Peter McLean – författare

Gangster, soldier, priest. Queen''s Man. Governor.''If you haven''t yet picked up this riveting and unique series, I highly recommend you do'' Fantasy Book Critic Tomas Piety has everything he ever wanted. In public he''s a wealthy, highly respected businessman, happily married to a beautiful woman and governor of his home city of Ellinburg. In private, he''s no longer a gang lord, head of the Pious Men, but one of the Queen''s Men, invisible and officially non-existent, working in secret to protect his country.The queen''s sudden death sees him summoned him back to the capital - where he discovers his boss, Dieter Vogel, Provost Marshal of the Queen''s Men, is busy tightening his stranglehold on the country.Just as he once fought for his Pious Men, Tomas must now bend all his wit and hard-won wisdom to protect his queen - even when he can''t always tell if he''s on the right side.Tomas has started to ask himself, what is the price of power? And more importantly, is it one he is willing to pay? ''If you like your fantasy with a side of dark and gritty, you won''t want to miss this'' CHRISTINA HENRY, bestselling author of The Girl in Red on Priest of Lies

''Praise be to Our Lady of Eternal Sorrows, and blessed be the Ascended Martyr.'' Those were the words on lips of the faithful: Blessed be the Ascended Martyr, and woe betide you if you thought otherwise. The word Unbeliever had become a death sentence on the streets in those days.Gangster, soldier, priest. Governor, knight, and above all, Queen''s Man.Once, Tomas Piety looked after his men, body and soul, as best he could. Then those who ran his country decided his dark talents would better serve in the corridors of power. Crushed by the power of the Queen''s Men and with the Skanian menace rising once more on the streets of Ellinburg, Tomas Piety is forced to turn to old friends, old debts and untrustworthy alliances. Meanwhile in the capital city of Dannsburg, Dieter Vogel is beginning to wonder if the horror he has unleashed in the Martyr''s Disciples might be getting out of control.With revolution brewing and tragedy and terrorism running rife in the cities, Piety and Vogel must each weigh the cost of a crown.

Eline is a mother, a wife, and a survivor. But her life is about to change dramatically. Following an act of horrific - if righteous - vengeance, Eline is blackmailed into the service of the Queen''s Men. She knows it will be a hard life of violence and fear. But Eline will do what it takes to survive, and to protect her children . . . and if she''s lucky, she won''t die in the process.But the Queen''s Men aren''t just asking her to risk herself. They''re asking her to risk everything she knows and loves. And if she fails . . . civil war and the deaths of everyone she loves will be just the beginning.A stand-alone novel set in the world of the War for the Rose Throne, perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie and Alex Marshall, featuring an incredible and unforgettable female anti-hero.

''Charismatic and very more-ish'' - Mark Lawrence, bestselling author of Red Sister''Sixty-five thousand battle-shocked, trained killers came home to no jobs, no food and the plague. What did Her Majesty think was going to happen?''Tomas Piety takes his duties seriously: as a soldier, as a priest of Our Lady of Eternal Sorrows and as a leader of men. He has come home from the war to reclaim his family business, to provide for his men and to ensure the horrors of Abingon can never happen in Ellinburg. But things have changed: his crime empire has been stolen and the people of Ellinburg - his people - have run out of food and hope and places to hide. With his best friend Bloody Anne, his war-damaged brother Jochan and his new gang, the Pious Men, Tomas sets out to reclaim what was his.And as Tomas is dragged into a web of political intrigue by the sinister Queen''s Men, forced to work against the foreign infiltrators lurking in the backstreet taverns, brothels and gambling dens of the Stink, one thing becomes clear.The war has just begun.''Fans of Daniel Polansky, Mark Lawrence or, dare I say, Blackwing will most appreciate this book'' - Ed McDonald, author of Blackwing

''Peaky Blinders with swords'' (Barnes & Noble), perfect for fans of Mark Lawrence and Joe Abercrombie.''The poorer and more oppressed people are, the weaker they become - until they just refuse to take it any more. Then they will rise up, and the gods help their oppressors.''When Tomas Piety and his Pious Men returned from the war, he just wanted to rebuild his crime empire and look after his people. But the sinister Queen''s Men had different ideas and whether he likes it or not, he''s now a spy as well.Now, half the city of Ellinburg lies in ashes and the webs of political intrigue are stretching out from the Queen''s capital to pull Tomas in. Dannsburg is calling. In Dannsburg the nobility fight with words, not blades, but the results are every bit as bloody. In this pit of beasts, Tomas must decide once and for all whether he is truly the people''s champion . . . or just a priest of lies.And as Tomas'' power grows, the nobility had better watch their backs . . .