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Book Review – A Plague of Serpents by K. J. Maitland

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About the Book

Book cover of A Plague of Serpents by K. J. Maitland

London, 1608. Three years after the Gunpowder Treason, the King’s enemies prepare to strike again.

Daniel Pursglove is tasked by royal command with one final mission: he must infiltrate the Serpents – a secret group of Catholics plotting to kill the King – or risk his own execution. But other conspirators are circling, men who would blackmail Daniel for their own dark ends.

In the Serpents’ den, nothing is quite as it seems. And when Daniel spies a familiar face among their number, the game takes a dangerous turn.

As plague returns to London, tensions reach breaking point. Can Daniel escape the web of treason in which he finds himself ensnared – or has his luck finally run out?

Format: eARC (432 pages) Publisher: Headline
Publication date: 25th April 2024 Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

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My Review

A Plague of Serpents is the fourth and final book in the author’s Daniel Pursglove series comprising The Drowned City, Traitor in the Ice and Rivers of Treason. (Links from each title will take you to my reviews.) The author is renowned for constructing complex plots and this book is no exception. In addition there are many characters to get to know, not all of whom may be what they profess to be, and the true identity of others remains shrouded in mystery. For these reasons I think it would be a struggle to fully enjoy the book without having read the previous three. To be honest, I struggled a bit for a time and I have read all three! (If you don’t have the time or inclination to read the series from the beginning but would like to experience the author’s work then I’d suggest trying one of her standalone historical novels such as The Plague Charmer set in the time of the Black Death.)

The thread that runs through all the Daniel Pursglove books is the search for Spero Pettingar, the only conspirator involved in the Gunpowder Plot who is still at large. As I mentioned in my review of the first book in the series, it wasn’t until I read the historical notes at the end of the book that I realised Spero Pettingar was a real historical figure. For much of the book, I was convinced his name was an anagram! Although having said that, perhaps there is some significance to his peculiar name after all…

King James remains conscious of the continued threat to his life, taking elaborate precautions to prevent being poisioned. He’s right to be vigilant because there are at least two groups who would like to see him dead, either to put their own choice of successor on the throne or to have no monarch at all. And if one group does the job for the other, all well and good.

It’s not just in the Royal court that there exists an atmosphere of mistrust. It’s the same in wider society as well, especially if you’re secretly practising the Catholic faith. ‘Friends, neighbours, brothers, servants, even your own children were not to be trusted. Anyone could be bribed or threatened.’

Daniel makes a spirited hero who’s handy with a dagger, able to blend into the shadows and an expert at ‘charming’ locks. Although the master of narrow escapes, even he makes the odd mistake with the result that he finds himself in some dangerous situations. There are lots of people who want to find out exactly what he knows and don’t have any compunction in using force to do so.

Natural phenomena have provided the background to all the books. In The Drowned City it was a devastating wave in the Bristol Channel, in Traitor in the Ice it was the Great Frost of 1607 and in Rivers of Treason it was the impact of the previous two on the livelihoods of the population: farmland ruined by salt from the flood, cattle and sheep drowned or frozen and winter wheat wiped out by frost. This time the Black Death is making a stealthy return and no-one is safe from that.

As always, the author conjures up the sights, sounds and smells of London – the latter being invariably unpleasant. We’re taken to familiar places like taverns and markets, but also introduced to occupations such as palterer, gong farmer and clank napper. If you’ve no idea what the last three are, check out the Glossary in which you’ll find the answers along with definitions of things such as ‘stool ducketts’, ‘muggets’ and ‘furuncles’. Oh, and whether you should take offence if you’re called a ‘snoutband’ or a ‘princock’.

As the book moves towards its close, we finally learn more about the events in Daniel’s past that have haunted his dreams and left him with an overwhelming sense of guilt for so long. There is also a final reckoning involving two key figures in Daniel’s life. However, the author resists the temptation to tie everything up leaving the reader to imagine for themselves what the future holds for some of the characters we’ve got to know.

I received a review copy courtesy of Headline via NetGalley.

In three words: Intricate, immersive, suspenseful
Try something similar: The Sinner’s Mark by S. W. Perry

About the Author

Author Karen Maitland aka K. J. Maitland

Karen Maitland is an historical novelist, lecturer and teacher of Creative Writing, with over twenty books to her name. She grew up in Malta, which inspired her passion for history, and travelled and worked all over the world before settling in the United Kingdom. She has a doctorate in psycholinguistics, and now lives on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon. (Photo/bio credit: Author website)

Connect with Karen
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Spotlight: BBC Radio 4 Bookclub

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BBC Radio 4’s Bookclub has been broadcast monthly for coming up to twenty-five years. It’s hosted by James Naughtie, former presenter of Radio 4’s flagship current affairs programme Today, and himself the author of several books, both fiction and nonfiction. The books chosen are usually the best-known novels by an author rather than the latest releases.

To create an atmosphere similar to a regular book club, the number of participants is kept small. However, unlike most book clubs, the author of the book being discussed is always present giving the audience of readers a chance to ask questions and listen to the always fascinating answers.

I’ve been lucky enough to attend four recordings of the programme so far:

  • Donal Ryan discussing his book The Spinning Heart which is set in the aftermath of Ireland’s financial collapse in 2008. A companion novel, Heart, Be At Peace, set ten years later, will be published in August 2024.
  • Graeme Macrae Burnet talking about his novel His Bloody Project which involves a triple murder that takes place in a small village in Scotland in 1869. It was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2016. A Case of Matricide, the third book featuring French detective Georges Gorski will be published in December 2024.
  • Clare Chambers discussing her book Small Pleasures set in 1950s south-east London and longlisted for the Womens Prize for Fiction 2021. Her new novel, Shy Creatures, set in London in 1964 will be published in August 2024.
  • Lucy Caldwell talking about her novel These Days set in Belfast in 1941 which won the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2023. (The programme will be broadcast on 2nd June 2024). Her short story collection, Openings, was published in April.
Flatlay of book covers The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan, His Bloody Priject by Graeme Macrae Burnet, Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers and These Days by Lucy Caldwell

How can I attend a Bookclub recording?

It’s free to attend recordings which take place at BBC Broadcasting House in London either at lunchtime or early evening. You can book yourself a place via the Bookclub website where you’ll find dates and details of upcoming recordings. (The next one is Marlon James talking about his book, A Brief History of Seven Killings.) There are also links to the archive of past recordings with over 350 previous episodes available to listen to.

What happens at a recording?

If you’re successful in bagging yourself a place, you’ll need to arrive at BBC Broadcasting House at least 15 minutes before the recording start time. There will be a table set up in the main reception where you collect your pass. You’ll need to show some form of photo ID. Any bags will need to be scanned by security. The audience services team will then guide you to the room in which the recording is taking place.

Once you’re there, James Naughtie will introduce the author and set out some house rules including, most importantly, turning off your mobile phone. You’ll have been invited to submit questions in advance but it doesn’t matter if you haven’t, you can just put your hand up on the day and wait for James to spot you. A microphone will then appear in front of you to enable you to ask your question. The programme is recorded so you don’t need to worry about fluffing your lines! If you don’t want to ask a question that’s no problem, you can just sit back and listen. There’ll be around 40 to 50 minutes of questions and answers which will then be edited down to just under thirty minutes by producer Nicola Holloway and her team. At the end, there’s usually an opportunity to have the author sign your copy of their book. As well as being a great opportunity to listen to an author talk about their book, I’ve found it a fascinating insight into what goes into recording a radio programme.

Perhaps I’ll see you at a future recording!