A Tudor thriller featuring Giordano Bruno, renegade monk, philosopher and heretic, for fans of C. J. Sansom and The Name of the Rose Autumn, 1583. Under Elizabeth"s rule, loyalty is bought with blood...An astrological phenomenon heralds the dawn of a new age and Queen Elizabeth"s throne is in peril. As Mary Stuart"s supporters scheme to usurp the rightful monarch, a young maid of honour is murdered, occult symbols carved into her flesh. The Queen"s spymaster, Francis Walsingham, calls on maverick agent Giordano Bruno to infiltrate the plotters and secure the evidence that will condemn them to death. Bruno is cunning, but so are his enemies. His identity could be exposed at any moment. The proof he seeks is within his grasp. But the young woman"s murder could point to an even more sinister truth...