The Redemption of Alexander Seaton

A sleuth to rival Shardlake or Cadfael - a mystery that will chill your blood. A must-read for fans of Rory Clements and SJ Parris.

'A satisfying, skillfully constructed mystery with richly developed characters ... A truly memorable and exciting read' Historical Novel Society

Banff, Scotland, the 1620s. A young man walks unsteadily through the streets. Is he just drunk or is there something more sinister happening? When he collapses in front of two sisters on that dark, wet night, the women guess that he's been poisoned.

His body is discovered in the house of Alexander Seaton - a fallen minister, the discovery of whose clandestine love affair has left him disgraced.

Why was the body in Seaton's house? And why would anyone want to murder this likeable young man? Seaton sets out to find answers, embarking on a journey not only through the darkest part of other men's souls, but also his own.

“'Such is the quality of the recreation, not only of the reeking ebb and flow of everyday life but also of the period mindset that it's easy to believe Satan is walking abroad ... this is an accomplished and thought-provoking debut' Guardian.-- Guardian”

An astonishingly accomplished first novel. A fine, rich, beautiful thriller that never loses sight of the heights to which the human soul can soar, even while it explores the depths to which envy, jealousy, hatred and greed can take it. A delight on all levels, literate, engaging and moving - Manda Scott

A rare accomplishment. It is what a period novel should be but rarely is ... transports you body and soul to another time and place. Read this on a beach in the Med and you'll still feel the chill bite of a North Sea wind blowing up a cobbled 17th century alleyway - Craig Russell

This engrossing, atmospheric novel is not just a satisfying, skilfully constructed mystery with richly developed characters. It is also the vivid evocation of a particular time and place by an author who is herself a historian specializing in 16th and 17th century Scotland. She has used her gifts to the full to create a truly memorable and exciting read - Historical Novels Review

S.G. MacLean has a PhD in history from Aberdeen University. She is the author of two historical crime series - The Alexander Seaton series, set in seventeenth-century Scotland, and the Damian Seeker series, set in Oliver Cromwell's London, as well as the standalone Jacobite thriller, The Bookseller of Inverness. She has been shortlisted four times for the CWA Historical Dagger, winning it twice. S.G. MacLean lives in Conon Bridge, Scotland.

A sleuth to rival Shardlake or Cadfael - a mystery that will chill your blood. A must-read for fans of Rory Clements and SJ Parris. 'A satisfying, skillfully constructed mystery with richly developed characters ... A truly memorable and exciting read' Historical Novel Society Banff, Scotland, the 1620s. A young man walks unsteadily through the streets. Is he just drunk or is there something more sinister happening? When he collapses in front of two sisters on that dark, wet night, the women guess that he's been poisoned. His body is discovered in the house of Alexander Seaton - a fallen minister, the discovery of whose clandestine love affair has left him disgraced. Why was the body in Seaton's house? And why would anyone want to murder this likeable young man? Seaton sets out to find answers, embarking on a journey not only through the darkest part of other men's souls, but also his own.

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