A Burnable Book

By: Bruce Holsinger

Narrated by: Tim Bruce

Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

A stunning debut historical thriller set in the turbulent 14th century, for fans of C. J. Sansom, The Name of the Rose, and An Instance of the Fingerpost.

London, 1385: A city of shadows and fear, in a kingdom ruled by the headstrong young King Richard II, haunted by the spectre of revolt. A place of poetry and prophecy, where power is bought by blood. For John Gower, part-time poet and full-time trader in information, secrets are his currency. When close confidante and fellow poet Geoffrey Chaucer calls in an old debt, Gower cannot refuse.The request is simple: Track down a missing book.

It should be easy for a man of Gower's talents, who knows the back alleys of Southwark as intimately as the courts and palaces of Westminster. But what Gower does not know is that this book has already caused one murder, and that its contents could destroy his life. Because its words are behind the highest treason - a conspiracy to kill the king and reduce his reign to ashes.…

©2014 Bruce Holsinger (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

“A murder, a verse and a whore; the prologue of Bruce Holsinger`s A Burnable Book draws the reader in and does not let go. A deep understanding of the period combines with sophisticated writing to create a richly imagined world. Excellent historical fiction.” (Harry Sidebottom, bestselling author of the Warrior of Rome series)
”… a fascinating overview of pre-Renaissance London at its best and worst. A highly literate thriller from medievalist Holsinger.” (Kirkus Reviews)
”Medieval England never tasted so rich nor smelled so foul as in this descriptive and intricately layered mystery. Holsinger is at his best describing the everyday lives and privations of the lower classes. He succeeds in elevating the missing manuscript genre to new heights that will entertain readers of both fiction and nonfiction.” (Library Journal)
”Holsinger is…a fantastic historical novelist….This book has everything - Chaucer, cryptography, murder, Katherine Swynford, the Southwark stews, English royalty, prophecy. It's that rare thing: a well-written, historically accurate thriller.” (Historical Fiction Notebook)
”Everything you want in a work of historical fiction: fascinating, rich in period detail, and propelled by a compulsively engaging story. Even better, it's clever and witty… a superb entertainment.” (David Liss, Edgar Award-winning author of A Conspiracy of Paper and The Twelfth Enchantment)