Plague and Fire

Read the full tale of the highwayman Captain Coke, the thief-taker
Pitman and the actress Sarah Chalker as they fight the evil Fifth
Monarchists — fanatics, killers, fundamentalists — through two of the
greatest cataclysms in England’s history: The Great Plague and Great
Fire of London!

It begins with PLAGUE…

Winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel from the Canadian Crime Writers Association.

1665. On a dark road outside London, a highwayman stumbles upon slaughter…

As plague grips the city, can the uneasy alliance of a thief, a thief-taker and an actress catch a serial killer?

'A rich and addictive read, ideal for fans of historical fiction.' Publisher's Weekly

'PLAGUE
is one of those books where you turn the last page and wish there were
more. The very best of history, mystery, romance and sheer fun. (Well,
and a few rats…) London itself is as vivid a character as the actors,
adventurers and intriguers who people its all-too-few pages.' Diana
Gabaldon

And continues through 1666 with FIRE… And the Devil has not had his due

666
is the number of the Beast, this the year foretold when Christ will
return. To slay the Devil. To bring the New Jerusalem. A gang of fanatics — the Saints — choose to hasten that prophesied day. They will
kidnap, rape, murder. Above all, they will kill a king. For in the
renegade Captain Blood they have the perfect assassin.

Two men — the highwayman William Coke and the thief-taker Pitman — are recruited to
stop them. Both fall victim to the Saint’s foul plots. All seems lost…

Yet
in the early hours of September 2nd, 1666, something starts that will
overtake them all — fanatics, princes, soldiers and fops, actresses and holy murderers. For the year of the Beast is three quarters done and the
Devil has not yet had his due.

London’s a tinder box. Politically, sexually, religiously. Literally. And it is about to burn.

‘…in
amongst all the breathless adventure and dangerous acts. Humphreys
offers up an absorbing and well-wrought blend of heroism and villainy in a story that is ultimately about the danger of unchecked fanaticism and the capacity of bravery to overcome. Plus — it’s a lot of fun.’ —
Toronto Star

For the Jack Absolute novels:

'C.C. Humphreys has created the finest series of historical novels since Patrick O’Brian.’

— The Good Book Guide UK