Diva

"I've outdone The Da Vinci Code," chuckles veteran author Maureen Duffy, describing her 31st book, The Orpheus Trail. It's a modern-day thriller that incorporates ancient history and early religion, but unlike her last novel, Alchemy, there is no sapphic element this time around. The Orpheus Trail is inspired by the real-life discovery in Essex of the Saxon tomb of a wealthy man, nicknamed the Prittlewell Prince, who was buried with fantastic grave goods incorporating both pagan and Christian symbols. This caught Duffy's imagination.