On 17th October, 1678, Sir Edmund Bury Godfrey, a justice of the peace, is discovered dead in a ditch at Primrose Hill, run through with his own sword. Suicide or murder? This has been the historian’s dilemma for three centuries. King Charles II had awarded Godfrey a knighthood for his bravery following the great plague and the fire of London. But is Godfrey all he appears to be? During his final days, Godfrey confesses to friends that he is master of a great secret and will be hanged. Titus Oates, arguably the most audacious liar history has ever known, had visited Godfrey claiming to have discovered a Jesuit plot to assassinate King Charles II and overthrow Parliament. Following a £500 reward from the King for information about Godfrey’s death, murderers are named and Samuel Pepys, Secretary of the Naval Office, discovers that he has an enemy who has accused him of orchestrating Godfrey’s murder. He must seek the truth to save himself.
Readers will accompany Mr Pepys to coffee houses, taverns, palaces, to his home where his marriage is in crisis, to Newgate prison, and to the trials of men who are accused of murdering Godfrey. Who lies and who is telling the truth? Who killed Edmund Godfrey?
About the author
Malyn Bromfield is the author of Mayflowers for November a novel about Anne Boleyn.
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