Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martyr | 2009 | Rory Clements | Buy |
| 2 | Revenger | 2010 | Rory Clements | Buy |
| 3 | Prince | 2011 | Rory Clements | Buy |
| 4 | Traitor | 2012 | Rory Clements | Buy |
| 5 | The Man in the Snow | 2012 | Rory Clements | Buy |
| 6 | The Heretics | 2013 | Rory Clements | Buy |
| 7 | The Queen’s Man | 2014 | Rory Clements | Buy |
| 8 | Holy Spy | 2015 | Rory Clements | Buy |
The John Shakespeare series is set in the dangerous world of Elizabethan espionage. John Shakespeare, imagined as the elder brother of the playwright William, works for Sir Francis Walsingham’s intelligence network, investigating Catholic conspiracies, foreign plots, and threats to Queen Elizabeth’s rule.
Beginning with Martyr in 2009, the eight-book series weaves fictional characters through real historical events. Rory Clements won the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger for the second book, Revenger, and the series has been praised for its detailed recreation of Tudor England alongside its thriller plotting.