#BlogTour-‘Unlawful Things’ by Anna Sayburn Lane

About the book…

A hidden masterpiece. A secret buried for 500 years. And one woman determined to uncover the truth.

When London tour guide Helen Oddfellow meets a historian on the trail of a lost manuscript, she’s intrigued by the mystery – and the man. But the pair are not the only ones desperate to find the missing final play by sixteenth century English playwright Christopher Marlowe. What starts as a literary puzzle quickly becomes a quest with deadly consequences.

When Helen realises the play hides an explosive religious secret, she begins to understand how much is at stake. Relying on her quick wits, she battles far-right thugs, eccentric aristocrats and an ancient religious foundation, each with their own motives for getting their hands on the manuscript. She discovers there is a price to pay for secret knowledge, but how high is too high?

My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things for my gifted copy of ‘Unlwaful Things’ to review.

I am hopeful that this is the first in a series featuring Helen Oddfelow, as I really really liked her!
She studies and lives by the things that she is passionate about-her PhD and her walking tours of London which inform and entertain about literary figures such as Shaekespeare, Chaucer and Marlowe.

It is about the last, playwrite Christopher Marlowe and a potentially missing play , that is the focus of ‘Unlawful Things’. Helen is contacted by historian Richard Watson after seeing an article describing her as a ‘Marlowe Scholar’ in a local newspaper.

His passion for literary history and hers, however, lead them into some very dark places as this is secret which people are prepared to kill to keep hidden away…

It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel,such is the skill with which Anna sets up her main characters and the story, as well as using locations such as Dulwich College and Douthwark Cathedral, give it a very well framed sense of place and time.

Taking the title from the epilogue of ‘Doctor Faustus’, Marlowe’s most popularly known play wherein the lead character sells his soul for eternal life, little thinking of the consequences,’Unlawful Things’ heralds the arrival of a heroine and literary sleuth who stays with you long after the last page. I cannot wait to see where Anna takes Helen and her companions next!

For more information on Anna’s writing process and how she decided on the title, click below….

Why “Unlawful Things”?

About the author…

Anna Sayburn Lane is a novelist, short story writer and storyteller, inspired by the history and contemporary life of London. ‘Unlawful Things‘ is her first novel.
She has published award-winning short stories in a number of magazines, including Mslexia, Scribble and One Eye Grey.
Her Mslexia award-winning story ‘Conservation‘ was described by judge and Booker-longlisted author Alison MacLeod as “a powerful and profound contemporary piece in which one man’s story stands for an entire nation’s… it’s a punch to the heart, a story that will haunt and touch its readers deeply”.
She has told stories at London club The Story Party and One Eye Grey’s Halloween event, Moon Over the Lido

‘Unlawful Things’ was shortlisted for the Virago/The Pool New Crime Writer Award. If you love a bit of historical sleuthing and a healthy dose of fast-paced action, you’ll enjoy this intriguing debut thriller from Anna Sayburn Lane.Discover ‘Unlawful Things’ today!

Link to buy-https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07JGC45JT/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

Website-http://annasayburnlane.com/

 Twitter @BloomsburyBlue

                                                                                      @annectaer