Rodger embarks on a mission to Florence, in search of an elusive assassin...

In his fourth journal, A Brood of Vipers, Roger Shallot encounters treacherous conspiracies and terrible murders as he journeys from Tudor London to Florence. Paul Doherty's Tudor mysteries are perfect for fans of Susannah Gregory and C. J. Sansom.

Spring 1523. Benjamin Daunbey and his rapscallion servant, Roger Shallot, are summoned to London. A Florentine envoy, Lord Francesco Abrizzi, has been murdered and King Henry is determined to unmask the perpetrators of this outrage. In London, Shallot experiences King Henry's rage, the insults of the Abrizzis and a murderous attack. Shallot, a born coward, wants to crawl away and hide, but the King and Wolsey insist that he and Benjamin go to Florence, find Abrizzi's assassin, deliver a secret message, and bring back a Florentine painter. It sounds simple enough - but the reality is murderously different.

What readers are saying about Paul Doherty:

'Paul Doherty weaves a tangled web of murder and intrigue'

'These novels vividly bring the dirt, squalor and adventure of Henry VIII's reign to life'

'Excellent story. Always enjoyed the Shallot stories, he is a lovable rouge'