Oliver Clements Books In Order

Publication Order of Agents Of The Crown Books

Oliver Clements

Agents of the Crown is a new series of novels from Oliver Clements. It’s a historical series, described by some, as perfect for fans of Dan Brown and Ken Follett.

Mr. Clements starts his exciting series with The Eyes of the Queen. Europe has emerged into an “Age of Enlightenment”. The endless cycle of poverty, persecution, and barbarity is easing in a new age of hope and scientific reasoning, and philosophers and poets are reaching new growth.

Without the suave, rakishness of the famed, fictional MI6 agent James Bond, John Dee becomes the unassuming protector to Queen Elizabeth. Her Majesty’s Secret Service was born of necessity in 1572 when John Dee was commended by Queen Elizabeth to form an organization that would bring intelligence to solving the problems of the realm.

However, Spain’s forces, driven by Mary, Queen of Scots, fiercely clutch to the past; they represent the centuries-old darkness by clinging to the intractable Catholic orthodoxy. Functioning as a holy army, they pursue and slaughter anyone who refuses to bend to his Holiness, the Pope.

Britain is the only nation with the might to battle to the dark forces. The intelligent, strong, and brave Queen Elizabeth rules her nation, but knows she has problems. Her treasury is crushed, her armies have been halved, and she knows she needs a new way of fighting the dark forces, ones that don’t rely strictly on force and bloodshed. Secrecy and stealthiness could be her key.

Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s head of security, has lost a highly secret document that occurred when he was duped during the chaos of the massacre in Paris on St. Bartholomew’s Day. The possession of the document could throw the balance of power in Europe. The Catholic Mary, Queen of Scotts and the Protestant Queen Elizabeth are enemies.

Walsingham is desperate to salvage this devastating loss. Someone can easily get killed if they trust the wrong person. After Walsingham returns to England, he seeks out John Dee.

John Dee is an extraordinary man for his time. With knowledge of alchemy, astrology, and the occult, he’s also grounded in the more scientific aspects as a soldier and a scholar. Dee shares a secret past with Queen Elizabeth and he is devoted to and fiercely loyal to his queen. Dee has been hiding his love for her, and he’s willing to die for his queen. He’s a gun-toting, action man, who becomes her willing servant, building a team of members who are intelligent, covert, and willing to do anything to protect their queen and the nation.

The genre of historical novels set during the Tudor era has a huge readership. This Tudor novel is not typical of what some readers may expect. There are descriptions of graphic violence and punishments true to the era, including a public pressed-to-death execution and an unfortunate mortal disregard for the safety of small children aren’t your typical Tudor storylines, however, for some readers, they will enhance the tension and realism of this time in history.

Mr. Clement’s highly praised and successful followup to The Eyes of the Queen is The Queen’s Men. The queen’s private secretary, Sir Francis Walsingham has been assigned with finding and prosecuting the masked gunmen who ambushed Queen Elizabeth’s carriage.

It’s 1577 and as the Queen’s entourage traveled through Waltham Forest, the carriage is peppered with bullets from arquebuses (16th century portable gun mounted on a tripod or forked tree branch) and the perpetrators vanished into the night. The queen barely escaped with her life.

Walsingham has to find out who the assassins are but there are too few clues. For sure, someone alerted the gunmen about the Queen’s route. Walsingham knows discovering the criminals is urgent- he knows they won’t stop until she’s dead.

Queen Elizabeth’s Privy Council is debating. After the attack they need to secure the throne but they also have to deal with Catholic Spain’s continued encroachment in the Low Countries. The queen is searching for a weapon to protect her navy from the Spanish and protect the throne and the country. She orders her friend and secret spy, John Dee, to find the ancient secret to Greek fire. The recipe was lost after the fall of the Byzantine Empire. Dee’s world is full of deadly plots, ruthless adversaries, and coded messages. He realizes the most effective weapon he has at his hand is intelligence.

Dee must form an alliance with the Turks, who are ruling from Constantinople. They are the only source of naphtha, the critical ingredient needed to hopefully make Greek fire.

A beautiful look alike of Queen Elizabeth provides a needed diversion as a method of keeping the real queen safe and alive. Not all English are loyal to Queen Elizabeth. English Catholics share the sentiments of the Spanish and Flemish and want to see Elizabeth dead so Mary, Queen of Scots can ascend to the English throne and turn the nation back to a Catholic state.

Oliver Clements (pseudonym) is a novelist and screenwriter based in Mortlake, London.