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Martyr: An Elizabethan Thriller Audiobook
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(3.01) - 669 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The year is 1587. One of Queen Elizabeth's cousins is found murdered, her flesh marked with profane symbols. A plot to assassinate Sir Francis Drake, England's most famous sea warrior, is discovered. One man is charged with the desperate task of solving both cases: John Shakespeare.
Shadowed by his rival, the Queen's chief torturer, Shakespeare travels through an underworld of spies, sorcerers, whores, and theater people—including his younger brother, the struggling playwright Will—to piece together a complex conspiracy, the implications of which are almost too horrific to contemplate. For a zealous and cunning killer is stalking England's streets. And as Shakespeare threatens to reveal the madman's identity, he and the beautiful woman he desires come ever closer to becoming the next martyrs to the cause.
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"William Shakespeare has a brother who works for Walsingham as an intelligensier. He follows clues that lead to Catholic priests in hiding, a beautiful governess who speaks her mind, and the killer of a pregnant noble. Great plot and appropriate language for the day, without bogging down the story. "
— Pat (5 out of 5 stars)
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Excellent.... The characters, action and period detail are all solid.
— Publishers Weekly Starred Review -
“William Shakespeare’s older brother, John, plays sleuth in Clements’s excellent debut, billed as an Elizabethan thriller…The characters, action, and period detail are all solid.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“[A] well-paced plot and complex story.”
— Library Journal (starred review) -
“Rory Clements brings sixteenth-century London to life in this well-plotted historical mystery…Impressive.”
— Booklist
Martyr Listener Reviews
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" I think both the Protestants and Catholics were crazy......Jesus could not have been proud. "
— Sundra, 2/10/2014 -
" Mystery/crime thrillers aren't generally my preferred genre, but this one was recommended to me. It was good for what it was: quick moving, complexly plotted without being confusing, and occasionally surprising. The historical element was fairly well done as well. "
— Emily, 2/5/2014 -
" If you like CJ Sansom's Shardlake books you'll probably enjoy this one, I don't think the characters are as engaging or the storylines as robust but all in all a good read centred around the Elizabethan reign "
— Aileen, 2/4/2014 -
" Looking forward to the next one. "
— Elizabeth, 1/22/2014 -
" Barely OK, more of a 1.5 stars. Lightweight pap with a thin plot & barely believeable characters. Like junk food, devoured in minutes & leaves you yearning for something more substantial. "
— Denise, 1/20/2014 -
" Too much fiction. Not enough history. "
— Brad, 1/12/2014 -
" Very good story. The time period was interesting. Need to make a note to get my hands on the second book in the series. "
— Mary, 1/5/2014 -
" I truly enjoyed this book and the others in the series are on my to read list. If you like Tudor era stories, this is a good mystery series for that! "
— Paula, 12/11/2013 -
" Would have given this a 3.5 rating if that was possible. It reminded me too much of sansom, which is why I'm probably a bit more negative than I should be. Otherwise it would be a four-star book easily! "
— Sandy, 11/30/2013 -
" I'd never read anything by this author. The book is ok. It moves well. If you like historical fiction and mysteries, this book will cover it. "
— Liz, 11/16/2013 -
" What I learned from this book is that I won't be rushing out to get the next one. in future I'll wait for a new Matthew Shardlake "
— Karen, 9/20/2013 -
" I don't know why but I just couldn't settle down with this one and I gave it several tries over a few days but still ended up giving up on it. "
— Windy, 7/14/2013 -
" A mostly enjoyable read. The end was a bit lacking but I will still give the second in the series a try. Sometimes it takes a while to develop your characters. "
— Sharlene, 4/27/2012 -
" William Shakespeare has a brother who works for Walsingham as an intelligensier. He follows clues that lead to Catholic priests in hiding, a beautiful governess who speaks her mind, and the killer of a pregnant noble. Great plot and appropriate language for the day, without bogging down the story. "
— Pat, 3/10/2012 -
" Finished ages ago but not felt the need to post a review which says it all really. A poor man's C.J Sansom but diverting enough I suppose. "
— John, 2/26/2012 -
" I finished this in a day. Attracts (unfairly) comparisons with Sansom's 'Shardelake' series. Very good in it's own right. "
— James, 2/11/2012 -
" I really don't understand all of the poor reviews. I enjoyed the story overall and felt that it provided me with the ambience of the time period. The book had the necessary blackguards as well as heroes. I found the story satisfying and would read others by this author. "
— Lee, 3/24/2011 -
" The history/mystery components of Martyr were fine, but it could have used some editing - removing a totally unnecessary sub-plot or two would have made the book much tighter and better paced. "
— Liz, 12/18/2010 -
" I found this book hard to get into at first and almost put it to one side. But I pushed on and was well rewarded for my perseverance. I found it a well formed story and by the end, I had trouble putting it down. "
— Vanialee, 12/17/2010 -
" really good gripping book with some nice twists. cant wait to read the next one! "
— Bekah, 12/9/2010 -
" A bit like a history lesson "
— Jean, 8/26/2010 -
" This was pretty good - another historical detective novel, featuring William Shakespeare's (fictional?) brother John. I think this is a first book - I'd like to see this become a series. "
— Blaise, 7/12/2010 -
" If you like CJ Sansom's Shardlake books you'll probably enjoy this one, I don't think the characters are as engaging or the storylines as robust but all in all a good read centred around the Elizabethan reign "
— Aileen, 7/6/2010 -
" Looking forward to the next one. "
— Elizabeth, 7/2/2010 -
" I plan to give this series another try even though I tried to skim this one book half-way through it. The historical details are informative. I learned more about the dark side of Elizabethan London. But there are too many characters and the book is longer than it needs to be. "
— Tonya, 6/24/2010 -
" Very good story. The time period was interesting. Need to make a note to get my hands on the second book in the series. "
— Mary, 6/16/2010 -
" I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Rory Clements paints a vivid picture of Elizabethan London. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a murder mystery set in the 16th century "
— Eileen, 3/3/2010 -
" A suprisingly good read. Well written with fully formed characters, a good plot and plenty of gore. He writes in very short chapters which keeps the story line positively racing along. "
— Anna, 2/6/2010 -
" What I learned from this book is that I won't be rushing out to get the next one. in future I'll wait for a new Matthew Shardlake "
— Karen, 1/12/2010
About Rory Clements
Rory Clements has had a long and successful newspaper career, including being the features editor and associate editor of Today, editor of the Daily Mail’s Good Health pages, and editor of the health section at the Evening Standard. He now writes full time in an idyllic corner of Norfolk, England.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.