The Tyrant's Shadow

[Senior's] vivid characters [capture] this chaotic era with a lively sense of how it must have felt to those living through it - The Times A court without a kingdom, a kingdom without a king... England, 1652: since Charles I's execution the land has remained untethered, the people longing for change. When Patience Johnson meets preacher Sidrach Simmonds, she believes her destiny is to become his wife and help him spread the Lord's word. Simmonds sees things quite differently. Patience's brother Will has been bestowed the job of lawyer to Oliver Cromwell. Tasked with aiding England's most powerful man, he must try to overcome his grief after the loss of his wife. Then Sam Challoner, Will's brother-in-law, returns unannounced after years in exile, forcing Will and Patience to question their loyalties: one to a ruler, the other, a spouse. Who do they choose to save? Themselves, their loved ones or their country...

Antonia Senior is a former staff writer for The Times. She is now a freelance journalist, and her columns, features and book reviews have appeared in a number of national newspapers. Antonia lives in London with her family.