From the No.1 bestselling author of  The Last Protector  and  The Ashes of London  comes the next book in the phenomenally successful series following James Marwood and Cat Lovett during the time of King Charles II. Over 1 Million Andrew Taylor Novels Sold! A Times Best Paperback of 2022 Two young girls plot a murder by witchcraft. Soon afterwards a government clerk dies painfully in mysterious circumstances. His colleague James Marwood is asked to investigate – but the task brings unexpected dangers. Meanwhile, architect Cat Hakesby is working for a merchant who lives on Slaughter Street, where the air smells of blood and a captive Barbary lion prowls the stables. Then a prestigious new commission arrives. Cat must design a Poultry House for the woman that the King loves most in all the world. Unbeknownst to all, at the heart of this lies a royal secret so explosive that it could not only rip apart England but change the entire face of Europe… ‘With all his customary deftness and skill, Taylor weaves a colourful, complicated plot involving royal secrets, foreign spies in London and a mangy lion, caged in a merchant’s stables, that is used to frighten a man to death’ The Times Best Paperbacks of 2022 ‘A pleasure from start to finish’ The Spectator ‘Beautifully crafted story’ Mystery and Suspense Praise for The Last Protector : ‘Confirms his status as one of our finest writers of historical thrillers’ The Sunday Times ‘There is colour, violence, devotion, courage and fun here. What more could anyone ask of a crime novel?’ Literary Review ‘Taylor is on reliably good form in this fourth instalment of a series that effortlessly blends history and mystery.’ The Times ‘A teeming London (in the process of reconstruction after the Great Fire), political chicanery, duels, brothels, court manoeuvrings ― all are grist to Taylor’s imaginative mill’ The Financial Times ‘A brilliant historical novel about Cromwell… Riveting’ Evening Standard ‘Superb… Cat, especially, remains one of the most compelling, multifaceted characters in contemporary historical fiction’. Observer ‘Taylor’s fourth Marwood tale is gripping and rich in detail – 4.5 stars’ The Sun ‘Boasting political intrigue and evocative period atmosphere, The Last Protector is crime writing at its most elegant and assured’ Waterstones blog “[G]reat fun and perfect summer getaway reading”! Globe and Mail The latest new historical crime thriller from the No 1 Sunday Times bestselling author Andrew Taylor is the author of a number of crime novels, including the ground-breaking Roth Trilogy, which was adapted into the acclaimed drama Fallen Angel, and the historical crime novels The Ashes of London, The Silent Boy, and The American Boy, a No.1 Sunday Times bestseller and a 2005 Richard & Judy Book Club Choice. He has won many awards, including the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award (the only author to win it three times) and the CWA’s prestigious Diamond Dagger.