The Black Friar (The Seeker Series #2)

by S. G. MacLean

Overview

*** This eBook edition contains an exclusive preview of Shona MacLean's new novel The Cromarty Library Circle, out in February 2026! Pre-order now! ***

London, 1655. A perfectly preserved body in the robes of a Dominican friar has been found bricked up in the City of London's crumbling Blackfriars monastery.

Captain Damian Seeker of Oliver Cromwell's guard recognises the dead man. Why did he meet such a hideous end, and what is his connection to the children who have started disappearing from around the city?

To uncover the truth behind the Black Friar's death, Seeker must navigate the shifting factions surrounding Cromwell, while quelling religious fanatics, dissenters and Royalist plotters in the seething city beyond Whitehall.

'Excellent . . . brings a fresh perspective and gold-plated research to [the] period' Daily Mail

'A gripping tale of crime and sedition in an unsettled city' Sunday Times

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781784293383
Publisher:	Quercus Publishing
Publication date:	10/06/2016
Series:	Damian Seeker Series , #2
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	464
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

S.G. MacLean (Shona) has a PhD in History from the University of Aberdeen. She is the author of two historical crime series - the Alexander Seaton series, set in seventeenth century Scotland and the Damian Seeker series, set in Oliver Cromwell's London, for which she has twice won the CWA Historical Dagger. Her standalone Jacobite thriller, The Bookseller of Inverness, was Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year 2023. Shona lives in Conon Bridge, Scotland.

Editorial Reviews

Excellent at conveying the insecurities and unsettling memories that bedevil Cromwell's dying Protectorate, the author brings a fresh perspective and gold-plated research to a period which has been unfairly eclipsed by the popularity of the Tudors— Daily Mail

MacLean skilfully weaves together the disparate threads of her plot to create a gripping tale of crime and sedition in an unsettled city— Sunday Times

MacLean's light touch portrait of a hard man with a softer core is what makes these books so memorable— The Times

Damian Seeker [is] one of the most appealing heroes I've come across in quite some time . . . [the Commonwealth] is paid full service by S. G. MacLean, a fine writer with a terrific grasp of history and character— For Winter Nights

Seeker is a complex and fascinating character . . . an absorbing, enjoyable tale— BBC History Magazine

A satisfactorily complex and fascinating story backed up by impeccable historical research, all set in a time of extraordinary political and religious turmoil. Highly recommended— Promoting Crime Fiction

Damian Seeker really comes into his own in this novel . . . the plot navigates the waters of history with masterful effect— Waterstones bookseller

Brilliantly woven into a thrilling plot . . . MacLean's characters are subtle and convincing . . . could challenge C.J. Sansom for dominion of historical crime— Sunday Times on The Seeker

The best historical crime novel of the year— Sunday Express on The Seeker

MacLean achieves the balance of immersing her readers in a time and place without ever making them feel battered over the head by research, while the central mystery is satisfying and plausibly plotted— Highland News on The Seeker

A first class, compelling debut for MacLean's new hero— Crime Review on The Seeker

From the Publisher