Books like 'The Rufus Spy'
Readers who enjoyed The Rufus Spy by Alys Clare also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical mystery historical-fiction medieval crime female-mc friendship conspiracies political-intrigue
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The Saracen's Mark by S.W. Perry
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBetrayal has many guises...London, 1593: Five years on from the Armada and England is taking its first faltering steps towards a future as a global power. Nicholas Shelby - reluctant spy and maverick physician - and his companion Bianca Merton are settling into a life on Bankside. But in London there is always a plot afoot.. -
The Saltwater Murder by L.B. Hathaway
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMURDERED WITH A BOX OF TEARS… London, 1924Posie Parker has been called to her most baffling case yet.Amyas Lyle, London’s top young lawyer, has been found with his head in a box of poisoned saltwater.It’s the perfect murder... -
Wrath of Poseidon by Clive Cussler, Robin Burcell
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTen years ago, a chance meeting at the Lighthouse Café in Redondo Beach led Sam Fargo and Remi Longstreet on the adventure of a lifetime, hunting the legendary riches stolen from the Persian King Croesus in 546 B.C. But they weren't the only ones. Someone else is after the gold, and he's willing to kill anyone who gets in his way... -
Execution by S.J. Parris
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe sixth Tudor thriller featuring Giordano Bruno: heretic, philosopher and spy. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom.England, 1586.A TREASONOUS CONSPIRACYGiordano Bruno returns to England to bring shocking new intelligence to Sir Francis Walsingham. A band of Catholic Englishmen are plotting to kill Queen Elizabeth and spring Mary Queen of Scots from prison to take the English throne in her place... -
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The Emperor's Revenge by Clive Cussler, Boyd Morrison
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe new Oregon Files adventure from the #1 New York Times–bestselling grand master of adventure. Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon face their toughest challenge yet when a violent bank heist during the Monaco Grand Prix decimates the Corporation’s accounts...Categorized as:
conspiracies crime historical-fiction political-intrigue action-adventure adult audiobook book -
The Canterbury Murders by E.M. Powell
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA fire-ravaged cathedral. An ungodly murder.Easter, 1177. Canterbury Cathedral, home to the tomb of martyr Saint Thomas Becket, bears the wounds of a terrible fire. Benedict, prior of the great church, leads its rebuilding. But horror interrupts the work. One of the stonemasons is found viciously murdered, the dead man’s face disfigured by a shocking wound... -
The Templar Curse by Ernest Dempsey
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsThroughout the course of human warfare, no weapon has been as feared, as deadly, as the Ark of the Covenant. Legend claims that this mysterious, supernatural force, first carried into battle by the ancient Israelites, was so powerful that the Ark could lay waste to entire armies, entire cities in moments—thousands of years before the advent of nuclear bombs...Categorized as:
conspiracies crime friendship political-intrigue action-adventure adult book fiction -
The Midwife's Secret by Emily Gunnis
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA little girl goes missing from Yew Tree Manor - the same house from which a girl vanished decades before. Does the key to the present lie buried even deeper in the past, in the forgotten history of an innocent midwife accused by a family of shocking betrayal? A gripping, heartwrenching story of love, loyalty and family secrets... -
Canaan's Secret by R. Lawson Gamble, Krista Lynn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsZack Tolliver left the Federal Bureau of Investigation to spend more time with his family. He is at home when Libby's sister calls, worried about her daughter Pru in the wake of the horrific murder of a high school classmate. Libby goes to Kanab, Utah, to offer support. She discovers Pru's life is indeed in danger... -
The Cain Conspiracy by Nick Thacker
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsVicente Garza and Ravenshadow are still at large. Entire village populations in Peru have gone missing...Ben and Julie and the rest of the CSO crew want to find out why.Science, religion, and history collide... in a terrifying finale.The Harvey Bennett Thrillers begins a new chapter with The Cain Conspiracy. If you've enjoyed the series so far, this is one book you will not want to miss... -
The Worthy Soldier by Sarah Woodbury
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMay 1147. Gareth and Gwen have traveled to Deheubarth in the retinue of Prince Hywel. The Prince of Gwynedd has temporarily allied himself with King Cadell and his Norman relations in order to finally evict the hated Flemings from south Wales. But while the battle goes well, the celebratory feast afterwards does not, leaving Gareth and Gwen among the few left standing... -
The Road to Newgate by Kate Braithwaite
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhat price justice? London 1678. Titus Oates, an unknown preacher, creates panic with wild stories of a Catholic uprising against Charles II. The murder of a prominent Protestant magistrate appears to confirm that the Popish Plot is real. Only Nathaniel Thompson, writer and Licenser of the Presses, instinctively doubts Oates’s revelations. Even his young wife, Anne, is not so sure...Categorized as:
historical-fiction medieval crime political-intrigue conspiracies romance historical mystery -
The Enterprise of England by Ann Swinfen
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFacing the threat of King Philip's Enterprise of England - Spanish invasion and annexation of the country - Sir Francis Walsingham's secret service spreads a network of agents across Europe... -
A Vigil of Spies by Candace Robb
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA callous murder. A devastating secret. A crime of passion.York, 1373: John Thoresby, the Archbishop of York, lies dying... -
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Murder Most Holy by Paul Doherty, P. Harding
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the early summer of 1379 in London, Sir John Cranston, Coroner of the city, is trapped into a wager with Signior Gian Galeazzo, Lord of Cremona, who challenges him to resolve a certain murder mystery within two weeks. Men have been found dead in the scarlet chamber of one of Cremona's manors... -
The Boys from Biloxi: A Legal Thriller by John Grisham
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 30 ratings#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Two families. One courtroom showdown. • John Grisham’s most gripping thriller yet. • “A legal literary legend.” — USA Today John Grisham returns to Mississippi with the riveting story of two sons of immigrant families who grow up as friends, but ultimately find themselves on opposite sides of the law...Categorized as:
historical-fiction crime friendship political-intrigue fiction mystery audiobook legal -
The Cleric's Vault by Ernest Dempsey
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsSean Wyatt is back in the thrilling follow up to The Secret of the Stones.What he thought would be a relaxing weekend in Las Vegas turns into a high octane thrill ride through the American Desert Southwest and into the mountains of Ecuador.The journey leads to the discovery of a mysterious ancient power that could change the course of human events...Categorized as:
conspiracies crime female-mc friendship political-intrigue action-adventure adult audiobook -
The Bootlegger's Daughter by Nadine Nettmann
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn Prohibition-era Los Angeles, two women on opposite sides of the law must take control of their lives, make their marks, and try to survive. Even if it means crossing the line. It’s 1927. Letty Hart’s father is long gone, but his old winery provides a meager wage and a legal livelihood for selling sacramental wine... -
The Rising Sea by Clive Cussler, Graham Brown
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEverywhere, the waters are rising--and that is just the beginning of the world's peril, unless the NUMA crew can beat the clock. The thrilling new NUMA Files novel from the #1 New York Times-bestselling grand master of adventure...Categorized as:
conspiracies crime historical-fiction political-intrigue action-adventure adult audiobook book -
The Easter Sepulchre by Melvin R. Starr
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKeeping watch over the Easter Sepulchre, where the Host and crucifix are stored between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, is a great honour. Which is why the clerics are shocked to discover that Odo, one of the priest’s clerks, has abandoned his post in the middle of the night.But as the hours pass and Odo is not found, panic rises... -
One Puzzling Afternoon by Emily Critchley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA mystery she can't remember. A friend she can't forget.I kept your secret Lucy. I've kept it for more than sixty years . . .It is 1951, and at number six Sycamore Street fifteen-year-old Edie Green is lonely. Living alone with her eccentric mother - who conducts seances for the local Ludthorpe community - she is desperate for something to shake her from her dull, isolated life... -
The Last True Templar by Boyd Morrison, Beth Morrison
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA Perilous Quest. A Deadly Legacy.Italy, 1351. English knight Gerard Fox and the resourceful Willa have come through a death-defying journey across war-torn Europe. Now looking towards their future together, they must first find a way to reconcile with their difficult pasts.In a small village between Florence and Siena, Fox and Willa are caught up in a deadly ambush...Categorized as:
historical-fiction crime conspiracies medieval political-intrigue fiction historical mystery -
The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAfter the murder of her best friend, a librarian’s search for answers leads back to her own dark secrets in this sweeping novel about a woman transformed by war, family, vengeance, and love, from award-winning writer Allen Eskens.Hana Babic is a quiet, middle-aged librarian in Minnesota who wants nothing more than to be left alone... -
The Habit of Murder by Susanna Gregory
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn 1360 a deputation from Cambridge ventures to the Suffolk town of Clare in the hope that the wealthy Elizabeth de Burgh has left a legacy to Michaelhouse. Yet when they arrive they discover that the report of her death is false and that the college seems destined for bankruptcy... -
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The Hangman's Hymn by Paul Doherty
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsStumbling upon an execution, Chaucer's pilgrims witness a hanging that leaves the carpenter in a dead faint. That evening, he narrates the tale of a Gloucester hangman whose involvement in the secretive punishment of three witches unleashes a vicious spate of revenge killings.When Simon Cotterill, a carpenter, followes his sweetheart to Gloucester, he is beaten by her father's thugs...Categorized as:
historical-fiction medieval crime mystery fiction historical romantic-love supernatural -
Our Lady Of Darkness by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn mid-seventh-century Ireland, Sister Fidelma of Cashel-sister to the King of Muman, an advocate of Brehon Courts, and religieuse of the Celtic Church-returns hastily from a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. James. The news that brings her back is that her companion and friend, the Saxon monk Brother Eadulf, is under arrest for a serious crime in the neighboring kingdom of Laigin... -
The Leper's Bell by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn November of 667 A.D., Fidelma of Cashel has returned home to her brother's castle to discover that a servant, her son's nurse, has been found brutally murdered in the woods near town, and her son is missing, presumed kidnapped or worse... -
Act of Mercy by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the year 666 C.E., Sister Fidelma embarks on a pilgrimage to reflect upon her commitment to the church and her relationship with the Saxon monk Eadulf. Seabound to the Shrine of St. James, she encounters her first love Cian, who abandoned her ten years earlier. But before she can sort out her feelings-she must discern if a murderer has also set sail with her.. -
The Secret of the Château by Kathleen McGurl
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEverything is about to change…1789.Pierre and Catherine Aubert, the Comte and Comtesse de Verais, have fled the palace of Versailles for their château, deep in the French Alps. But as revolution spreads through the country, even hidden away the Auberts will not be safe forever. Soon they must make a terrible decision in order to protect themselves, and their children, from harm.Present day... -
The Red Hill by David Penny
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA killer who can’t be stopped. A request that can’t be refused.In 1482 the Englishman Thomas Berrington is living in the last remnants of Moorish Spain. A physician, he is an unwilling friend to the most powerful man in the kingdom. When bodies start to turn up, each showing the marks of a savage attack, Thomas is asked to investigate... -
Chains of Folly by Roberta Gellis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThat Nelda Roundheels had been murdered would have been of little interest to anyone - except that her body turned up in the bishop of Winchester's bedchamber with a letter to the bishop, from the king's most important enemy, rolled up in her breastband... -
The Mad Monk of Gidleigh by Michael Jecks
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAlone in his isolated, windswept chapel on the edge of Dartmoor, his only companions moor men and poverty–stricken serfs, who could blame the young priest, Mark for seeking affection from Jane, the local miller’s daughter? But when Jane’s body is found brutally stabbed, Mark is the obvious suspect—and the discovery that Jane was pregnant seems to confirm his guilt... -
The Noble Outlaw by Bernard Knight
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRenovations of a school in 12th-century Exeter are disrupted by the shocking discovery of a partially mummified corpse hidden in the rafters, and the county coroner Sir John de Wolfe is called in to investigate. Richard de Revelle, Sir John's brother-in-law and founder of the school, immediately blames Nicholas de Arundell, a young outlawed knight... -
Atonement of Blood by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWinter, 670 AD. King Colgú has invited the leading nobles and chieftains of his kingdom to a feast day. The gathering is interrupted by a religieux claiming that he has an important message for the King. Suddenly, the man, shouting 'Remember Liamuin!' stabs King Colgú. The assassin is slain but Colgú is on the verge of death... -
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Master of Souls by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn January of 668 A.D., Fidelma of Cashel - sister to the king of Muman, an advocate of the Brehon law courts and a religieuse in the Celtic Church - is called to investigate the brutal murder of Abbess Faife and the mysterious disappearance of six young female religieuse accompanying her on a short pilgrimage away from her abbey... -
The Guilt of Innocents by Candace Robb
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt is winter in the year of our Lord 1372. A river pilot falls into the icy waters of the River Ouse during a skirmish between dockworkers and the boys of the minster school—among them Owen Archer’s adopted son Jasper... -
The Apostate's Tale by Margaret Frazer
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAs the nuns of St. Frideswide's priory prepare for the welcome end of Lent, their peaceful expectations are overset by the sudden return of long- vanished Sister Cecely. Nine years ago she fled from the nunnery with a man. Now her lover is dead and she has come back, bringing her illegitimate son with her... -
The Chalice of Blood by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe brilliant new novel in the internationally renowned Sister Fidelma crime series by Peter Tremayne.Ireland AD 670. When an eminent scholar is found murdered in his cell in the abbey of Lios M�r, fear spreads among his brethren; his door was secured from the inside, with no other means of exit... -
The Dove of Death by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn A.D. 670, an Irish merchant ship is attacked by a pirate vessel off the southern coast of the Breton peninsula. Merchad, the ship?s captain, and Bressal, a prince from the Irish kingdom of Muman, are killed in cold blood after they have surrendered. Among the other passengers who manage to escape the slaughter are Fidelma of Cashel and her faithful companion, Brother Eadulf... -
Whispers of the Dead by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"The dead always whisper to us. It is our task to listen to the whispers of the dead." Fidelma of Cashel - sister to the King of Muman, a religieuse of the Celtic Church and an advocate of the Brehon courts - returns in this new collection of tales... -
A Prayer for the Damned by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn February of 668 A.D., Fidelma of Cashel and her companion Eadulf are about to get permanently married. As the sister to the King of Muman, Fidelma's marriage ceremony is a major event; the High King of Ireland, as well as other kings and major figures, are going to be in attendance... -
The Leper's Return by Michael Jecks
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen a local goldsmith, Godfrey of Harwood, is found brutally murdered in his home, Furnshill and Puttock are called on to investigate. But when rumors begin spreading that patients from a local leper hospital might have been involved in Godfrey's murder, a series of vicious attacks on the unfortunate victims ensues, culminating in a disastrous fire at the hospital... -
Valley of the Shadow by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSister Fidelma must entreat the chieftain of a Druid clan to allow the construction of a Christian church and school in the region. On their way, she and Brother Eadulf find the slaughtered bodies of 36 young men--all covered with pagan ritual scars. Fidelma must learn who or what is behind the massacre. Martin's Press... -
The Reeve's Tale by Margaret Frazer
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAs illness and murder cast a cloud over Prior Byfield, fear and suspicion reign -- and Frevisse's keen deductions lead her closer to the disturbing truth... -
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The Haunted Abbot by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn December of 666 A.D., Fidelma of Cashel and her companion Brother Eadulf, having completed their business with the Archbishop of Canterbury, make one final journey before returning to Ireland. At the insistence of Brother Botulf, a childhood friend of Eadulf, they detour from their trip to Eadulf's home village and make their way to Aldred's Abbey... -
Smoke in the Wind by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJourneying to visit the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sister Fidelma and her companion Eadulf's ship is blown badly off course and the pair find themselves on the coast of the Welsh kingdom of Dyfe. Hosted by the king himself, Fidelma is presented with a mystery-an entire monastic community nearby has disappeared without a trace... -
Badger's Moon by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen a woman is killed just before October's full moon--the Badger's Moon--villagers suspect that strangers staying at the abbey are to blame, and demand answers, before another woman falls victim to the full-moon killer... -
The Bishop's Tale by Margaret Frazer
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPrime crime from the Edgar-nominated author of The Servant's Tale. In London to mourn the passing of her uncle, Sister Frevisse is taken aback when a scoundrel at the funeral dares God to strike him down--and he summarily collapses and dies. Bishop Beaufort prevails upon the Sister for help in solving the baffling case... -
The Chinese Nail Murders by Robert van Gulik
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA.D. 676In the fifth installment of Robert Van Gulik's ancient Chinese mystery series based on historical court records, detective Judge Dee is appointed to the magistrate of Pei-chow - a distant frontier district in the barren north of the ancient Chinese Empire... -
The Rage of Plum Blossoms by Christine M. Whitehead
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsAttorney Quinn Jones is in over her head. Her husband, Jordan Chang, Annapolis grad and superstar businessman, has been found dead outside their Greenwich Village brownstone. He’s wearing clothes that aren’t his, and was last seen at a place he never went while consorting with people he shouldn’t—and he’s vastly richer than he ought to be, Quinn discovers...
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