#BookReview Treason by James Jackson 20BooksOfSummer23

About the Book

‘Remember, Remember, the Fifth of November…’

Behind the famous rhyme lies a murderous conspiracy that goes far beyond Guy Fawkes and his ill-fated Gunpowder Plot . . .

In a desperate race against time, spy Christian Hardy must uncover a web of deceit that runs from the cock-fighting pits of Shoe Lane, to the tunnels beneath a bear-baiting arena in Southwark, and from the bad lands of Clerkenwell to a brutal firefight in The Globe theatre.

But of the forces ranged against Hardy, all pale beside the renegade Spanish agent codenamed Realm.

Format: Paperback (336 pages) Publisher: Zaffre
Publication date: 19th October 2017  Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery

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My Review

I was first introduced to this book when I took part in the blog tour back in November 2017. (The timing was not accidental.) At the time I couldn’t fit in a review, only publish an extract, and unbelievably it’s taken me nearly six years to get round to reading it. Treason is the third book in the author’s series featuring ‘intelligencer’ Christian Hardy. There are references to key events in previous books which would probably spoil your enjoyment of the first two in the series if you haven’t read them so I’d recommend either reading the series from the beginning or treat this, as I did, as a standalone. (There is a subsequent book, Cradle, an excerpt from which appears at the end of Treason.)

Christian Hardy is a bit of a James Bond figure, probably more Daniel Craig than Sean Connery by now because his first adventure (in Blood Rock) was set in 1565, his second (in Realm) was set in 1588 and Treason opens in 1591 although the main action takes place from 1604 onwards. So it seems time has been kind to him because he’s still a formidable swordsman as well as being a bit of a one for the ladies. He’s ruthless when he needs to be which, as it happens, turns out to be a lot of the time and expert in eliciting information whether that’s at the point of knife or in the bedroom. ‘Everyone had vulnerabilities and diverse motives and Hardy was the master of exploiting both. Either through desire or greed or love or fear, humans were instruments demanding to be played.’

In case this might make Hardy seem a one-dimensional action man, his life has not been without personal tragedy, mainly at the hands of a man known as Realm. He has become Hardy’s arch-enemy, if not nemesis. Realm is an utterly ruthless character who appears to get a kick out of killing. Although there are few really graphic descriptions of his actions there’s enough to give you a sense of his sadistic nature. ‘Wherever he roamed and whatever he touched, devastation seemed to result.’

Blending fiction with historical fact, Treason is a race-against-time adventure with Hardy, under the direction of Robert Cecil, seeking to unmask and frustrate the group of Catholics nobles – and the man we know as Guy Fawkes – in their plan to assassinate James I. Ah yes, Cecil. What book set in Tudor or Stuart times would be complete without one of the Cecil family? In Treason, he’s a sort of ‘M’ to Hardy’s James Bond, directing affairs from Westminster and, like a chess player, always seemingly several moves ahead of everyone else. There are also walk-on parts for other historical personages, including William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson, who converse in snappy dialogue, exchanging witticisms and pithy retorts.

As we know from history, the Gunpowder plot failed and those involved met a grisly end but the author manages to introduce enough twists and breathtaking escapes from death into the story to maintain the readers interest and make Treason an accomplished historical thriller.

In three words: Action-packed, suspensful, spirited

Try something similar: Rivers of Treason by K. J. Maitland

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About the Author

Sunday Times bestselling author James Jackson has written numerous historical and contemporary thrillers, including three previous Christian Hardy novels Blood Rock, Realm and Treason. He is a former political risk consultant and a postgraduate in military studies. He was called to the Bar and is member of the Inner Temple. He lives in London. (Photo: Author website)

Connect with James
Website | Goodreads