S. G. MacLean – författare

A GRIPPING HISTORICAL THRILLER SET IN INVERNESS IN THE WAKE OF THE 1746 BATTLE OF CULLODEN.''This slice of historical fiction takes you on a wild ride'' THE TIMESAfter Culloden, Iain MacGillivray was left for dead on Drummossie Moor. Wounded, his face brutally slashed, he survived only by pretending to be dead as the Redcoats patrolled the corpses of his Jacobite comrades.Six years later, with the clan chiefs routed and the Highlands subsumed into the British state, Iain lives a quiet life, working as a bookseller in Inverness. One day, after helping several of his regular customers, he notices a stranger lurking in the upper gallery of his shop, poring over his collection. But the man refuses to say what he''s searching for and only leaves when Iain closes for the night.The next morning Iain opens up shop and finds the stranger dead, his throat cut, and the murder weapon laid out in front of him - a sword with a white cockade on its hilt, the emblem of the Jacobites. With no sign of the killer, Iain wonders whether the stranger discovered what he was looking for - and whether he paid for it with his life. He soon finds himself embroiled in a web of deceit and a series of old scores to be settled in the ashes of war.******************PRAISE FOR THE BOOKSELLER OF INVERNESS''Fresh and intriguing . . . Her best yet'' ANDREW TAYLOR''Everything you could ask for from a historical thriller'' ANTONIA HODGSON''An intricately wrought, compulsively page-turning tale'' CRAIG RUSSELL''A first rate historical thriller'' 5* READER REVIEW''From the moment I began reading I was hooked'' 5* READER REVIEW''Hugely entertaining . . . fast paced, twisting and turning'' 5* READER REVIEW

Summer, 1660. Cromwell is dead and Charles Stuart has been restored to the throne. Men who supported the Protectorate are being hunted down as traitors. ''S. G. MacLean can make any historical period sing with life'' Antonia HodgsonBy the summer of 1660 the last remnants of the Republic have been swept away and the Stuarts have been restored under their king, Charles II. A list of regicides believed to be involved in the death of Charles I is drawn up. Gruesome executions begin to take place and the hunt intensifies for those who have gone into hiding at home or abroad.Although not a regicide, staunch Republican Damian Seeker is on a list of traitors to the king. Royalist spy, Lady Anne Winter, is employed to find evidence of guilt or innocence among the names on this Winter List. Seeker has fled England but his beloved daughter Manon remains, married to Seeker''s friend, the lawyer Lawrence Ingolby, and living in York.As the conduit to her father and to others on the Winter List and surrounded by spies and watchers, Manon lives in constant danger and fear of discovery. One of those spies is closer than even she could have imagined.Perfect for fans of Robert Harris and Andrew Taylor.******************************Praise for The Winter List ''A wonderful storyteller'' The Times ''Vividly imaginative, this builds the world of 1660 from the ground up, with all its romance and tragedy'' Sun ''A propulsive plot . . . well-researched and fascinating'' Guardian''Gripping fiction with historical fact'' Sunday Times''What a fabulous book . . . there is murder, there is intrigue, there is revenge'' 5* Reader Review''Kept me hooked right up to the end'' 5* Reader Review''A glorious tale of revenge and retribution . . . Highly recommended'' 5* Reader Review

Experience the story from start to finish with this complete collection of the Alexander Seaton Series from prize-winning author S. G. MacLean.Scotland, 1620s.Alexander Seaton''s life is in tatters. Once a minister, he has been cast out of the kirk in disgrace after his affair with the Laird''s daughter was discovered.When a body is discovered in Seaton''s house and his own friend is accused of murder, Seaton decides to investigate. And so begins a new chapter of his life.Join Seaton as sets he investigates poisoners, witchcraft and murder - embarking on a journey through the darkest parts of other men''s souls, as well as his own.A sleuth to rival Shardlake and Cadfael, these are the perfect novels for readers of Rory Clements and S. J. Parris. *******************Praise for S. G. MacLean''Transports your body and soul to another time and place'' Craig Russell''A delight on all levels . . . engaging and moving'' Manda Scott''MacLean is a terrific storyteller'' Big Issue''Truly memorable and exciting'' Historical Novels Review''Seaton is a compelling flawed yet indomitable figure'' Scottish Field

Experience the story from start to finish with this complete collection of the Captain Damian Seeker Series from prize-winning author S. G. MacLean.London, 1654. Oliver Cromwell is at the height of his power and has declared himself Lord Protector. Yet he has many enemies, at home and abroad.The city is a teeming warren of spies and merchants, priests and soldiers, exiles and assassins. One of the web''s most fearsome spiders is Damian Seeker, agent of the Lord Protector. No one knows where Seeker comes from, who his family is, or even his real name. All that is known of him for certain is that he is utterly loyal to Cromwell, and that nothing can be hidden from him.Spies, plotters and murderers have all met their match in the mysterious and cutthroat Seeker. Join him as he roots out royalist plots and investigates murders in this thrilling series.*************************Praise for S. G. MacLean''MacLean''s characters are subtle and convincing'' Sunday Times''One of the best writers of historical crime'' The Times''Gold-plated research'' Daily Mail''Transports your body and soul to another time and place'' Craig Russell''A delight on all levels . . . engaging and moving'' Manda Scott''MacLean is a terrific storyteller'' Big Issue

In Oliver Cromwell''s London, nothing is as it seems - Captain Damian Seeker must battle to find justice, when an innocent man''s life hangs in the balance.''Challenges CJ Sansom for dominion of historical crime'' Sunday Times''The best historical crime novel of the year'' Sunday ExpressLondon, 1654. Oliver Cromwell is at the height of his power and has declared himself Lord Protector. Captain Damian Seeker is his most trusted agent. No one knows where Seeker comes from, who his family is, or even his real name. All that is known for certain is that he is utterly loyal to Cromwell and that he has eyes everywhere.In the city, coffee houses are springing up, places where men may meet to plot and gossip. Now they are ringing with news of a murder. John Winter, hero of Cromwell''s all-powerful army, is dead, and the lawyer, Elias Ellingworth, found standing over the bleeding body, clutching a knife. Yet despite the damning evidence, Seeker is not convinced of Ellingworth''s guilt. He will stop at nothing to bring the killer to justice: and Seeker knows better than any man where to search.******************************************What Readers Are Saying About The Seeker''Tremendous thrilling mystery'' 5* Reader Review''Well developed characters'' 5* Reader Review''Fantastic!'' 5* Reader Review''A wonderful discovery of 17th century London'' 5* Reader Review

''One of the best writers of Historical crime'' Sunday TimesRebellion in the city, and a Royalist spy in his own ranks - Damian Seeker, Captain of Oliver Cromwell''s guard, must eradicate both if the fragile Republic is not to fail. London, 1655, and Cromwell''s regime is under threat from all sides. Damian Seeker, Captain of Cromwell''s Guard, is all too aware of the danger facing Cromwell. Parliament resents his control of the Army while the Army resents his absolute power. In the east end of London, a group of religious fanatics plots rebellion. In the midst of all this, a stonemason uncovers a perfectly preserved body dressed in the robes of a Dominican friar, bricked up in a wall in the crumbling Black Friars. Ill-informed rumours and speculation abound, but Seeker instantly recognises the dead man. What he must discover is why he met such a hideous end, and what his connection was to the children who have started to disappear from around the city. Unravelling these mysteries is challenging enough, and made still harder by the activities of dissenters at home, Royalist plotters abroad and individuals who are not what they seem...********************************What readers are saying about The Black Friar''Great plots and storytelling . LOVED IT'' 5* Reader Review''A page turner'' 5* Reader Review''Brilliant stuff with very good characterisation'' 5* Reader Review''A cracking good read'' 5* Reader Review''Absorbing from page one'' 5* Reader Review

WINNER OF THE 2019 CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER''S. G. MacLean can make any historical period sing with life'' Antonia HodgsonMurder, treachery and a reckoning with his past await Captain Damian Seeker in this gripping historical thriller. Yorkshire, 1655. Seeker has been ordered to the North - a place from which he fled a decade earlier. A routine visit to the village of Faithly turns ugly when the village commissioner''s ward is poisoned at a dinner for locals. Among those invited was the government-appointed enforcer of Puritan morality in the region. Perhaps this symbol of Cromwell''s power was the intended victim? Or Seeker himself? Or was it the young woman, who had a magic way with herbs and was rumoured to be a witch?As he investigates the girl''s death, old secrets come to haunt Seeker. A painful meeting will force a reckoning between his past and present. But with a prominent Royalist on the run in Yorkshire, and a murderer still at large, any distractions could prove deadly.********************************Praise for S. G. MacLean''A gripping tale of crime and sedition'' Sunday Times ''Excellent at conveying the insecurities and unsettling memories that bedevil Cromwell''s dying Protectorate'' Daily Mail''The best historical crime novel of the year'' Sunday Express ''One of the best writers of historical crime . . . a fascinatingly flawed hero'' The Times

*** Read Shona MacLean''s new novel, The Cromarty Library Circle, out now! ***London, 1656. Oliver Cromwell is now a king in all but name. Three conspirators, an alliance of Royalists and disillusioned Parliamentarians, plan to assassinate him. Seeker, though, is preoccupied by the discovery of the body of a man ravaged by a bear - creatures not seen in the capital since bear baiting was banned. The hunt for the killer leads from Kent''s coffee house on Cornhill, to a German clockmaker in Clerkenwell, to the desolate Lambeth Marshes where no one should venture at night. As the motivation behind the murder becomes clearer, Seeker realises just what - and who - he is up against. The Royalists in exile have sent to London their greatest fighter, a man who will stop at nothing to ensure the Restoration.Praise for The Seeker series ''A gripping tale of crime and sedition in an unsettled city'' Sunday Times''One of the best historical crime series out there'' Crime Review

*** Read Shona MacLean''s new novel, The Cromarty Library Circle, out now! ***Bruges, 1658. Damian Seeker, Captain of Oliver Cromwell''s Guard, is dead. Or so he would have people believe. Now he is just an English carpenter in Bruges - albeit one who takes a keen interest in exiled Royalists. He is tailing four men who plan to convey a vast fortune to Charles Stuart. They are unaware that one of them is a traitor and that Seeker has been cultivating this turncoat. Now, news reaches him from England that the Royalists are sending an assassin to identify his spy and exact revenge. This would betray Seeker''s own identity - and he could expect no mercy.Once Seeker would have been happy to die for the Republic, but now he has too much to live for. He must find this assassin before they find him.Praise for The Seeker series''MacLean guides her characters through the twists of an intriguing plot with great aplomb'' Sunday Times''By far the best of the new wave of historical thriller writers'' Crime Review

A sleuth to rival Shardlake or Cadfael - a mystery that will chill your blood.

Second historical thriller in the Alexander Seaton series sweeps the hero back to his roots in Ulster, and a family living under a curse and riven with long-held secrets.

It is 1628, Charles 1 is on the throne, and the British Crown is finally taking control of Ulster.

Returning to his rooms one night, Alexander Seaton is shocked to find a stranger standing there - a man who could be his double. His name is Sean O''Neill, and he carries a plea for help from Maeve O''Neill, forbidding matriarch of Alexander''s mother''s family in Ireland. All those who bear their blood have been placed under a poet''s curse: one by one they are going to die. Only Alexander is immune, his O''Neill heritage a secret from all but his closest family.

Alexander travels to Ulster, to find himself at the heart of a family divided by secrets and bitter resentments. As he seeks out the author of the curse, he becomes increasingly embroiled in the conflict until - confronted with murder within his own family - his liberty and, finally, his life, are at stake.***************************

Readers are loving A Game of Sorrows ''Great story, great characters and super writing'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

''S. G. MacLean''s books always keep me on tenterhooks. I stay awake far too late turning page after page!'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

''If you want a good story which keeps you guessing to the end, read on!'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

''Well researched, excellently written and exciting from start to finish'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

''Great historical novel . . . Made me want to step back in time'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Knowledge is power, and when it gets in the wrong hands it can be lethal. Alchemy and murder combine in a gripping race against time from the CWA award-winning author of The Seeker.

''One of the best writers of historical crime'' The TimesAberdeen, 1631. University librarian Robert Sim takes receipt of a gift of books recently arrived from overseas, mysterious works on alchemy and hermetics - the pursuit of ancient knowledge. By nightfall he has been brutally murdered.

His colleague and good friend Alexander Seaton is left with the task of hunting for clues as to his killer''s motive, as well as locating the missing books. What did Sim discover in the package, and what makes these books so dangerous?