Overview
"It is 1679 and England is awash with suspicion. Fear of conspiracy and religious terrorism has provoked panic in politicians and a zealous reaction from the legal system. Everywhere - or so it is feared - Catholic agents are plotting to overthrow the King." "Now Samuel Pepys, Secretary of the Admiralty, finds himself in a position few people then or now would have expected: charged with treason and facing a show trial and execution. Imprisoned in the Tower of London and abandoned by the embattled king he loyally served, Pepys sets to work with customary brilliance investigating his mysterious accuser, Colonel John Scott, and uncovers a life riddled with ambition, forgery, treason, and - ultimately - murder." Using rare access to Pepys' own account of the affair, James Long and Ben Long evoke a turbulent period in England's history - and tell the forgotten story of the two most dangerous years in the life of the legendary diarist.Synopsis
"It is 1679 and England is awash with suspicion. Fear of conspiracy and religious terrorism has provoked panic in politicians and a zealous reaction from the legal system. Everywhere - or so it is feared - Catholic agents are plotting to overthrow the King." "Now Samuel Pepys, Secretary of the Admiralty, finds himself in a position few people then or now would have expected: charged with treason and facing a show trial and execution. Imprisoned in the Tower of London and abandoned by the embattled king he loyally served, Pepys sets to work with customary brilliance investigating his mysterious accuser, Colonel John Scott, and uncovers a life riddled with ambition, forgery, treason, and - ultimately - murder." Using rare access to Pepys' own account of the affair, James Long and Ben Long evoke a turbulent period in England's history - and tell the forgotten story of the two most dangerous years in the life of the legendary diarist.
T.L. Cooksey - Library Journal
Samuel Pepys is most famous for the diary he kept between 1660 and 1669, as well as his eyewitness accounts of the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London. As secretary of the admiralty, he played an important role in the development of the British navy. Yet in 1679, Pepys was imprisoned in the Tower of London on suspicion of treason, charged with being a secret Catholic and supporter of the Catholic Duke of York. Prolific novelist James Long (Battletech) and his son Ben Long investigate the mystery behind this arrest. Drawing on letters, government documents, and, where relevant for background, the famous diary, they piece together the plot against Pepys, identifying the role played by the mysterious Col. John Scott. The charges against Pepys were dropped a year later. While providing exhaustive sourcing, the authors present their findings in a nonacademic style, more like that of a readable, entertaining crime thriller. Recommended for public libraries.
Editorials
Library Journal
Samuel Pepys is most famous for the diary he kept between 1660 and 1669, as well as his eyewitness accounts of the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London. As secretary of the admiralty, he played an important role in the development of the British navy. Yet in 1679, Pepys was imprisoned in the Tower of London on suspicion of treason, charged with being a secret Catholic and supporter of the Catholic Duke of York. Prolific novelist James Long (Battletech) and his son Ben Long investigate the mystery behind this arrest. Drawing on letters, government documents, and, where relevant for background, the famous diary, they piece together the plot against Pepys, identifying the role played by the mysterious Col. John Scott. The charges against Pepys were dropped a year later. While providing exhaustive sourcing, the authors present their findings in a nonacademic style, more like that of a readable, entertaining crime thriller. Recommended for public libraries.
—T.L. Cooksey