’Highly recommended.’ Dr Noir (aka Jacky Collins)
’This is a tense parliamentary thriller with the sour tang of authenticity.’ Annamarie Neary author of Sirens
’Fascinating and authoritative insider view of modern power politics that is all too frighteningly prescient. A gripping read.’ VB Grey, author of Tell Me How It Ends
’Lovely insights into how the historic buildings and some of the people in the Palace of Westminster work.’ Mike Naworynsky, former Deputy Serjeant at Arms, Palace of Westminster.
’If it’s excitement and mystery you’re after, try the bang up to date and very topical Plague.’ Time & Leisure magazine.
’Absolutely enthralling…Thought provoking and genius – thank you Julie Anderson!’ Barbara Pidgeon, author of Shakti Manifest.
’Intriguing and multi-layered, the plot is extremely topical and the stakes could not be higher.’ David Armstrong, playwright.
’Loved the tension in the story which gripped right to the end. Very accurate description of Westminster, especially how easy it is to get lost.’ Lord Collins of Highbury
There are many ways to die. Plague is just one of them.
Work on a London tube line is halted by the discovery of an ancient plague pit and, within it, a very recent corpse. A day later another body is found, killed in the same way, also in a plague pit. This victim is linked to the Palace of Westminster, where rumours swirl around the Prime Minister and his rivals.
As the number of deaths climbs, the media stokes fear. Government assurances are disbelieved. Everyone feels threatened. This has to be resolved and fast.
The Westminster connection enables Detective Inspector Andrew Rowlands, working alone on a series of rapes and murders of vulnerable young people in central London, to finally persuade his superiors that there is a pattern. He is assigned to lead the case. Cassandra Fortune, a disgraced civil servant, is given the uncomfortable task of investigating the investigation, while joining forces with Rowlands to find the killers before Parliament rises for recess.
Together they navigate the arcane world of the Palace of Westminster as the body count grows. But someone is leaking important details about the case to the press and the media ratchets up the pressure. Misinformation and malice online feeds distrust and panic and the Black Death begins to stalk the streets of London once again.
Meanwhile the commercial and political world focuses on the launch of a huge government Thames-side building programme worth billions. Powerful forces, in Parliament and the City, are competing for its spoils. How, if at all, does this link with the killings? Drawn into the melee, Cassandra Fortune finds herself the object of the attentions of one of the major players, wealthy City broker, Lawrence Delahaye. The attraction is mutual. Fortune and Rowlands discover a shadowy underground network of influence and power as they race against the clock to prevent the death of more innocents and the destruction of the Mother of Parliaments itself. Cassandra will be forced to make a terrible decision as she faces ruin. Time is running out and it’s not clear what, or who, is going to survive.
Om författaren
Julie Anderson is a professional writer who organises literary events in her spare time. Formerly a member of the UK’s Senior Civil Service, she worked in Westminster and Whitehall for a variety of government departments and agencies, including the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. She is currently working on the second of a series of political crime thrillers featuring Cassandra Fortune, civil servant and GCHQ investigator. The first in the series is ’Plague’. Her previous novels include the historical adventure stories ’Reconquista’, long listed for the 2016 Mslexia Children’s Book of the Year Award and its sequel ’The Silver Rings’. Julie is Chair of Trustees of Clapham Writers the organisation responsible for the annual Clapham Book Festival, a celebration of books and reading in south London and she also curates other literary events across the capital. She lives in Clapham.
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