ Good Book Guide
‘Fascinatingly complex and unusual, providing intriguing insights into a coherent and brutal society; the language, food, customs and family. I loved the black humour’ Conn Iggulden
‘An exciting murder mystery mixed with a mordant sense of humour, Demon of the Air is one of the few novels to vividly recreate and clearly describe the glorious but bloodsoaked culture of the Aztec empire ... A marvellous read’ Paul Doherty
`The storyline is intriguing, with sufficient wit and humour to balance the bloodthirsty descriptions of torture and brutality that were the norm in Aztec society ... The writing is excellent, and given the unusual setting and the intriguing ‘whodunnit’ component of the story, I suspect the wily slave Yaotl will join the ranks of Brother Cadfael and Marcus Falco as another favourite historical sleuth’ Bernard KnightThousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
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Peter Tremayne A Prayer for the Damned Published September 2006 by Headline at Ł19.99 ISBN: 0 7553 2836 1
A Novel of Ancient Ireland
Murder and Mayhem on a wedding day is the ultimate nightmare of any bride. But when the bride is Fidelma of Cashel then the nightmare is catastrophic. The murder, unless resolved quickly, could lead to war between the northern and southern kingdoms of Ireland.
Cashel, February, AD 668. The ancient capital of Muman is athrong with distinguished visitors. Even the High King, Sechnassach, with all the provincial kings, nobles and their entourages, have come to King Colgu’s fortress. The reason? Having been officially together for a year and a day, under the old Irish custom, Fidelma of Cashel and Eadulf of Seaxmund’s Ham are to celebrate their marriage.
But on the eve of the ceremony the pious Abbot Ultan of Cill Ria is found murdered in his guest chamber. A believer in celibacy among the religious, he had come to protest the marriage.
Muirchertach Nar, King of Connacht, witnessed fleeing from the scene, is charged with the murder. He demands his right to appoint Fidelma in his defence. But is Abbot Ultan the pious man he was thought to be? Fidelma discovers that many of the guests have cause to hate him.
It is a long weekend of suspicion, fear and more death before Fidelma and Eadulf are able to reveal, to the restless and querulous guests, the truth behind Ultan’s murder...
Praise for the widely acclaimed Sister Fidelma mysteries:
`The background detail is brilliantly defined ...wonderfully evocative’ The times
`Definitely an Ellis Peters competitor’ Evening Standard
‘Sister Fidelma is fast becoming a world ambassador for ancient Irish culture’ Irish Post
‘This masterly storytelling from an author who breathes fascinating life into the world he is writing about’ Belfast Telegraph
‘A brilliant and beguiling heroine. Immensely appealing… difficult to put down’ Publishers Weekly
‘The detail of the books is fascinating, giving us a vivid picture of everyday life at this time ... the most detailed and vivid recreations of ancient Ireland’ Irish Examiner

About The Author
Peter Tremayne is the fiction pseudonym of Peter Berresford Ellis, a well-known authority on the ancient Celts, who has utilised his knowledge of the Brehon law system and seventh century Irish society to create a new concept in detective fiction.
An international Sister Fidelma Society has been established, with a journal entitled The Brehon appearing three times yearly. Details can be obtained either by writing to the Society at PO Box 1899, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-1899, USA, or by logging on to the Society website at wwwsisterfidelma.com. Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
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Peter Tremayne Master of Souls Pbk published March 2006 by Headline at Ł6.99 ISBN: 0 7553 0228 1

A Novel of Ancient Ireland
On a stormy night, wreckers drive a ship on to a rocky shore. An Abbess leading a pilgrimage is killed and the young religieuse with her are abducted. A scholar is murdered in the Abbey of Ard Fhearta. Are these events connected?
In a harsh, unforgiving seventh-century Irish landscape, Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf investigate the mystery. But the abbey stands in enemy territory and danger threatens Fidelma and Eadulf from the moment of their arrival.
Who is the mysterious `master of souls’ spreading death and corruption across the land? Has Uaman the Leper, Lord of the Passes, returned from the dead?
Praise for the Sister Fidelma series:
`This is masterly storytelling from an author who breathes fascinating life into the world he is writing about’ Belfast Telegraph
`Rich helpings of evil and tension with lively and varied characters’ Historical Novels Review
About The Author
Peter Tremayne is the fiction pseudonym of Peter Berresford Ellis, a well-known authority on the ancient Celts, who has utilised his knowledge of the Brehon law system and seventh century Irish society to create a new concept in detective fiction.
An international Sister Fidelma Society has been established, with a journal entitled The Brehon appearing three times yearly. Details can be obtained either by writing to the Society at PO Box 1899, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-1899, USA, or by logging on to the Society website at wwwsisterfidelma.com. Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online