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Title: Traitor to the Crown
Subtitle: The Untold Story of the Popish Plot and the Consipiracy Against Samuel Pepys
Author: James Long, Ben Long
Narrator: James Adams
Format: Unabridged
Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
Language: English
Release date: 03-30-10
Publisher: Audible Studios
Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 10 votes
Genres: History, European
Publisher's Summary:
England, 1679: Fear of conspiracy and religious terrorism have 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. Samuel Pepys, Secretary of the Admiralty, finds himself charged with treason and facing a show trial and execution. Imprisoned in the Tower of London, Pepys sets to work investigating his mysterious accuser, Colonel John Scott, and uncovers a life riddled with ambition, forgery, treason and ultimately murder.
Using rare access to Pepys account of the affair, James Long and Ben Long brilliantly 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.
Critic Reviews:
For spy story addicts this is a great tale. Imagination could hardly conjure up such a pack of dodgy-dealing double and treble agents as appear on both sides of this story, single-minded as they are in their pursuit of money, women or social standing. (The Times, London)
Reads like the best crime novel, yet it is based on brand new researcha book that could be read on the beach, and maybe one dayif Michael Gambon and Jeremy Irons are availableat the cinema. (The Scotsman)
Members Reviews:
A book that includes something for everyone
I once saw a television program where a man stood in front of some book shelves. He explained that if one were to read one book a week for his entire life, his books would not fill those shelves. I thought about what he said, deciding that (since I could only read fewer than 4000 books) I would be very selective about what I chose to read.
If you feel the same way, then this should be one of the books you choose. It has something for everyone: It's a mystery story, a detective story, and a spy story. It is a history, a study in psychology, and a lesson in the potential good and evil in men. There is, literally, something in this for everyone.
When the monarchy was restored and Charles II came to the English throne, the Protestant majority greatly feared the return of a potential Catholic king, remembering the Protestant-burnings by "Bloody Mary". As men turned against one another in the name of religion, informers and opportunists inflamed the mobs and turned justice upside down.
Samuel Pepys found himself in the middle of the struggle, accused falsely of being a traitor. From his jail cell he coordinated an investigation by his friends to determine the extent of the conspiracy and to clear himself of the charges. The trail led to France, Spain, the Netherlands, the Caribbean, and New York.
The authors (father and son) weave the tale well, making an extremely complex sequence of events understandable and gripping. I highly recommend this book.
Thought provoking.
A very worrying book in so far as one man (and I don't mean Pepys) could change the course of history by lying and manipulating others just for his own ends. I was 99% sure that Pepys didn't come to a bad end but couldn't wait to finish the book in hopes that the man I first mentioned (whose name I don't want to remember) got what he deserved after his life of deceit.
A great read!
Anyone interested in English history will find this book to be a gem.
