Synopses & Reviews
Brilliantly written in language eerily reminiscent of sixteenth-century England and filled with the dazzling color and drama of Tudor England,
Firedrake's Eye concerns a meticulously constructed plot to kill Queen Elizabeth I. Tom O'Bedlam, the mad son of prominent Catholic family, stumbles upon evidence that his hated brother has returned to England to spearhead a scheme to assassinate the Queen.
Patricia Finney transports the reader back in time to the dirty, dangerous underbelly of 1583 London. Combining accurate and detailed historical research with story-telling of an unusually high caliber, Firedrake's Eye brilliantly evokes that danger and treachery of Tudor politics.
Review
"The le Carre of the sixteenth century...Her work is as subtle, as complex, and as beautifully crafted as his." --Ruth Rendell
"Firedrake's Eye...is a rich and rewarding novel." --The Washington Post Book World
"Patricia Finney...evokes the sights, sounds, and smells of Elizabethan England with remarkable fidelity." --Philadelphia Inquirer
"As engaging and inventive as any modern spy novel." --San Francisco Examiner Chronicle
"Finney spins a magical and mysterious web...this is a wonderfully atmospheric rendering of an anarchist plot brimming over with vivid details of intrigue." --Booklist
"Historical fiction in the same league as Rose Tremain's Restoration and Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose." --Cosmopolitan
"Set in Elizabethan England, it sensuously reconstructs the era's visual pomp and splendor...Historical and wholly invented figures mix easily, a tribute to the author's careful research and panoramic vision." --Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Bibliographical references included in "Historical note" (p. 251-253).
About the Author
Patricia Finney attended Oxford, where she read history. Her first novel,
A Shadow of Gulls, won the prestigious David Higham Award. She is also the author of
Unicorn's Blood. Ms. Finney lives in England.