Secret Fact
According to legend, on the western hillock, at the location of the present St Paul’s Cathedral, stood a mighty stone circle of unhewn monoliths. The Druidic circle, the seat of the Archdruid, links the site of the nation’s most important Christian church to a pagan religion stretching back thousands of years. The stone circle has long gone, and no trace has ever been found, apart from perhaps the remains of a single stone pillar, called the ‘London Stone’. The stone once stood in the middle of Cannon Street (originally on the site of the eastern hill) and is now preserved behind an ugly metal grille incorporated into the front of a sportswear shop.
Menhirs, or large isolated standing stones, are commonly found in connection with many British circles. Perhaps the best known is Stonehenge’s ‘Hele’ (from the Greek helios for ‘sun’) or Sunstone. A second Druidic circle is rumoured to have stood where Westminster Abbey now stands.
PART 4:
The Dark Horizon Trilogy
The deeper you go, the darker it becomes …
From Number 1 bestselling thriller author Duncan Simpson comes the Dark Horizon Trilogy. Packed full of action, cryptic clues, history, religion and intrigue, the Dark Horizon Trilogy is a must-read for Dan Brown fans and anyone looking for intense, heart-stopping adventure.
Centre-stage is Vincent Blake, London's leading stolen-art investigator. Working at the fringes of the legitimate trade in rare and antique objects, little does he suspect the secrets he is about to reveal, nor the evil that awaits him. Soon Blake is thrown headfirst into a terrifying world of powerful dark forces and buried heretical secrets. Pitted against ruthless and chilling enemies, Blake must draw upon all his exceptional skills just to survive.
Strap in for a nail-biting mystery adventure … and maybe the most exciting treasure hunt you will ever take.
Book 1
The History of Things to Come
The mind of a genius can hold the darkest of secrets
A Bosnian gangster is gunned down in a packed London restaurant. In his possession is a notebook once belonging to Isaac Newton. This is just the latest in a series of shocking crimes connected to objects once belonging to the famous scientist. The police are stumped and the pressure for an arrest is mounting.
Enter Vincent Blake, London's leading stolen-art investigator. As Blake sets out to solve the case, a series of devastating events threaten to destroy everything he holds dear. Broken but undeterred, he comes upon a shocking discovery: within the coded pages of a mysterious crimson book, annotated in Newton’s own handwriting, is an explosive revelation. Possessing this secret knowledge turns Blake into a marked man.
Caught in the crosshairs of two sadistic hit men, Blake is propelled into a breath-taking race through London and its dark historical secrets.
With time running out, will Blake solve Newton’s deadly puzzle before the world is plunged into a catastrophe of biblical proportions?
Book 2
The Devil’s Architect - OUT 2016
Four brutal murders, four mysterious churches, one terrifying purpose.
Strap in for the second spine-chilling instalment of the Dark Horizon Trilogy from bestselling thriller author Duncan Simpson.
Driven by unearthly visions, a convicted killer escapes from a maximum-security psychiatric hospital. Days later, a woman is ritualistically murdered outside a mysterious London church. When a Roman coin is discovered under the victim’s skin, Vincent Blake—London’s leading stolen-art investigator—is called in to assist the police with their investigations.
A series of copycat murders, all carried out within the vicinity of connected London churches, rocks the heart of the city. As the body count rises, Blake is thrust into a race against time to solve a centuries-old mystery that sets him on a collision course with a terrifying secret.
Nothing can prepare him for what he has to face, as the churches are not what they seem: they have been designed by the Devil’s Architect.
This super-charged, heart-racing thriller is a must-read for fans of Dan Brown, James Rollins and Steve Berry.
Book 3
The Infinite Fire - OUT 2017
The most dangerous weapon is the truth.
Duncan Simpson, the bestselling author of nail-biting suspense and historical mysteries, returns with the final part of the Dark Horizon Trilogy.
During a single night, every member of an infamous smuggling gang is gruesomely murdered. Vincent Blake, London’s leading stolen-art investigator, discovers that the gang had been fencing objects taken from a mysterious archaeological dig in Jerusalem. The closer he gets to discovering the truth behind the killings, the more sinister his search becomes. Events soon spiral out of control, and he is drawn into the frontline of a secret holy war.
Pitted against a chilling adversary, haunted by the ghosts of his past, and driven to find the truth, Blake is thrust headfirst into a vortex of deception, stolen treasure, Templar codes, sacred geometry and forbidden knowledge. Gradually, he realises that the knowledge he is hunting for conceals an even greater secret—one so profound, it could trigger events foretold in the book of Revelations.
Join Blake in a life-and-death race across London as he follows a trail of cryptic clues left centuries ago by the founding members of London’s Royal Society. Blake’s greatest discovery will become the world’s greatest threat, as the future of all things hangs in the balance between heaven and hell.
Bibliography
The following works particularly inspired me during the writing of this book:
Ackroyd, Peter, 2001, London: The Biography (Vintage).
Beresiner, Yasha, 2006, The City of London: A Masonic Guide (Lewis Masonic).
Churton, Tobias, 2012, The Mysteries of John the Baptist (Inner Traditions).
Coverley, Merlin, 2008, Occult London (Pocket Essentials).
Defoe, Daniel, 2001, A Journal of the Plague Year (Dover).
Defoe, Daniel, 1986, A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain (Penguin).
Duncan, Andrew, 2009, Secret London (New Holland).
Eve, John, 2006, The Diary of John Evelyn (Everyman).
Gilbert, Adrian, 2003, The New Jerusalem. Rebuilding London: The Great Fire, Christopher Wren and the Royal Society (Corgi).
Gleick, James, 2003, Isaac Newton (Vintage).
Guard, Richard, 2014, Lost London (Michael O’Mara Books).
Hebborn, Eric, 1991, Drawn to Trouble: The Forging of an Artist (Mainstream).
Hollis, Leo, 2009, The Phoenix: St Paul’s Cathedral and the Men Who Made Modern London (Phoenix).
Howard, Rachel & Nash, Bill, 2009, Secret London: An Unusual Guide (Jonglez)
Jardine, Lisa, 2002, On a Grander Scale: The Outstanding Career of Sir Christopher Wren (HarperCollins).
Levy, Joel, 2009, Newton’s Notebook: The Life, Times, and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton (History Press).
Long, David, 2007, Tunnels, Towers & Temples: London’s 100 Strangest Places (History Press).
Pennick, Nigel, 2012, Sacred Architecture of London (Aeon Books).
Robinson, John L., 1989, Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry (M. Evans).
White, Michael, 1997, Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer (Fourth Estate).
Winn, Christopher, 2007, I Never Knew That About London (Ebury Press).
Acknowledgements
Thanks to my readers and community at http://www.duncansimpsonauthor.com and also to my friends on Twitter.
Thanks to my production team: Amy Butcher of the Book Butchers for copy-editing and proofreading, Juan Villar Padron for cover design, and Jake Muelle for interior print design.
As always, my biggest thank you goes out to Katie, my master editor. I am constantly in awe of her love, kindness and astute eye. Thank you for feeding my tea addiction, tidying up the study, and taking me to the Faversham beer garden all those years ago. She is the brightest star in my sky.
About the Author
Duncan Simpson spent his childhood
in Cornwall, England. As a teenager he gained experience in a variety of jobs, from working in a mine to doing shifts as a security guard in an American airport. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a physics degree, he spent a year backpacking around the world. On returning to the UK, he embarked on a successful career in business. Along the way, he became the finance director for a technology company and a partner in a leading management consultancy firm.
The Dark Horizon Trilogy was born out of Duncan’s lifelong fascination with the relationship between science and religion. A keen student of the history of London, he loves exploring the ancient stories and myths surrounding the city. When he's not writing or consulting, you'll find him playing guitar in a rock band, running by the Thames, or drinking tea with his wife and three children in their home in Berkshire, England. He can be reached through his website at http://www.duncansimpsonauthor.com
Frequently Asked Questions
London based thriller writer Duncan Simpson answers your questions:
Question: What gave you the idea to write your first novel, The History of Things to Come?
Answer: I have always been fascinated by the history of science and the great men and women that have changed our understanding of the world. My view of Isaac Newton, as a cold, rational genius was turned on its head after reading a magazine article about the Sotheby’s auction of Newton’s personal writings in 1930’s. I was shocked to hear that Newton wrote significantly more about biblical research than he ever did on what we would now describe as science. This fact just wouldn’t let me go. The man that is cited as being a catalyst for the seismic split between science and religion was himself obsessed by the bible. My research revealed a man driven to unlock the secrets hidden in scripture. Certain of its accuracy, Newton, possibly the greatest mind of the modern era, described biblical prophecy as a ‘history of things to come’. I used the historical fact of the Sotheby sale as a key plot device for the novel.
Question: Your novel, The History of Things to Come interweaves historical facts surrounding the lives of Isaac Newton and the architect Christopher Wren, with the plot line of modern day thriller. Is this a period of history that is of particular interest to you?
Answer: Absolutely, the second half of the seventeenth century was a time of great political, social and scientific upheaval in England. The country was just emerging from the civil war, the monarchy had been restored to the throne and the Royal Society had just been formed. In so many ways the old world was crumbling and a new one was being built by people like Newton and Wren. It was one of those unique times in history when people of true genius really did change the world.
Question: You have previously said that you have an interest in the psychogeography of London. Can you tell us more?
Answer: London can be a strange place. Millennia of history is layered upon each other. Certain geographical areas of London seem to possess qualities that are hard to define, but are none the less discernible. There are certain squares or buildings in the city that are uplifting and positive; others have a dark and depressing quality. The interesting thing is that they seem to have been that way for generations, as if the earth itself is permanently branded as such and their qualities are unchanged through the generations. Peter Ackroyd and Iain Sinclair have both written brilliantly on the subject of the psychogeography of London.
This is exclusive to my mailing list: you can’t get this anywhere else.
JUST CLICK HERE
You Can Make a Big Difference
If you’ve enjoyed this book, it would be fantastic if you would consider sharing the message with others. In particular, writing a short review can be a powerful way of spreading the word and getting attention for my books.
It would be awesome if you could spend just five minutes leaving a review (it can be as short as you like) on the book’s Amazon page.
Thank you very much.
Duncan
Other things you can do:
•Recommend the book to those in your small group, book club, workplace, and classes.
•Head over to www.facebook.com/duncansimpsonauthor, LIKE the page, and post a comment as to what you enjoyed most about the book.
For more information and updates on new releases and other cool stuff, join my readers’ group at: www.duncansimpsonauthor.com
Copyright © 2016 by Duncan Simpson.
Published by Whitefort Publishing.
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Every effort has been made to obtain permission for the material quoted. If any required acknowledgements have been omitted, or any rights overlooked, it is unintentional. Please notify the publishers of any omission, and it will be rectified in future editions.
First Whitefort Publishing edition published in 2016.
ISBN: 978-0-9932063-3-7
Printed in the United Kingdom.
Edited by Amy Butcher
Cover design by Juan Villar Padron
This book is a work of fiction. The modern-day characters, incidents and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons is fictionalised or coincidental.
Secrets from the Dark Horizon: A Reader's Companion Guide (The Dark Horizon Trilogy Book 0) Page 10
