The Dance of Vipers

The Dance of Vipers is a thriller set in 16th Century Scotland. It follows a world-weary diplomat as he battles to save the five-year-old king from traitors. The story starts in 1517. Scotland has finally made peace with England. But with an infant monarch, an absent governor and the country bitterly divided, the real battle is just beginning. As traitors and trouble-makers circle the throne, the French diplomat Antoine de Lissieu is sent to guard a notorious bandit, in the wild frontier region of the Marches. It seems like a straightforward task, which will finally allow him to go home. But Antoine soon finds himself fighting against shadowy forces who will stop at nothing to win power. As the bodies pile up, and Antoine's own head is put on the block, can he defeat the conspirators or will he be destroyed by their murderous ambition. This is the second book of a series (the first book is The Trail of Blood) but can be read as a standalone. The hero of both books is based on a real French diplomat, who was given the thankless task of keeping the peace between Scotland and England in the early 1500s. The series has been praised for both its historical authenticity and its fast paced, intricate plots.