The Ashes of London (James Marwood & Cat Lovett, Book 1)

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The Ashes of London presents a breathtakingly ambitious picture of an era ... the multiple narrative strands are drawn together in a brilliantly orchestrated finale' Financial Times I'll bet that in the next book we'll get the sale of London's ashes to Russia so that building projects can move ahead.

FictionDB Marwood and Lovett Series in Order by Andrew Taylor - FictionDB

Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. This is terrific stuff: intelligent, engrossing and, in its evocation of a long-vanished London, wonderfully plausible.' Toby Clements, Daily Telegraph The Roth Trilogy (now also available in an omnibus edition as Requiem for an Angel) was shown on ITV in March 2007. It was a three-part drama series under the title of Fallen Angel, starring Charles Dance and Emilia Fox. The series was broadcast on three consecutive nights, beginning 11 March 2007. Catherine’s story is told almost entirely in the third person, which I thought rather a shame. She is the stronger and more ambiguous character, surprisingly modern in both outlook and reaction to adversity. The Great Fire rages in London. James Marwood, the narrator, who works as an underling reporter for Joseph Williamson, who in turn is in the employ of the Earl of Arlington, is despatched to discover what the feelings on the streets are amongst the populace about the conflagration. James’s father, a printer, was a convicted Fifth Monarchist, who had been imprisoned for participating in Thomas Venner’s 1661 uprising, but is now entering senility.An Old School Tie” is the fourth novel in the “Dougal” series and was released in the year 1986. James Hanbury has reformed himself. Or he would like to. He plans to marry a respectable bride, hoping that he will be respectable by extension. This is due to the fact that his bride, Molly, comes from both money and a good family. The day they return from their honeymoon, she is electrocuted. So the question remains, was it murder or was it an accident? Charleston Parva’s residents believe that it was murder, and accuse James of killing her as soon as he got her money. Feelings in the village soon grow tense. Hansbury turns to Dougal (his old friend and rival) for help, but Dougal is not even close to being convinced the guy is innocent. Dougal knows better than anyone that he is capable of murder. Andrew Taylor has also written a number of novellas with ghostly or other-worldly themes, originally as Kindle Singles. The first three have now been published in print form under the title Fireside Gothic. Fans of the novel found that there is a hero that is a likable guy, interesting supporting characters, and great ending that has a twist to it. The story is simply brilliant, you will be moved along as one thing leads to another, to the very end. You will be up all night reading and reading the novel, trying to see what happens next. Some found that these books are better than the novels that Taylor is known for writing later on in his career. Thrilling... Gripping, fast-moving and credible... It's a well-constructed political thriller with moments of horror, admirable and enjoyable. Taylor has done his research so thoroughly as to be unobtrusive' Spectator

Book review: The Ashes Of London by Andrew Taylor Book review: The Ashes Of London by Andrew Taylor

In this elegant, engrossing novel set during an extraordinary period, Taylor skilfully presents a London in which so many must still pay the price for the Civil War and the murder of King Charles I' Sunday Express England won the final one-day international in Taunton by 69 runs on Tuesday to take the 50-over series 2-1 and draw the series. As the Great Fire burns the heart of London in 1666, political manipulators and religious fundamentalists struggle behind the scenes for control of the kingdom.Andrew Taylor provides a masterclass in how to weave a well-researched history into a complex plot.' The Times, Books of the Year

The Last Protector by Andrew Taylor | Waterstones The Last Protector by Andrew Taylor | Waterstones

It’s a heavyweight piece and solid historical fiction, if perhaps not Taylor’s finest. The ending, although tying these events up in a perfectly satisfactory style, still felt slightly open, like a sequel might be in the offing.Australia retained the Women's Ashes despite it finishing 8-8 on points in the multi-format series.

Book Series In Order Andrew Taylor - Book Series In Order

In the year 2007, “The Roth Trilogy” was made into a three part drama for television that starred Emilia Fox and Charles Dance. It was given the title “Fallen Angel”. The story behind The Silent Boy". Upcoming4.me. 4 September 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014 . Retrieved 6 September 2014. Even if you've read Pepys on the Great Fire you don't get as vivid a portrait as Taylor gives in this novel. The heat, the winds, the burning embers, the almost spontaneous flaming and the fact that it went on for months after the main fire was subdued are all vividly portrayed in this novel, which is apparently the first in a series. With Charles I beheaded and Oliver Cromwell in his grave, King Charles II has claimed the throne. Now his reign is threatened by unrepentant republicans, the most radical being the Fifth Monarchists who want a Puritan theocracy with King Jesus as ruler. Trapped in these shenanigans are Catherine “Cat” Lovett, whose father fought against Charles I, and James Marwood, whose father, now pardoned, followed Cromwell. While seeking her father in the aftermath of the fire, Cat lives with her Alderley cousins, who resent and exploit her. Meantime Marwood has been extorted into working for Whitehall by a shadowy figure he knows as Williamson, a man who apparently has significant influence with the king, Privy Council, and Common Council. Williamson demands Marwood find Cat’s father, still a threat. Soon Cat and Marwood find themselves in danger. Taylor's ( The Silent Boy, 2015, etc.) characterizations are distinctive, with Marwood cautious, constantly worried his physically weak and senile father will be returned to prison; and Cat fascinated by architecture, pushing against social barriers to become assistant to Master Hakesby, an artist rendering Christopher Wren’s plans to rebuild St. Paul’s Cathedral. Taylor is marvelous at replicating a historical world that might otherwise be relegated to dusty history books, especially through his renditions of the era’s arch speech and his approach to class and status. Additionally, when a character remarks after an assault that “it was well known that young women were lascivious creatures,” Taylor again shows his talent for adding depth by weaving in examples of the historical subjugation and oppression of women. It’s worth noting that these fascinating minutiae interlaced into the narrative have no negative effect on focus or pace.Marwood is the better-drawn; everyman, trying to do right, trying to advance in the world while being unwillingly dragged into murder, plots and political secrets. He relates much of the always believable action in the first person and his gentle, sometimes frustrated, relationship with his dementia-affected father provides a touching counterpoint to the world of envy, self-seeking, debauchery, machinations and brutality in which he finds himself. My goodness I enjoyed The Ashes of London. It opens dramatically and continues with a fast, sometimes brutal, pace that makes the plot fly past right up to the exciting end. I was entirely entranced by Andrew Taylor’s writing. His style is accessible and yet authentic for the era with direct speech especially well attuned to convey class, social standing and gender. There were a number of times that I wanted to query a character or the author but each time it was immediately followed by Taylor's explanation or justification.