An interesting new series set during the 1580's and centered around all the political and diplomatic pitfalls so prevalent during the second half of Queen Elizabeth's reign.

Meet Thomas Walsingham, a 19 years old recently hired by his second cousin Sir Francis Walsingham, the genial spymaster of the English Crown. Sent on a mission to escort a glove maker to the French court, our young hero will quickly fall afoul of the harsh realities of late 16th century political and diplomatic shenanigans when an unexpected encounter on the continent turns mortal...

A captivating and highly entertaining Renaissance whodunit full of dangerous twists and turns, sparkling historical details and a very colorful cast of exquisitely drawn characters.

An historical coming-of-age that deserves to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever

Many thanks to Sapere Books and Netgalley for this terrific ARC

Attempted to read.. Did Not Finish and did not review on blog. I just couldn't get into this book and tried to read it as long as I could. It was hard to keep up with all the characters and didn't make a lot of sense and was confusing.

Oh boy, I cannot wait for the next instalment of this set, I do hope there is more to come, focussing on the people in the shadows of the shadowy world of espionage was a stunning idea and one that I found very intriguing.
A superb look at the world of the lesser spy, not the top man, who by fortune was in the right place at the right, or more to the point the wrong time, and how this played out in relation to English interests in European courts.
Stunning and well written.

Tom Walsingham is an impoverished cousin of Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth's spymaster. His job is a courier, travelling between France and England with diplomatic messages. Charged with escorting a glovemaker to Paris, Walsingham and his companions are beset by a difficult journey in which the glover is murdered. Desperate to get back to London to tall Walsingham of a plot he feels he has uncovered, Tom is thwarted at every turn.
This is a promising start to a series, the character of Tom Walsingham is a real life one but his adventures are complete fiction. The events are straightforward but the plot is a little confusing and complex, however it is believable in the context. The sense of time and place is nicely imagined and the whole is an undemanding but enjoyable read.

Tom Walsingham, a queens courier in France travels on poor roads with a motley group of companions

on a journey fraught with danger. He must contend with murder, mystery. and intrigue back at the english

court. This is an absorbing atmospheric tale. full of betrayal, secret codes, and complex international relations.

I enjoyed this book so much and look forward to joining Tom on his next mission.

Decent read if you are into historical fiction, but at times can drag along.
It is far from ‘unputdownable’, but made a pleasant change from what I had been reading previously.

Will Tom Walsingham’s first mission be his last…?

England, 1581

Nineteen-year-old Thomas Walsingham is thrilled to be working as a confidential courier, carrying messages between London and Paris for his illustrious cousin, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham … until everything goes wrong.

Tasked with escorting an English glove-maker to the French Court, Tom is also playing messenger for the Duke of Anjou, Queen Elizabeth’s French suitor, as well as carrying confidential instructions to the English Ambassador in Paris.

When French soldiers assault his convoy en route, Tom loses a letter he had sewn into his clothes. And the next morning, the glove-maker is found stabbed to death.

Determined to prove himself, despite failing so disastrously in his mission, Tom pushes on to Paris, but when he gets there, he discovers the glove-maker may not have been who he said he was.

Certain the queen may now be at risk, Tom is determined to report back to Sir Francis, but he cannot afford to wait for official orders.

Who was the glove-maker working for? Why was he killed?

Isolated and without a passport, Tom must travel incognito and return to the English court before anyone else ends up dead…

“Road to Murder” by CP Guiliani is the first book in a new historical series and the series is off to a flying start. I love this period of Tudor history, and I cannot fault the research in this novel. I love it when you learn new facts about your favourite historical character, so if you enjoy history, this is definitely a book for you.
The start of this novel demands concentration, but once the story settled down, it became really tense and engrossing, and you feel so sorry for poor Tom, thwarted in every direction by mishaps, and not knowing who to trust, it fast became a compelling read. I’m definitely looking forward to the next novel in this series and will be recommending it to everyone I know who enjoys historical mysteries.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

An entertaining mystery novel I could well imagine as a film! A good plot with many suspects in a well written Tudor setting.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Tom Walsingham is the 19 year old cousin of Sir Francis Walsingham, one of the best, if not foremost, spy masters of the first Elizabethan Age. Tom works as a courier and deliverers confidential documents to foreign Ambassadors, and also spies upon agents who intend harm to our nation.
The story opens with Tom going to France with Simon Litcott, a glover. Tom is carrying a secret message to Sir Henry Cobham, the English Ambassador to France, about the secret marriage plans of the Duke du Anjou, and Queen Elizabeth, but on the road to Paris, they are attacked by bandits, their passports stolen, and then, after a night spent at an inn, the letter is stolen, and Simon is found murdered.
The questions are, Why were the letters carried openly left untouched? Was Simon a spy? Who knew which road Tom and Simon were travelling? Is everyone that Tom becomes involved with, telling the truth, or are they innocent only because they have been murdered? We have murders, drownings, a stabbing, traitors, and rather friendly serving maids to contend with, before Tom reaches London safely.
I love this period of Tudor history, and I cannot fault the research in this novel. I love it when you learn a new fact about your favourite historical character, and I learnt that Sir Francis Walsingham had a brother- in - law in Sir Walter Mildmay, who lived at Apethorpe Hall in Northamptonshire, I too, lived there for a short period, must have missed those clues!! I never connected these two powerful men, some detective I would make!!
The start of this novel demands concentration, so many facts in a few short chapters, less can be more, but once the story settled down, it became really tense and engrossing, and you feel so sorry for poor Tom, thwarted in every direction by mishaps, and not knowing who to trust, it became a quietly compelling read. Tom is a promising character in the making. I’m looking forward to the next novel in this series.
I have rated this as a four star read, only because it was complicated with so many facts at the beginning.
My thanks go to Netgalley and the publishers Sapere books for my advance digital copy, in return for my honest and unbiased review. I will post to Goodreads and Amazon when the page is open.