
Traitor’s Legacy
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Narrated by:
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Kristin Atherton
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By:
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S. J. Parris
About this listen
THE START OF AN INCREDIBLE NEW SERIES FROM NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING S. J. PARRIS –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
'Sophia is a dazzling heroine, and the world of late Elizabethan England brimful of plot and conspiracy, is vividly and thrillingly brought to life' LAURA SHEPHERD-ROBINSON
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
England, 1598. Queen Elizabeth’s successor remains unnamed. The country teeters on a knife edge.
When a young heiress is found murdered at the theatre, the Queen’s spymaster Robert Cecil calls upon former agent Sophia de Wolfe to investigate.
A cryptic note found on the dead girl’s body connects to Sophia’s previous life as a spy, and her quest soon takes her into dangerous waters. Powerful enemies emerge, among them the Earl of Essex: the Queen’s favourite courtier and a man of ruthless ambition.
This is a murder that reaches directly into the heart of the court. And Sophia is concealing a deep-buried secret of her own. She must uncover the truth before her past threatens to destroy her.
©2025 Stephanie Merritt (P)2025 HarperCollins PublishersCritic reviews
'SJ Parris has long been one of my favourite authors of historical crime thrillers, and this new series is every bit as compelling as her wonderful Bruno books. Sophia is a dazzling heroine, and the world of late Elizabethan England, brimful of plot and conspiracy, is vividly and thrillingly brought to life. I loved everything about it' Laura Shepherd-Robinson, author of The Square of Sevens
‘A new historical crime novel from S.J. Parris is always cause for celebration but she really has excelled herself with Traitor’s Legacy. This convincing thriller has considerable emotional heft and Sophia de Wolfe makes for a wonderful protagonist' Andrew Taylor, bestselling author of The Ashes of London
'Thrilling, taut and utterly involving, Traitor’s Legacy dives into the dangerous streets of London in the icy winter of 1598 – complete with walk-on parts for W. Shakespeare and Elizabeth’s favourite, Essex – to unravel a heart-stopping mystery. S.J. Parris brings time, place and protagonist, the deliciously brilliant Sophia de Wolfe, to dark and glorious life' Helen Castor, author of She-Wolves and The Eagle and the Hart
'A powerhouse thriller that shines with late Tudor menace, dazzlingly written and with a heroine I wish Shakespeare had had the balls to write' Dr Will Tosh
Praise for S. J. Parris
‘A brilliantly realised fictionalisation of the Babington plot against Elizabeth 1…Nimbly braiding history with suspense, this is a classy mystery’ Observer
‘Immaculate… the depth of period detail, the all-enveloping sense of time and place, and the sheer gory drama’ Metro
‘Sumptuous’ New York Times
‘Parris’s attention to the details of Elizabethan life and her ability to create characters of depth are again on display in a gripping narrative’ The Sunday Times
‘Fast-paced and entertaining, it’s a well-researched and authentically claustrophobic romp through the Elizabethan underworld’ Mail on Sunday
‘A delicious blend of history and thriller’ The Times
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