In the hot late summer of 1666, a strange document is delivered to the King of England. The writing predicts a grand fireworks display will soon occur, culminating in a pure body of flame higher than St Paul’s.

A week later, as the City of London burns to the ground, the hunt is on for its mysterious sender.

Present day: When flames are spotted inside a modern building in Pudding Lane on the anniversary of the Great Fire, few expect the worst terror attack in living memory. But when information reaches the Prime Minister of a second fire spreading in Edinburgh and a break-in at the Tower of London, it isn’t long before chaos ensues.

For White Hart agents Mike Hansen and Kit Masterson, the attacks are just the start of a bizarre sequence of events that threaten to put the present and past on a collision course. A forgotten foe has resurfaced, their ancient threat being carried out. Armed with the latest technology and cryptic clues from England’s dark past, they have no choice but to tackle the threat head-on. If successful, they could yet save both cities from certain destruction.

But only by uncovering one of history’s best-kept secrets can they prevent the past from repeating itself!

November 1604: an ancient grave is discovered in a subterranean crypt in the English countryside. Though the deceased’s identity is a mystery, a strange symbol etched into the slab offers a bizarre clue to his background. Exactly a year later, an anonymous letter delivered to King James I of England contains a shocking warning. Unless the contents of the grave are handed over, Westminster will be subjected to an almighty blow at the reconvening of parliament.

On 5 November, a solitary conspirator is arrested as he prepares to set light to 36 barrels of gunpowder . . .

Over four hundred years later, a famous European royal arrives in London for a visit that has the potential to decide the UK’s future with the EU. However, when her car is the subject of a bomb attack by a known terrorist close to Big Ben, panic engulfs the city. Meanwhile, as the world becomes absorbed by the ruthless assassination, a series of hidden CCTV cameras capture footage of over fifty terrorists entering the undercroft of the Houses of Parliament before taking all present hostage.

For White Hart agents Mike Hansen and Kit Masterson, the simultaneous attacks are just the start of a chain of events that threaten to tear a hole through the heart of the British government. An ancient brotherhood has finally surfaced, intent on carrying out its legendary purpose. Guided by vague leads in the confessions of the original gunpowder plotters, three forgotten 17th-century German manifestos and the terrorists’ demands, the White Hart have no choice but to plot their own assault on parliament. For the second time in four centuries, the Palace of Westminster stands on the brink . . .

And only by uncovering one of humanity’s oldest secrets can they prevent its destruction!

1539: As the Dissolution wreaks havoc on England’s monasteries, a loyal brotherhood of monks goes into hiding. Among their hoard is a collection of legendary relics said to date back to the time of Christ. For almost two thousand years, their very existence has been closely guarded . . .

Five centuries after their disappearance, what became of them remains a mystery.

Present day: when Deputy Director of the White Hart, Ian Atkins, goes missing, the last thing Mike Hansen and Kit Masterson anticipate is possible misdemeanours. However, when news comes to light that Atkins was last seen visiting retired physicist Lord Newton – a descendant of the legendary Sir Isaac – an unlikely trail emerges.

While Masterson is assigned the task of locating Atkins, Mike Hansen’s instruction to do the same for Newton includes the added complication of shadowing the errant peer’s next of kin: London banker Rebecca Harchester, with whom he has a complicated past. When Harchester becomes the victim of a violent kidnapping, Hansen’s own past and present seem destined to collide.

An ancient code conceals a priceless treasure: one with the potential to unlock the very secrets of humanity. Guided by clues penned by Sir Isaac Newton and a copy of the legendary Excalibur, Mike and Rebecca have no choice but to form an awkward alliance and attempt to decipher the code. A deadly enemy will stop at nothing to obtain it. Yet if the White Hart is to succeed, they face one further problem . . .

Exposing the identity of the White Hart itself . . .

1915: A precious gemstone is stolen from a Northumberland castle following a German air raid. Though its existence is known only to a select few, local rumour has long connected it with an artefact possessed by the legendary Merlin that disappeared from the royal treasury in 1232. Contemporary chroniclers wrote of the stone as a talisman in battle.

And capable of rendering its holder invisible.

Present Day: When an identical gemstone is listed for auction by the descendants of the chief suspect, none in the White Hart doubt that the Merlin Stone has resurfaced. While the stone’s return is long sought, for Mike Hansen and his grandfather, Bennett, there is an added complication: their ancestor’s role in the theft. No sooner is the stone in sight than the mission is compromised.

For Mike Hansen and Kit Masterson, the stone’s recovery poses a challenge like none other. To uncover the truth, Hansen must delve not only into the darkest chapters of Britain’s history but his family’s. A priceless artefact remains lost: one, if the medieval legends are true, had the potential to bring cities to their knees . . .

To save an innocent loved one may mean sacrificing thousands . . .

1283: As Edward I completes his conquest of Wales, the Welsh Crown Jewels vanish without a trace. Since the Norman Invasion, the Honours of Gwynedd have symbolised Welsh resistance and identity. Seven centuries later, their whereabouts remain a mystery.

Except to one man.

Modern Day: A veteran politician is attacked in the dead of night. His assailants, a violent group whose origins are said to date to the days of Owain Glyndŵr. They are the inheritors of the Tripartite Indenture, upholders of an ancient agreement that seeks the jewels’ recovery at any price . . .

Even regicide.

For Mike Hansen of the White Hart, the politician’s disappearance is the worst start to his holiday. Yet when the missing man’s niece Cerys Morgan is the target of a second attack, a clear motive emerges.

A priceless treasure remains missing. One with the potential to unite or to destroy. With the investiture of the new Prince and Princess of Wales just days away, Hansen and Morgan face a race against time to solve the clues her uncle left behind. Success may save an innocent man’s life. Yet the cost of failure is unthinkable . . .

The very future of the United Kingdom is at stake!

When several explosions rock the centre of Edinburgh, the White Hart is immediately called into action. While the attackers flee with a hoard of priceless historical manuscripts, in a lonely English village, recent intelligence photographs suggest a potentially shocking connection between the suspected culprits and the wife of the Deputy Prime Minister.

For White Hart agents Mike Hansen and Kit Masterson, the new lead is just the first piece of a potentially explosive jigsaw that threatens to tear a hole in the heart of the British government. As a new threat reveals itself, the White Hart's only chance to bring an end to ruthless activities is to follow the trail to the bitter end.

Right to the heart of a deadly conspiracy...

Trilogy Edition includes:
The Cortés Enigma - new and revised edition, May 2016
The Cortés Revenge - new release, May 2016
The Cortés Revelation - new release, May 2016

FROM THE BACK PAGE
Mexico 1520: As the Aztec Empire burns to ash at Hernán Cortés’s feet, in another part of the country, a great treasure lies hidden in a sacred place watched over by its keepers. Throughout the land, a strange legend has long told of an ancient people dwelling deep within the jungle whose possessions include a precious set of stones with the potential to bring unlimited power to its owner. As well as wealth beyond their wildest dreams . . .

1904: In an old graveyard in a remote part of the Isles of Scilly, a distinguished academic makes a surprising discovery. The inscriptions on the gravestones are unlike any he has ever seen, at least in that part of the world. The clues point to an astounding possibility. A forgotten Spanish legend. And a four-hundred-year-old cover-up!

Present Day: History lecturer Dr Ben Maloney is sitting in his office when the phone rings. A call from his cousin is rarely anything out of the ordinary, but today what he has to say is anything but normal. Their great-great-grandfather’s body has been discovered in a boat near a deserted island in the Isles of Scilly. With a bullet through his skull!

Dropping everything, the cousins’ decision to visit the site of their ancestor’s demise soon proves to be one that will change their lives forever. With nothing but a hundred-year-old diary and legends from the past to guide them, Ben soon realises their quest to solve the riddle of their ancestor’s death will require them to take on an altogether greater mystery that will lead them not only halfway across the world delving deep into humanity’s bloodiest past but potentially to their own deaths. An unimaginable treasure remains undiscovered – one able to change the world for better or worse.

And some will stop at nothing to find it . . .

England 1485: They were called the Sons of York. They were secretly created during the final hours of the reign of Richard III. Their sole purpose was to hunt down and eliminate the descendants of his murderer.

By any means necessary.

Over five hundred years later, the long reign of King James III of England comes to an unexpected end. Less than a week later, the bodies of two Cabinet ministers are discovered in a burning car. Though the deaths of all three are initially assumed to be unconnected, a chance arrest in London yields a bizarre confession.

And a sinister warning...

Thomas Winchesterhas been waging war on the enemies of his family ever since graduating from Sandhurst. Youngest nephew of the king, he is celebrated as one of MI5's finest agents - the only man capable of taking on the Royal Family's biggest crisis in recent memory.

Meanwhile, a quiet village in the North York Moors mourns a tragic loss. A young girl has vanished, allegedly the victim of a deranged boy who later committed suicide. A year on, television researcher Jennifer Farrelly is sent to follow up on the story. The body was never found, and the girl's parents have not given up hope of finding her alive.

A locked door in the medieval vaults of a remote Yorkshire church hides something strange: something with the potential to expose a previously untold chapter of England's darkest history. As Farrelly's search for the truth causes her to unwittingly cross paths with that of the royals, she and Winchester have no choice but to form a unique alliance to uncover a secret many have died to protect - a secret that still threatens the very foundation of the monarchy...

February 1649: As the dust settles following the English Civil War, only one objective remains before Oliver Cromwell's victory over the monarchy is complete. Since 1303, the Crown Jewels of England have been secure in the Tower of London. Yet, suddenly, they are removed, never to be seen in public again. Government receipts confirm the jewels have been sold and melted down.

Only one man knows the truth...

Present day: A famous London art gallery is robbed in the dead of night. Two paintings are taken: a newly purchased £10 million self-portrait of a renowned 17th-century artist and a portrait of a largely forgotten Roundhead. For gallery director Gillian McKevitt, the theft is a nightmare. Aside from occurring less than two days before the self-portrait's grand unveiling, CCTV footage suggests it was an inside job.

As the news sinks in, a surprise revelation from McKevitt's predecessor confirms she is dealing with no ordinary theft. The Roundhead portrait contains an unimaginable secret, one with the potential to reveal the whereabouts of the long-lost original Crown Jewels.

Following the clues revealed by earlier x-ray and infrared examinations of the painting, Gillian finds herself in a frantic and dangerous race across England and through history as she attempts to track down the thieves before the grand unveiling. To uncover their identity means unearthing one of England's best-kept secrets...

A prequel to The Crown Jewels Conspiracy - book one in the White Hart series.

1502: Miguel Corte-Real, Knight of Christ, sets out from Portugal on a secret voyage across the Atlantic. Hidden amongst his cargo is a legendary treasure - its very existence known only to those deemed worthy.

500 years later, esteemed history professor William Anson is found murdered in La Rochelle, France. Around his neck is an ancient medallion last seen in 1307. He is the grandmaster of the Knights of Arcadia: a society of men deemed worthy. His killers, a ruthless brotherhood, whose existence is equally legendary.

And they will not rest until they have reclaimed what was once theirs...

For Anson's son, navy outcast Matt Anson, his father's death is just the start of a series of events that turn his life upside down. Meanwhile, in London, journalist Nicole Stocker is sent to look into a string of deaths, including the mysterious demise of Anson. But as progress starts, she is taken off the case, attacked, and soon running for her life.

As the futures of Anson and Stocker become intertwined, it becomes clear there is more at stake than mere history. An explosive secret remains buried, threatening to bring half the world to its knees.

And some want it exposed...

A Swiss banker is found murdered, the latest in a string of murders whose victims had connections to the Vatican. Their killers: a secret society whose members include some of the most influential men on the planet. They are the inheritors of the Knights Templar: an ancient brotherhood of warrior monks who once fought to preserve the Church in dangerous times.

But in whose name do they act now?

Back in Rome, the Vatican Police make a chilling discovery. All of the victims have one thing in common. And the Camerlengo's great-niece is their next target.

When Swiss Guard Mikael (Mike) Frei is sent to St. Gallen to act as temporary bodyguard for Gabrielle Leoni, daughter of the murdered banker and great-niece of the Camerlengo, he is unprepared for what awaits him. Though Mike and Gabrielle fail to take to one another, after the discovery of a 14th-century diary left behind by Gabrielle's father, their lives are endangered.

A disturbing trail is emerging, and an explosive secret is waiting to be discovered: a secret some want to remain hidden. With Gabrielle intent on finding the truth behind her father's murder, Mike's position is compromised, forcing him to embark on a dangerous mission across Europe and the Atlantic to ensure Gabrielle's safety and attempt to uncover the identity of the murderers before they strike again.

Something big is about to happen...