Second in the Elizabethan Jackdaw Mysteries series by SW Perry, The Serpent’s Mark is a satisfyingly twisty story involving medical malpractice, religious fanatics, complicated espionage and a likeable pair of heroes. The story takes off from page one with many entangled knots that aren’t smoothed out into separate strands until the end of the book. Disgraced physician Dr Nicholas Shelby and apothecary-publican Bianca Merton are catapulted into an international conspiracy where chance plays as big a part as spycraft. The contrasting wealth and poverty in London in 1591 is real on every page, death or imprisonment can strike without warning and the poor are manipulated at the whims of the academics and the rich.
When Italian-born Bianca visits the Sirena di Venezia, a newly arrived ship from Italy, she is planning to encourage the crew to visit her inn where they will receive a warm welcome in their own language. On board she is surprised to find her cousin, Captain Bruno Barrani, a bit of a dandy who is trading rice. After Bruno is attacked and suffers a nasty head wound, Bianca nurses him at the Jackdaw inn where he is visited daily by members of his crew. Meanwhile Nicholas is in Gloucestershire, engaged by Robert Cecil to investigate the dodgy medical practices of a Swiss doctor, Professor Arcampora, who slimily refers to himself in the third person. Cecil is concerned that Arcampora, who has been engaged to treat a family member who suffers from the falling sickness, is a charlatan. Nicholas is acquainted with the family having fought alongside Sir William Havington and his son-in-law Sir Joshua Wylde in the wars in Holland. It is Joshua’s son, Samuel, who is ill. William is recently deceased and it his widow Lady Mercy who told her cousin Robert of her concern for Samuel. There are a lot of family twists to get your head around, who is related to who, who knew who when and what they did when they were younger.
This is a convoluted plot, impossible to predict, with some rather nasty medical procedures described. Sixteenth century medicine was not for the faint-hearted. Nicholas, called before the College of Physicians to answer charges of disreputable conduct and proficiency [featured in the first book, The Angel’s Mark] finds himself drawn to practical surgery and treatment that takes effect quickly rather than the approved medical procedures involving humours and astrology.
At the heart of the story is the continuing tension between the Protestant and Catholic faiths, full of dislike and suspicion which often tips quickly into violence. The tension builds as the separate paths followed by Nicholas and Bianca begin to mysteriously converge. Have they uncovered different plots or are they in some unseen way connected. Both are in danger, both must second-guess the other’s next move at pain of violence and possibly murder. How well do they really know each other, trust each other? And when will Nicholas be ready to put aside the grief for his dead wife and child, and recognise the chance of new love.
Bianca is an easy character to like, sharp-witted, resourceful, unbowed and brave when threatened. And it’s difficult not to cheer on Nicholas, kind-hearted, moral, brave but shy.
A page-turner. I’m looking forward to the next in the series, The Saracen’s Mark.

Here’s my review of the first book in the series:-
THE ANGEL’S MARK #1JACKDAWMYSTERIES

If you like this, try:-
‘A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom’ by John Boyne
‘Glorious Exploits’ by Ferdia Lennon
‘Winter Pilgrims’ by Toby Clements #1Kingmaker

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE SERPENT’S MARK by SW Perry @swperry_history https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-80C via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:-