‘Tonkin has used his knowledge of the period and craft as a thriller writer to produce a new take on the familiar story of the gunpowder plot. One of the historical crime novels of the year.’ Richard Foreman, author of Spies of Rome. Redriffe, London, Wednesday 27 April 1603. A gunpowder mill explodes, causing death and destruction. A passer-by becomes involved in helping victims but is recognised and arrested – for he is a wanted man. The arresting officer is Spymaster Robert Poley, Queen Elizabeth’s Chief Intelligencer under Francis Walsingham and now King James’s under Robert Cecil. The fugitive is the Catholic Robert Catesby. Catesby is imprisoned. On his release, he secretly begins to recruit a group of desperate associates. Some form of a plot - and an act of violence - is afoot. Poley turns his attention towards the conspirators. His intelligencers target an expert in gunpowder and explosives. His name? Guy Fawkes. And so a desperate game of cat and mouse unfolds as Poley races to discover exactly what the conspirators are planning. Gunpowder, treason and plot. Peter Tonkin was born in 1950 in Ulster, Northern Ireland and was raised in the UK, Holland, Germany, and the Persian Gulf. The son of an RAF officer, Tonkin spent much of his youth travelling the world from one posting to another. He is also the author of the Richard Mariner thriller series. Praise for Peter ”Riveting tale full of fast action.” Publishers Weekly. ”Good technical detail, plus an exciting climax, makes this entertaining reading.” Publishing News. “A welcome aura of old-fashioned expertise.” Publishers Weekly. “A good thriller, recommended.” Library Journal. “Tonkin is a superb storyteller who creates big, brash, swashbuckling adventures with taut suspense, fast-paced action and tough, resourceful characters.” Booklist. ”Equals the best of James Clavell.” Daily Telegraph. ”Edge-of-the-seat terror on the high seas.” Daily Post.