The Merry Devils

For Lord Westfield’s Men, Every high road leads to death

When the deathly horrors of the Black Plague decimate the audiences in London’s theatres, the acclaimed troupe of players called Lord Westfield’s Men take to the high road to seek out fresh audiences. But wherever they go, they are thwarted by misfortune and baffled by mysteries. Their scripts are stolen, their players abducted. A dead man walks, and a beautiful woman hears the voice of God.

Only one man is clever enough to match swords with the troupe’s burgeoning troubles. Upon Nicholas Bracewell, the company’s bookholder and mainstay, falls the burden that may cost him his life as they head for an ancient inn called The Trip to Jerusalem, where the last act of a bloody drama is about to begin.

He was egotistical, verbose and hot-headed to a fault. But he did not deserve to die…

His name was Will Fowler, an actor in the esteemed theatrical company called Lord Westfield’s Men, a vibrant young man flushed from the success of a recent performance at The Queen’s Head theatre. So exuberant was he that he persuaded the resourceful manager of the company, Nicholas Bracewell, to quaff a pint or two at a nearby pub.

Alas, it was to be Will’s last taste of beer. A tavern brawl left him dead but not before he gasped for Nicholas to find his fast-fleeting, red-bearded murderer and administer a just revenge.

Yet finding Will’s murderer in London’s dark, crowded streets was a seemingly impossible task not to mention the fact that Lord Westfield’s Men were just commanded to appear at the court of Elizabeth I an honour one dare not refuse . . .

Who could enact such a deadly design, lurking behind the scenes?

As book holder and stage manager of theatrical company Lord Westfield's Men, Nicholas Bracewell is accustomed to solving problems. So when he discovers the naked corpse of a man while crossing the Thames by boat one night, he becomes determined to unravel its mystery. After several attacks on the company's members, Nicholas begins to suspect a connection - could these apparently accidental events be part of some hidden design?

When Lord Westfield's Men are asked to stage one of their comedies at the Nine Giants in Richmond, Nicholas must put aside his worries and focus on the play. But as the attacks become more sinister, culminating in a grisly death, Nicholas is under increasing pressure to prevent more disaster . . .

Butchery outside a London brothel leaves Westfield’s Men in disarray

While England is brought low by rumours of Queen Elizabeth's declining health, celebrated theatre company Lord Westfield's Men suffer their own bitter blows. A vicious feud between players causes chaos; a rival company launches a new production; a mysterious beauty reduces their leading actor to a lovelorn wreck; and a brutal murder leaves the group of actors reeling. With matters so fraught, even a performing horse becomes a threat.

Stage manager Nicholas Bracewell, accustomed to damage control, is the only man with the wit to keep the company afloat. As the Queen sinks towards death, Nicholas begins to discern the connections between the company's misfortunes and the larger shadow falling over England . . .

London is a veritable cesspool … A swamp of corruption and crime’

When Sir Julius Cheever’s son, a notorious rake, goes missing, and a blackmailer begins terrorising London’s most dissolute fops, it seems plausible that the two events are connected. Divided by politics but united in a desire to see justice done, Christopher Redmayne and Jonathan Bale must combine forces once again.

But how can they hope to find those who exploit the scandal of others, when the victims themselves will do anything to maintain their anonymity? And what of Sir Julius’s son? Most feel he must have been the victim of his own, debauched appetites, but a few talk of his repentance. So where is the repentant rake? And, with only lies, rumours and gossip to work with, can Redmayne and Bale ever hope to find him?

AN INTRIGUING MYSTERY SURROUNDS THE KING’S MISTRESS

London 1667. Acclaimed beauty and singer Harriet Gow is the star performer at the famous Theatre Royal on Drury Lane, as well as the favourite mistress of King Charles II. After seeing her perform, Christopher Redmayne is likewise captivated so he is intrigued when the King urgently summons him it seems Harriet has been kidnapped. Redmayne, with the help of his friend Jonathan Bale is engaged to resolve this delicate affair and they quickly begin delving into Harriet’s background.

The façade of elegance soon begins to crumble in the face of their investigations, and just as Redmayne and Bale start to question whether Harriet is really the victim or the guilty party, a brutal murder provides the answer...

A PERILOUS INVESTIGATION IN THE HEART OF LONDON RAVAGED BY THE GREAT FIRE

September 1666. Meeting in the ashes of a devastated London, Christopher Redmayne, an architect with Cavalier instincts, and Jonathan Bale, a Puritan constable, are hardly kindred spirits. Redmayne dedicates himself to rebuilding the city that Bale believes was destroyed by its own inner corruption.

The two men are thrown together when they catch thieves who are stealing from the house that Redmayne has designed for Sir Ambrose Northcott. The foul murder of Sir Ambrose joins them again, albeit reluctantly, in a complex and dangerous investigation that takes them through the brothels and gaming houses of Restoration London, right to the heart of the King’s court.