Cruel Necessity

The first John Grey historical mystery

The theatres are padlocked.
Christmas has been cancelled.
It is 1657 and the unloved English Republic is eight years old. Though Cromwell''s joyless grip on power appears immovable, many still look to Charles Stuart''s dissolute and threadbare court-in-exile, and some are prepared to risk their lives plotting a restoration.

For the officers of the Republic, c...