John Shakespeare, brother of William, intrigues in old London town, where rumours are rife of religious anti- monarchy agitators. A priest about to be executed for treason asks Shakespeare to find and help a girl who was, misguidedly, the victim of exorcism rites.

THE HERETICS is set in a time and city which takes public execution and religious persecution for granted. Why would anyone care about Thomasyn Jade, yet another confused female of uncertain religious persuasion? The priest is convinced that both his soul and the girl's will be saved if she finds help, and she was last seen in the care of the Countess of Kent but ran away. Shakespeare reports to Queen Elizabeth who decides that as one of her subjects, Thomasyn Jade should be found. At the same time, a plot is being hatched in Seville by the King of Spain.

These are stirring times, but not gentle ones, and the tender reader may be upset by some of the scenes. I really liked the meeting with a Dutch man who had come to live in eastern fenland, draining the land and comparing the scrawny English cattle with the large continental ones. The environment here is well described with flooding covering the causeways between towns, visible only by the church steeples, and boats the best form of transport. Some heavy horses pull barges, up to their withers in dank water, while men wade on tall stilts with fowling guns or eel traps to eke out a living. By contrast we take in a performance at the Globe Theatre, groundlings crowding in for a penny and the better-off sitting on tiers; cushions extra. A turkey is served for a feast, which causes girls to giggle that this novelty is the biggest chicken they have ever seen. There is plenty to hold the attention in this turbulent time.

Rory Clements has researched to bring his people and settings to life, with a carefully woven mystery to drag his characters the length and breadth of the country. THE HERETICS will please readers of realistic historical fiction, and anyone who wants to learn more about life in this period.