Please note: This is an unrevised and unfinished fragment of a novel by Richard Blake. London 1696 War. Treason. Espionage. Financial chaos. Speculation. Sarah Goodricke writes plays. It pays the rent.

It keeps her in tobacco and laudanum. She has a play to finish. Then she gets caught up in a hanging procession to Tyburn. She agrees to perform a last service for one of the convicts. It goes wrong. It goes terribly wrong . Sarah runs. Sarah thinks she is safe.

But can she hide in a city filled with plotters, all desperate to lay hands on the packet of letters she has carried away from Tyburn? This unfinished fragment of a novel by Richard Blake is offered free in e-book format as a sample of his finished works. Do not be disappointed if it leaves you in suspense. One day, someone may pay him to finish it. Praise for Other Novels by Richard Blake: "Fascinating to read, very well written, an intriguing plot and I enjoyed it very much." (Derek Jacobi, star of I Claudius and Gladiator) "Vivid characters, devious plotting and buckets of gore are enhanced by his unfamiliar choice of period. Nasty, fun and educational." (The Daily Telegraph) "He knows how to deliver a fast-paced story and his grasp of the period is impressively detailed." (The Mail on Sunday) "A rollicking and raunchy read .

Anyone who enjoys their history with large dollops of action, sex, intrigue and, above all, fun will absolutely love this novel." (Historical Novels) "It would be hard to over-praise this extraordinary series, a near-perfect blend of historical detail and atmosphere with the plot of a conspiracy thriller, vivid characters, high philosophy and vulgar comedy." (The Morning Star) Richard Blake is an historian, broadcaster and university lecturer. His novels have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Greek, Slovak, Hungarian, Chinese and Indonesian. He lives in Kent with his wife and daughter.