S J Parris Popular Books

S J Parris Biography & Facts

Stephanie Jane Merritt (born 1974 in Surrey) is an English literary critic and writer who has contributed to publications including The Times, The Daily Telegraph, the New Statesman, New Humanist and Die Welt. She was Deputy Literary Editor of The Observer from 1998 to 2005 and currently writes for The Observer and The Guardian, in addition to writing novels — under her own name as well as the pseudonym S. J. Parris. Merritt read English at Queens' College, and graduated from Cambridge University in 1996. Merritt's first novel Gaveston (Faber & Faber) won a Betty Trask Award from the Society of Authors in 2002. Her second novel was Real (2005), about a struggling young playwright, for which she was also commissioned to write the screenplay. In 2010, Heresy was published, her first novel in the series of historical fiction thrillers featuring Giordano Bruno. It was followed by Prophecy (2011) Sacrilege (2012), Treachery (2014), Conspiracy (2016) and Execution (2020). She has also written a memoir, The Devil Within, published by Vermilion in 2008 and shortlisted for the Mind Book Award, which discusses her experiences living with clinical depression. Merritt has appeared regularly as a critic and panellist on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 4 Extra, has been a judge for the Costa Biography Award and the Orange New Writing Award as well as the Perrier Award, and is a regular interviewer and author at literary festivals, as well as the National Theatre. During 2007 and 2008, she curated the Talks and Debates programme on issues in contemporary arts and politics at London's Soho Theatre. Bibliography As Stephanie Merritt Gaveston (2002) Real (2005) The Devil Within (nonfiction) (2008) While You Sleep (2018) Storm (2022) As S.J. Parris Series based on the Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno (1548–1600) Heresy (2010) Prophecy (2011) Sacrilege (2012) Treachery (2014) Conspiracy (2016) Execution (2020) The Dead of Winter (2020) (collects three prequel novellas: The Secret Dead (2014), The Academy of Secrets (2020) and A Christmas Requiem (2020)) Alchemy (2023) The prequel novellas that make up The Dead of Winter have been published separately as e-books as well. References External links Official website Stephanie Merritt on Twitter Stephanie Merritt Photograph. Discover the S J Parris popular books. Find the top 100 most popular S J Parris books.

Best Seller S J Parris Books of 2024

  • The Silver Collar synopsis, comments

    The Silver Collar

    Antonia Hodgson

    SHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA GOLD CROWN'A triumph . . . leaves the reader hungry for more' Andrew TaylorAutumn, 1728. Life is good for Thomas Hawkins and Kitty Sparks in their home abov...

  • The Drowned City synopsis, comments

    The Drowned City

    K. J. Maitland

    'A gripping thriller' THE TIMES'Dark and enthralling' ANDREW TAYLOR'Goes right to the heart of the Jacobean court' TRACY BORMANGunpowder and treason changed England forever. But th...

  • The St. Ambrose School for Girls synopsis, comments

    The St. Ambrose School for Girls

    Jessica Ward

    “Mean Girls meets We Were Liars in this compelling, catandmouse thriller” (Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author) set in a boarding school where secrets are devastatingan...

  • A Gathering Storm synopsis, comments

    A Gathering Storm

    Rachel Hore

    From the millioncopy Sunday Times bestseller comes a gripping story of family secrets, allconsuming love and the chaos of war.2011. When Lucy’s troubled father Tom&#...

  • Burke and Hare synopsis, comments

    Burke and Hare

    Brian Bailey

    'My Lord, You are aware that, at this moment, the public feeling is strongly excited against the perpetrators of the late foul and cold blooded murders that have taken place in the...

  • The House on Bellevue Gardens synopsis, comments

    The House on Bellevue Gardens

    Rachel Hore

    The stunning novel from the millioncopy Sunday Times bestseller. Secrets from the past, unravelling in the present… Uncovering secrets that span generations, Ra...

  • While You Sleep synopsis, comments

    While You Sleep

    Stephanie Merritt

    A modernday ghost story set on a remote Scottish island, While You Sleep is a pageturning, chillingly erotic Hitchcockian thriller evoking the dark atmospheric of a house...

  • The Masked Man synopsis, comments

    The Masked Man

    Paul Doherty

    During the reign of Louis XIV, a mysterious man was kept prisoner in Bastille. Who was he?The mysteries of 18th century France are explored in Paul Doherty's masterful novel, The M...

  • The Silent Listener synopsis, comments

    The Silent Listener

    Lyn Yeowart

    'The Silent Listener is simply unforgettable.' Sydney Morning Herald'A tale of suspense and revenge, beautifully written.' The Age'A deftly wrought suspense novel from a remarkable...

  • The Incendium Plot synopsis, comments

    The Incendium Plot

    A D Swanston

    'A fantastic tale of spies, deceit and murder in the Elizabethan age' S. D. Sykes'Colourful and gripping' The TimesEngland in 1572 is a powder keg of rumour, fanaticism, treachery ...

  • A Plague of Serpents synopsis, comments

    A Plague of Serpents

    K. J. Maitland

    K.J. Maitland's gripping Jacobean historical thriller series comes to a dramatic conclusion...'What a wonderful storyteller Maitland is' THE TIMESLondon, 1608. Three years after th...

  • A Week in Paris synopsis, comments

    A Week in Paris

    Rachel Hore

    SECRETS FROM THE PAST, UNRAVELLING IN THE PRESENT From the millioncopy Sunday Times bestseller comes a gripping and moving story spanning 25 years and World War II, ...

  • Chaos synopsis, comments

    Chaos

    A D Swanston

    February 1574 and London is in a fervour of paranoia, superstition and rumour. Mob violence is commonplace. A whispered word is all it takes to condemn a woman to burn as a witch.H...

  • The Art of the Hollywood Backdrop synopsis, comments

    The Art of the Hollywood Backdrop

    Karen L. Maness & Richard M. Isackes

    The definitive behindthescenes history of one of Hollywood’s most closely guarded cinematic secrets finally revealedpainted backdrops and the scenic artists who brought them to the...

  • The Book of Lost Fragrances synopsis, comments

    The Book of Lost Fragrances

    M. J. Rose

    A spellbinding novel from the internationally bestselling author!A Secret Worth Dying For…Jac L’Etoile has always been haunted by visions of the past, her earliest memories infused...

  • A Summer Bird-Cage synopsis, comments

    A Summer Bird-Cage

    Margaret Drabble

    Attractive and witty, Sarah has just graduated from Oxford and started a new job at the BBC. As she immerses herself in the excitement of 1960s London, her beautiful older sister, ...

  • A Marriage of Fortune synopsis, comments

    A Marriage of Fortune

    Anne O'Brien

    'A compelling tale of a family caught up in the turmoil of the Wars of the Roses... Be warned: it's dangerously addictive' TRACY BORMANEngland. 1469.A fortunate marriage will chang...

  • One Moonlit Night synopsis, comments

    One Moonlit Night

    Rachel Hore

    Preorder THE HIDDEN YEARS, the captivating new novel from the millioncopy bestselling author Rachel Hore, out in paperback Spring 2024. Loyalty and betrayal, hope and despair, One ...

  • The Mystery of the Stolen Brides synopsis, comments

    The Mystery of the Stolen Brides

    Robin Squire

    It is the summer of 1891 and a young, beautiful bride is snatched from her wedding, leaving her guests shocked and her new husband distraught. A search is hurriedly mounted, but as...

  • The Love Child synopsis, comments

    The Love Child

    Rachel Hore

    The UNMISSABLE novel from the millioncopy Sunday Times bestseller. Secrets from the past, unravelling in the present… Uncovering secrets that span generations, Rache...

  • Luck of the Devil synopsis, comments

    Luck of the Devil

    Ian Kershaw

    'It is now time that something was done. But the man who has the courage to do something must do it in the knowledge that he will go down in German history as a traitor. If he does...

  • Follow the Model synopsis, comments

    Follow the Model

    J. Alexander

    AN EMPOWERING, NONONSENSE GUIDE TO LIVING THE MISS J WAYFULLY AND FABULOUSLY! HOW does a sixfootfour, Bronxborn black gay male become Queen of the Catwalk? In one word: attitude. B...

  • Fancy Nancy and the Boy from Paris synopsis, comments

    Fancy Nancy and the Boy from Paris

    Jane O'Connor

    There is a new boy in Nancy’s class. He’s just moved from Paris! Nancy cannot wait to share her fanciness with someone who will appreciate it. Unfortunately, this Parisian might no...

  • A Pound of Paper synopsis, comments

    A Pound of Paper

    John Baxter

    In the rural Australia of the fifties where John Baxter grew up, reading books was disregarded with suspicion, owning and collecting them with utter incomprehension. Despite this,...

  • Hirschfeld synopsis, comments

    Hirschfeld

    Ellen Stern

    The definitive biography of Al Hirschfeld, renowned caricaturist and artist. Al Hirschfeld knew everybody and drew everybody. He occupied the twentieth century, and illustrated it....

  • Last Letter Home synopsis, comments

    Last Letter Home

    Rachel Hore

    From the millioncopy Sunday Times bestseller comes a timeless love story, lost in letters of the past . . . Secrets from the past, unravelling in the present… Uncove...

  • Arrowood and the Thames Corpses synopsis, comments

    Arrowood and the Thames Corpses

    Mick Finlay

    ‘Brimming with dark humour, fastpaced action … this is a topclass series that grows in stature with every new book’ Lancashire Evening PostSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 HWA GOLD CROWN A...

  • A Death at Fountains Abbey synopsis, comments

    A Death at Fountains Abbey

    Antonia Hodgson

    'In a tale that more than matches its predecessors for pace and atmosphere, Hawkins is forced into confrontation with a psychopathic killer...hugely enjoyable' The Sunday Times'You...

  • The Silent Tide synopsis, comments

    The Silent Tide

    Rachel Hore

    From the millioncopy Sunday Times bestseller comes a compelling and engrossing story of hidden lives and secret pastsLondon, present day: Emily Gordon has found her ...

  • The Hidden Years synopsis, comments

    The Hidden Years

    Rachel Hore

    'A dramatic, warmhearted, wonderfully written read.' DAILY MAIL 'Gorgeous' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING'A gripping read' HELLO!Sunday Times bestseller Rachel Hore’s captivating...

  • Treachery synopsis, comments

    Treachery

    S. J. Parris

    The new historical thriller featuring Giordano Bruno, heretic, philosopher, and spy, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and The Name of the Rose.August, 1585. A relentless enemy...

  • Her Last Assassin synopsis, comments

    Her Last Assassin

    Victoria Lamb

    A gripping historical thriller set in Tudor England during the reign of Elizabeth I.Ladyinwaiting Lucy Morgan is once again torn between her dangerous attraction to William Shakesp...