PUBLISHERS BLURB
A hidden masterpiece. A secret buried for 500 years, and one woman determined to uncover the truth.
When London tour guide Helen Oddfellow meets a historian on the trail of a lost manuscript, she’s intrigued by the mystery – and the man. But the pair are not the only ones desperate to find the missing final play by sixteenth century English playwright Christopher Marlowe.
What starts as a literary puzzle quickly becomes a quest with deadly consequences.When Helen realises the play hides an explosive religious secret, she begins to understand how much is at stake. Relying on her quick wits, she battles far-right thugs, eccentric aristocrats and an ancient religious foundation, each with their own motives for getting their hands on the manuscript.
She discovers there is a price to pay for secret knowledge, but how high is too high?
Unlawful Things was shortlisted for the Virago/The Pool New Crime Writer Award. If you love a bit of historical sleuthing and a healthy dose of fast-paced action, you’ll enjoy this intriguing debut thriller from Anna Sayburn Lane.Discover Unlawful Things today!
MY REVIEW
The great prologue has you hooked from the off……What then follows is a gripping tale of history, religion, conspiracies and a little romance.
Helen Oddfellow is trying to complete her PhD in the works of the famous (or infamous)playwright Christopher Marlowe. To fund herself, she runs historical walking tours around London. She is contacted by Richard, a historian about a lost Marlowe play.
Alongside this runs the story of Nick Wilson who’s a reporter investigating the racist gang of thugs responsible for recent violence at a newly opened mosque. His investigation links to Helen and Richards….
This is where the story starts to ramp up the tension with the three of them trying to outwit and outrun some really unsavoury characters who will do just about anything to get their hands on what Helen & Richard discover.
This is a tale of religion, zealots and old secrets as they follow the stories of Marlowe, Raleigh and even Beckett….some historical fact and some from the author, Anna Sayburn Lane’s marvellously creative writing..
Religion is a large part of the plot and I found it interesting to see that not much has really changed in the tensions between faiths even up to the present day.
I very much enjoyed this and can thoroughly recommend it.
Thank you to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
Buy a copy here (link to Amazon by clicking the image)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Anna Sayburn Lane is a novelist, short story writer and storyteller, inspired by the history and contemporary life of London. Unlawful Things is her first novel.
She has published award-winning short stories in a number of magazines, including Mslexia, Scribble and One Eye Grey.
Her Mslexia award-winning story Conservation was described by judge and Booker-longlisted author Alison MacLeod as “a powerful and profound contemporary piece in which one man’s story stands for an entire nation’s… it’s a punch to the heart, a story that will haunt and touch its readers deeply”.
She has told stories at London club The Story Party and One Eye Grey’s Halloween event, Moon Over the Lido
Twitter: @BloomsburyB
Website: http://www.annasayburnlane.com/
Author Page on Facebook A hidden masterpiece.A secret buried for 500 years.And one woman determined to uncover the truth.When London tour guide Helen Oddfellow meets a historian on the trail of a lost manuscript, she’s intrigued by the mystery – and the man. But the pair are not the only ones desperate to find the missing final play by sixteenth century English playwright Christopher Marlowe. What starts as a literary puzzle quickly becomes a quest with deadly consequences.When Helen realises the play hides an explosive religious secret, she begins to understand how much is at stake. Relying on her quick wits, she battles far-right thugs, eccentric aristocrats and an ancient religious foundation, each with their own motives for getting their hands on the manuscript. She discovers there is a price to pay for secret knowledge, but how high is too high?Unlawful Things was shortlisted for the Virago/The Pool New Crime Writer Award. If you love a bit of historical sleuthing and a healthy dose of fast-paced action, you’ll enjoy this intriguing debut thriller from Anna Sayburn Lane.Discover Unlawful Things today!
Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: Anna Sayburn Lane (22 Oct. 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 191642080X
• ISBN-13: 978-1916420809
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