HERESY by S. J. Parris, 2010.

Billed as an historical thriller, this novel is set in the colleges at Oxford, England, in 1583, a dreadful and chaotic time in England, with a longing for a return to the Catholic faith an ever present danger. The main character, a fugitive Italian monk named Giordano Bruno, is a philosopher, scientist, poet, and magician, and is based on a real historical personage. In Parris' story, Bruno has traveled to Oxford in the party of a Polish prince who has been visiting Queen Elizabeth. Unknown to most of the other characters, Bruno has been recruited by Elizabeth's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, to gain information on the religious practices of the college officials, scholars, and other prominent local people. Bruno's friend, Sir Philip Sidney, nephew of the Queen's favorite Sir Robert Dudley, is also among the party.
   Bruno, considered a heretic and who managed thus far to escape the Inquisition, is in hopes of finding an ancient manuscript that will prove his beliefs that the universe is heliocentric. Clues have led him to believe that a copy of it was recently at the Oxford library before a general purge demanded by the government rid the library of controversial material. Bruno is hoping that somehow the book escaped and is hidden somewhere within the colleges. At first welcomed by the fellows, he soon learns that most of them question why he is among them and several become openly hostile towards him as the story progresses.
   But while Bruno conducts his investigation for Walsingham, a grisly murder occurs in the grounds. Bruno discovers fairly quickly that the academic community is caught up in a dangerous atmosphere that includes an underground network of spies, vicious intrigue, and a possible conspiracy against the queen, involving many characters, including a wealthy young student, the rector's well educated daughter, a nasty looking bookseller, the college librarian, and several other college fellows. More brutal murders occur among the Oxford fellows, and Bruno finds himself playing a game of cat and mouse with a fiendish killer. Someone seeks horrendous revenge in the name of faith, but which faith? Who is the real heretic in all this? And can Bruno control his own emotions and save the lovely Sophia, daughter of the college's rector from a gruesome fate? I found this an engrossing read, with plenty of historical interest, a good story with very atmospheric setting, and a relatively fast pace. It worked for me as both an historical and as a mystery.