Anyone for Edmund?

'I loved this smart and divinely wry book, with its perfect marriage of archaeology, patron sainthood, and 10 Downing Street dirt. What a terrific eye and ear is at work here!' - Elinor Lipman; 'Anyone for Edmund? is gripping, funny and richly entertaining. This is not only a compelling read, but also a story grounded in real history and the genuine questions of national identity that are still thrown up by the legacies of medieval patron saints - and St Edmund in particular. While this book is fiction, at the heart of it is a truth every historian knows: the past is very much alive' - Dr Francis Young, author of Edmund: In Search of England's Lost King; 'Fantastically witty, and utterly unique. Who knew that a story about a misguided royal spirit, the shenanigans of modern day politicians, and group of overly enthusiastic amateur archaeologists, played out against the rich tapestry of medieval history, could be so entertaining? I laughed my head off. A perfect balm for our troubled times' - Maha Khan Phillips

A comedy about the rediscovery of the body of England's ancient patron saint, St Edmund, and a misguided attempt by an ambitious politician to exploit the find for her own endsUnder tennis courts in the ruins of a great abbey, archaeologists find the remains of St Edmund, once venerated as England's patron saint, but lost for half a millennium. Culture Secretary Marina Spencer, adored by those who have never met her, scents an opportunity. She promotes Edmund as a new patron saint for the United Kingdom, playing up his Scottish, Welsh and Irish credentials. Unfortunately these are pure fiction, invented by Mark Price, her downtrodden aide, in a moment of panic. The only person who can see through the deception is Mark's cousin Hannah, a member of the dig team. Will she blow the whistle or help him out? And what of St Edmund himself, watching through the prism of a very different age? Splicing ancient and modern as he did in The Hopkins Conundrum and A Right Royal Face-Off, Simon Edge pokes fun at Westminster culture and celebrates the cult of a medieval saint in another beguiling and utterly original comedy.