Book 2

A Game of Sorrows

by S.G. MacLean

Published 4 March 2010

Second historical thriller in the Alexander Seaton series sweeps the hero back to his roots in Ulster, and a family living under a curse and riven with long-held secrets

It is 1628, Charles 1 is on the throne, and the British Crown is finally taking control of Ulster.

Returning to his rooms one night, Alexander Seaton is shocked to find a stranger standing there - a man who could be his double. His name is Sean O'Neill, and he carries a plea for help from Maeve O'Neill, forbidding matriarch of Alexander's mother's family in Ireland. All those who bear their blood have been placed under a poet's curse: one by one they are going to die. Only Alexander is immune, his O'Neill heritage a secret from all but his closest family.

Alexander travels to Ulster, to find himself at the heart of a family divided by secrets and bitter resentments. As he seeks out the author of the curse, he becomes increasingly embroiled in the conflict until - confronted with murder within his own family - his liberty and, finally, his life, are at stake.


Crucible of Secrets

by S.G. MacLean

Published 4 August 2011
It is Midsummer, 1631. While Alexander Seaton and his fellow masters enjoy the holiday with their students, Robert Sim, librarian of Marischal College, is murdered in a dark alleyway in town. While the university and town authorities investigate the murder, Seaton is asked by the college principal to look into Sim's private life. In the course of an investigation in which his personal feelings threaten to cloud his judgement and endanger his young marriage to Sarah, he discovers a side to the librarian he could never have guessed at. It is only when a second, apparently unrelated murder comes to light that Seaton begins to piece together the connections between a young weaver, a consignment of books, and events in a college in the Low Countries in order to unmask the perpetrator of the years'-old deception that led to the two deaths.

A sleuth to rival Shardlake or Cadfael - a mystery that will chill your blood.

'Transports your body and soul to another time and place' CRAIG RUSSELL
'A delight on all levels . . . engaging and moving' MANDA SCOTT
'A truly memorable and exciting read' HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW

Banff, Scotland in the 1620s. A young man walks unsteadily through the streets. Is he just drunk or is there something more sinister happening? When he collapses in front of two sisters on that dark, wet night, the women guess that he's been poisoned.

His body is discovered in the house of Alexander Seaton - a fallen minister, the discovery of whose clandestine love affair has left him disgraced.

Why was the body in Seaton's house? And why would anyone want to murder this likeable young man? Seaton sets out to find answers, embarking on a journey not only through the darkest part of other men's souls, but also his own.

A must-read for fans of Rory Clements and SJ Parris.

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HEAR WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE REDEMPTION OF ALEXANDER SEATON

'A thrilling read' 5* Reader Review

'Utterly engrossing' 5* Reader Review

'Terrific stuff' 5* Reader Review

'An enthralling book' 5* Reader Review

'The best new crime novelist I have read since Fred Vargas and Jo Nesbo' 5* Reader Review

The Devil's Recruit

by S.G. MacLean

Published 14 March 2013

1635, Aberdeen. A girl lies dead in a frozen garden. A young man goes missing after a drunken brawl and a sinister cloaked figure watches from the shadows . . .

The missing student, son of a Highland chief, is one of Alexander Seaton's pupils. When the young man's companion turns up bruised and bloodied, suspicion mounts that he has murdered his friend. But Alexander is convinced that there's another explanation.

Drawn ever deeper into the mystery, Alexander realises that the man in the shadows is known to him and that the strange events in the town are linked to his own past.

A gripping historical thriller from the bestselling author of The Bookseller of Inverness. Perfect for fans of Rory Clements and S. J. Parris.

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What readers are saying about The Devils Recruit

'An absorbing and thrilling narrative' 5* READER REVIEW

'Excellent . . . I would thoroughly recommend this series to everybody' 5* READER REVIEW

'Loving these books!' 5* READER REVIEW

'The storytelling keeps you at the edge of your seat' 5* READER REVIEW

'Great plotting, characters and a real sense of the period' 5* READER REVIEW