Cornwell says she's very conscious of that heritage and, according to the Guardian, for a long time actively tried to carve out her own space doing something different from writing.
The Serpent Papers is an unusual thriller to say the least and the result of four years research and plotting. Anna Verco, academic, book thief and savant, becomes involved in a Barcelona murder investigation. Three women are sacrificed to an unknown purpose, skin carved with a cryptic alphabet, tongues cut from their mouths.
The ancient code elegantly cut into the victims' skins is akin to an embryo computer language. An erstwhile medieval Google if you will, that answers all questions and is written in the language of witches and alchemists. Anna, unknown to herself, is the key to unlocking the mystery.
Ted Fox is an online marketing and social media consultant.
