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The Queen's Devil: A William Constable Spy Thriller (William Constable Spy Thriller series Book 3) Kindle Edition
William Constable Spy Thriller series - Book 3
“Walker skilfully creates a treacherous world of half-truths, plots and duplicity... simmering with impending danger.” Michael Ward, author of Rags of Time.
1583.
William Constable, recently married astrologer and mathematician, has settled into routine work as a physician when he is requested to attend two prisoners in the Tower of London. Both are accused of separate acts treason, but their backgrounds suggest there may be a connection.
Sir Francis Walsingham and Lord Burghley urge William to discover further intelligence from the prisoners while tending their injuries from torture.
The agent's investigations lead him to the French Embassy, which lies at the heart of a conspiracy which threatens the nation.
Through his enquiries, an unsuspecting William becomes entangled in a perilous web of politicking and religious fervour.
The threat comes from one the most powerful men in the English court – one referred to as the Queen’s Devil.
William faces a race against time to unpick these ties, climaxing in a daring raid on the Embassy.
Paul Walker is the author of the William Constable series of Elizabethan spy thrillers. He lives in London.
Praise for Paul Walker:
"A gripping and evocative page-turner that vibrantly brings Elizabeth's London to life." Steven Veerapen, author of A Dangerous Trade.
"Full of convincing characters both historical and imagined." Peter Tonkin
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJuly 27, 2020
- File size2.3 MB
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Product details
- ASIN : B08DRTP2T2
- Publisher : Sharpe Books
- Accessibility : Learn more
- Publication date : July 27, 2020
- Language : English
- File size : 2.3 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 247 pages
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Book 3 of 3 : William Constable Spy Thriller series
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,247,054 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,737 in History of United Kingdom
- #3,102 in Historical Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #10,499 in Historical Thrillers (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Paul is married and lives in a village 30 miles north of London. Having worked in universities and run his own business, he is now a full-time writer of fiction and part-time director of an education trust. His writing in a garden shed is regularly disrupted by children and a growing number of grandchildren and dogs.
Paul writes historical fiction. He inherited his love of British history and historical fiction from his mother, who was an avid member of Richard III Society. The William Constable series of historical thrillers is based around real characters and events in the late sixteenth century. The first two books in the series - "State of Treason" and "A Necessary Killing" - were published in 2019. The third book, titled, "The Queen’s Devil", was published in the summer of 2020.
He took a diversion to the early 20th century and wrote a thriller based at the peace conference in Paris at the end of the First World War. "A Turbulent Peace" was published in 2022. Now, it's back to the sixteenth century and more Elizabethan intrigue for William Constable and his confederates.
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A Compelling Historical Fiction
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2020A good mystery story in full of Tudor intrigue during reign of Elizabeth I
- Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2020William Constable seemed to me an unlikely spy, which I guess is why he was so good at it. He was a moral man, in some ways almost an innocent, and seemed quite vulnerable to evil forces that stopped at nothing to get their way. One wonders who was more degenerate in this Elizabethan Game of Thrones. Were they the villains who mistakenly thought he harbored damning letters against the Earl of Leicester and were quite willing to ruin his life if he didn’t turn them over? Or did the men who hired him to spy on damned and tortured prisoners—while tending to their injuries—show even fewer scruples? Either way, William was an unwilling participant in these unsavory schemes. Or maybe not. He certainly allowed himself to be dragged into the prisoner scam and he did seem to enjoy the stimulation associated with danger. That is, until he was himself thrown into Newgate while his wife was dragged to prison under an accusation of witchcraft. His powerful employers—the queen’s men—didn’t seem all that concerned that he and his wife were in mortal danger. He was pretty much on his own, and resorted to his own set of questionable activities to save his wife’s life. I think this combination of circumstances would deter any sane person from playing in these troubled waters.
"Why should a brief mention of a conspiracy have affected me in this way? Am I so faint-hearted that thoughts of strong questioning on an unknown man pester my sleep? After all, such matters are commonplace enough in these times. And Walsingham? Do I dread his call, or have I missed the grip of peril and excitement experienced as one of his intelligencers? Reasoning tells me I am content with the routine of a physician and doting husband. Yet, I cannot discount there may be a yearning for a sharper edge to my life. These matters are unresolved in my mind as we turn from Ludgate Hill into Shoe Lane."
Oh well, the good doctor could be his own worst enemy. This is the first William Constable book I read; yes, it is a stand-alone and with my working knowledge of Elizabethan England, I had no trouble following it. Though this is the first time I encountered the Earl of Leicester as a total scoundrel; maybe that’s how other people saw him—all but the queen, of course. We don’t meet Elizabeth in this story, so we don’t get her point of view. There were a lot of characters and subplots in this novel and I had a hard time reconciling the two major threads (the prisoners in the Tower and Earl’s wife who sought the missing letters). The total disregard for the law among the ruling class was very hard for me to stomach and I admit to a lot of squeamishness while reading about the hopelessness of poor souls caught in webs of courtly intrigues. I raced through to the end, which may be why I missed some connections; it could well be my fault as an incautious reader. I will say the prose is seamless and flowed very well. There’s enough movement to keep the story from ever slowing down.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2020BLURB
1583.
William Constable, recently married astrologer and mathematician, has settled into routine work as a physician when he is requested to attend two prisoners in the Tower of London. Both are accused of separate acts treason, but their backgrounds suggest there may be a connection.
Sir Francis Walsingham and Lord Burghley urge William to discover further intelligence from the prisoners while tending their injuries from torture.
The agent's investigations lead him to the French Embassy, which lies at the heart of a conspiracy which threatens the nation.
Through his enquiries, an unsuspecting William becomes entangled in a perilous web of politicking and religious fervour.
The threat comes from one the most powerful men in the English court – one referred to as the Queen’s Devil.
William faces a race against time to unpick these ties, climaxing in a daring raid on the Embassy.
REVIEW
Let me start by saying that now that I have read The Queen's Devil, the third William Constable book, I will certainly be reading the first two. The Queen's Devil is a thrill ride of a mystery, full of interesting, well thought out characters, set in the period involving Elizabeth's issues with Mary Queen of Scots. Issues that threaten her reign, and which drag the protagonist back into the clutches of the kingdom's spymaster, Walsingham. The tale moves at a very satisfying page turning pace; deepening the plot as it progresses to an edge of the seat climax. One of the fascinating story lines involves the discussion of the nature of the universe; a discussion that has dire consequences for Constable, It may seem strange to us in the modern era, that there were segments of society in the 16th century who still subscribed to a Biblical model for the Solar System, i.e. the Sun revolves around the Earth, etc, etc. and that you could be tortured and executed for promoting a scientific explanation, i.e. the Copernican model. Then again, given the response to the current COVID-19 pandemic by some governments, maybe we're not so much more advanced than the clerics making martyrs out of Gio Bruno, et. al.
As I said above, I will be adding the first two books to my ever growing 'To Be Read' pile, though they are all readable as stand alone novels, and I have a hunch that there may be more forthcoming. Good for us. 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Top reviews from other countries
- SestiusReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent intrigue-filled novel
Unusually for me, I did not start with the first in a series, but it did not matter as this story stands well on its own legs.
I am fond of Elizabethan plots and spy-craft, as exemplified in writers like S.J. Parrish, and here we see them in cleverly-honed action and affecting a sympathetic hero, an Everyman, Doctor William Constable.
The author’s knowledge of Elizabethan learning is clear and the ever-present worries over science as heresy are well-drawn. Characters such as Philip Sydney, John Foxe and Giordano Bruno make their contributions as an ordinary man is caught up in the schemes of the great men of Elizabeth’s court.
- PJBReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2021
4.0 out of 5 stars A great read
This was my first William Constable book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Intriguing plot and engaging characters, I loved the way the plot was interwoven with real historical events and characters. The attention to detail also gave a real sense of period and place. Would certainly recommend and can't wait to read more books in the series.
- PegasusReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 15, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars The Queen's Devil
Good read with interesting and believable characters. Gave a new view of Leicester as a villain. Told in first person with Dr, Constable telling the story so the character becomes believable. This is the last of a trilogy but there are still unanswered questions. Does Helen survive childbirth? Does Leicester take further revenge? How does Bruno account for the night of the murder? Enjoyable and written in a formal style which gives a sense of period. I look forward to the next book in the series.
- ian l j breezeReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2024
4.0 out of 5 stars The Queen’s Devil keeps you on the edge of damnation.
Written in authentic Elizabethan language, this story takes the reader into the deadly Tudor backwaters where double dealing and duplicity thrive.
- Sheila LeightonReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Another excellent read
Loved this book just like the other historical novels by this author