First published 2008
Thomas Ryder watches security chiefs dismiss his report in London, April 1894. The former soldier turned political agent has documented a plot to kill twenty-nine members of the Saxe-Coburg royal family across Europe. The targets include Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Tsar of Russia, and Queen Victoria herself. International officials refuse to believe such a conspiracy could exist. Anarchist attacks rage through European capitals, but the security meeting concludes that revolution remains impossible. When someone murders a victim inside Windsor's Royal Mausoleum, Ryder knows his predictions will come true. He has eight days to stop simultaneous assassinations that will trigger world war. The bigger his evidence grows, the fewer allies he finds. Ryder must hunt alone, driven by his military training and haunted by personal demons. He seeks truth and liberty while enemies close in from all sides.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, mystery, action, 19th-century
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, lone-hero
Setting: London, Europe, Windsor, Royal Mausoleum
Period: 1894
384 pages · Paperback · Arrow
Content warnings: violence