Holy Warrior

Alan has just returned to Robin of Locksley's castle with a sealed note from King Richard.  While waiting for Robin, Alan falls asleep and is attacked, the attacker thinking Alan is Robin.  It is learned that there is a 100 pound bounty on Robin's head, posted by Sir Ralph Murdac, former Sheriff of Nottingham.  He is now in the company of Prince John, brother to King Richard.

In need of funds for his commitment to King Richard's crusade, Robin and Alan travel to York to borrow money from Reuben, a Jewish money lender and friend of Robin's.  While in that city a crowd threatens the Jewish population.  They retreat to the King's tower where Robin organises them to defend themselves.  Unfortunately the Jews in the tower decided to commit suicide, only Robin, Alan and Reuben made their escape.

We next find Robin and his followers on their way to The Holy Land.  An attempt is made on Robin's life by placing an adder in his bed.  Later they join King Richard in Messina, where a third attempt is made on Robin's life.  How can they go about finding the assassin?  Unfortunately, Alan would suffer a severe attack, which puts his life in jeopardy while fighting the Cypriots.  He would lie in a coma for a long time while the crusaders attacked Acre.  Another attempt has been made on Robin's life in Acre.  Alan has his suspicions, but doesn't want to commit himself to wild speculation.

Robin returns to banditry in The a Holy Land to finance his crusade, while King Richard kills almost three thousand Saracens because Saladin refused to pay a ransom.  Things are really turning ugly for Alan.  However, now the crusade advances on Jerusalem.

Will the crusaders survive the trek to Jerusalem or will Saladin's army destroy them enroute?  Author Angus Donald has based this second novel of Robin Hood on actual historical events.  It is a very good read for fans of historical fiction.

The Bellingham Bloodbath

Pendragon and Pruitt have been called to Buckingham Palace to investigate the murder of a young soldier of the Queen's Guard and his wife.  Pendragon ensures the major in charge that he will solve the case in three days.  Taken to the scene of the crime by Sergeant McReady of the Guards, Pendragon begins his investigation.  It isn't long before Inspector Varcoe of Scotland Yard is there telling them to be gone.  However, McReady stands his ground.

Returning home, the pair find a woman who is prepared to pay them an outlandish amount to find her missing dog.  Meanwhile Pruitt gets his hands on the file of autopsy report on the young soldier and takes it to Pendragon.  Not long after the police show up demanding the file back.

Checking up on the woman whom the soldier was supposedly having an affair with, turns into a dead end.  However, there are other leads to follow.

A quick read with a surprising conclusion.  However, there were a couple of things that I took umbrage with.  Author Gregory Harris had the major call the empire a republic.  No British major would have ever said anything like that!  Also, there are no hummingbirds in England.  As I said about his first book, "The Arnifour Affair", a fair read.

At the Sharp End

This is the first volume in a two part series about the Canadians fighting in the Great War from 1914 - 1916.

Author Tim Cook begins by outlining the conditions that led up to the outbreak of the First World War.  Once Britain declared war, Canada was automatically in because foreign affairs were still controlled by Britain at the time.  Most Canadians were in favour of the war primarily for two reasons; because The Mother Country was involved and secondly they thought it would be over by Christmas, and the men didn't want to miss out on the excitement.

Initial training occurred at Valcartier, Quebec in a hastily set up camp.  Minister of Defence, Sam Hughes wanted to have his say in everything.  Further training would take place on the Salisbury Plains in cold and rain.  As a result, the Canadians didn't enter the fighting until 1915.

The author graphically describes the horrors of trench warfare that the Canadians encountered.  We're it not for pairing with the, by now, hardened British troops, matters would have been worse.  The Second Battle of Ypres was where the Canadians would forge their reputation.

Snipers, artillery, set battle attacks through craters, mud, machine gun bullets and poison gas brought death on a daily basis.  Men couldn't stay in those conditions for a long time, so they were rotated out on a regular basis for rest.  As time progressed the Canadians began to take over their own corps.  They had a style of fighting that was different compared to the British who regarded them as wild colonials.

The Somme in 1916 was a battle intended to relieve the pressure on the French at Verdun.  On July 1st, the Newfoundland Regiment was virtually wiped out, but General Haig wanted the battle to continue despite the heavy loss of life.  It would be a learning time for the Canadians, and they would become better soldiers for it.  These battles created a new national identity for them, too.

The author offers great detail about the first two years of the war, based on military dairies, the dairies of soldiers and their letters home.  Maps augment the telling of this story that would eventually see the Canadian army come to fight as an army unto itself, and not just a part of the British Expeditionary Force.  War is not nice, but it did have a way of forging a nation in fire.

Season of the Raven

Sir Faucon de Ramis has been called by his uncle, Bishop William to Blacklea for a meeting.  There he is shocked to find that he has been appointed Keeper of the Pleas. Brother Edmund has been assigned to be his right hand man.  With this job comes an annual income of 20 pounds.  Faucon is to be the crowner, whose job it is investigate crimes and to impose judgements and fines in the shire, and collect them on behalf of the king.

The following day, Faucon has his first case.  A miller has been found stuck in the race below his wheel.  Can the wheel be claimed by the church for killing the miller?  Fortunately Brother Colin, an apothecary, happens to point out that there are no drowning signs evident on the body.  So, Faucon intends to find the killer.

The potential murder weapon and murder site is found, but who had reason to kill the miller?  Many it seems, and possibly one in particular?

While pursuing the investigation further, Faucon is called into the countryside to investigate the murder of a young female.  Her partially degraded remains had been found by hunters.

Faucon and Edmund do find the murderer of the miller, but Faucon is convinced that he was not the lone murderer.  How will he ever be able to catch the second?  Afterwards, while visiting with Brother Colin, Faucon finds out that there have been similar murders of young girls.  Colin had thought they had stopped, but this more recent death proves otherwise.

Author Denise Domning has written a good murder mystery set in medieval times.  It is a quick, light read.  I look forward to reading its sequel.

Dead and Buried

DS Ben Cooper is out on the moor on a routine patrol following a grass fire when firemen discover a nylon backpack buried in the peat.  It appears to have been buried for some time, also has what appears yo have blood stains on it.  It also contains a wallet with identification, pointing to two missing people.  This means major crimes will now be involved.  DS Diane Fry is assigned.

After the scene is secured, and Ben has gone home, Diane decides to check out and old abandoned pub.  There she finds a body of a recently murdered man.

The following day Cooper's team meets to discuss the missing persons case.  DC Gavin Murfin had been involved in the search two tears ago.  He is sure that the pair set themselves up with new identities and disappeared.  Fry scoffs at that idea.  The victim in the pub is identified as a teacher in nearby Edendale.  Coincidentally his name had come up earlier in the case of the missing persons.

Cooper and DC Carol Villiers are tasked with trying to retrace the last route of the missing persons while Fry works with DCI Mackenzie on the murder victim case.  Ben points out to Fry that the cases now overlap, but as usual she is not overly co-operative.  Later, two bodies are accidentally found, wrapped in plastic in an abandoned mine shaft.

Now that the bodies have been found, can the case be wrapped up?  Does the team have the evidence they need to jail the right people?  Author Stephen Booth wraps up this murder mystery in exciting and shocking fashion.  An excellent read, hard to put down.

Bad Wolf

Chief Detective Superintendent Pia Kirchoff has been called out to a canal where the body of a young girl has been found.  It would appear that she had been in the water for sometime and that a boat propeller had cut her back.  The autopsy reveals that the girl was about 15 years old and had suffered numerous broken bones, lacked vitamin D and had drowned in a pool or a jacuzzi.

Hanna Herzmann, a controversial TV host has been found beaten, raped and dehydrated in the trunk of her car.  Pia, and her boss, Oliver Bodenstein, were called to the scene.  Hanna's daughter, Meike, searches her mother's computer for clues, and what she discovers, shocks her.  The police discover fingerprints on Hanna's car that point to a paedophile.  What is the connection?

While working on the investigation, Pia is informed by a good friend of hers that she suspects that her husband may be sexually abusing their daughter.  Shortly after this, the body of Hanna's psychotherapist is discovered by Meike who had gone to question her about her mother.  New questions about connections arise.  As the investigation expands, Pia begins to have doubts about certain aspects of the investigation.  As the investigation goes further along, the threads begin to tie together.

Once again, author Nele Neuhaus has maintained a fast paced, action filled thriller from the first page to the last.  It was a book that was hard to put down.  I'm looking forward to the next instalment in this series.

The Eagle of the Twelfth

Demalion, Centurion Cadus, and Pantera are returning from a mission in Parthia.  The former two are speculating on how to handle a war with Parthia; how could legionnaires stand up to thousands of heavy cavalry?  Once back in Roman held territory, Pantera reveals to the other two a message that he had received enroute.  Pantera is to go to Britain, while the other two are to join the Twelfth Legion.  Cade's is to be centurion of the sixth cohort while Demalion is to be a clerk and scribe in the second cohort.

The Twelfth is not a respected legion, but their commander intends to right that.  He sends them into the mountains for training with another legion.  The legions are to test one another.  From that, comes the theft of an eagle from another legion by Demalion's  cohort.  They take the nickname The Bloody First after that escapade.

Four years on, the Twelfth is a well trained legion, however they have a new commander.  Paetus is a former consul of Rome, and aspires for glory.  He breaks an agreement between Nero and the Parthian king by entering Parthian territory.  He also thinks that he can relax during the winter.  The Parthian King has other ideas.

Due to the inaction of Paetus, Demalion and Cadus are taken prisoner.  Demalion is told to take a message of surrender to Paetus.  Fortunately the Parthian king releases the prisoners.  They retreat, humiliated.  They are are ordered back to Syria to reform.  To rebuild the Twelfth, Demalion is tasked with being a centurion.  It took another four years to re-create the Twelfth, but there was plenty of resentment from all who were conscripted to join a legion, which had surrendered.

Will their new legion be able to meld together enough to be able to put down a rebellion of the Hebrews in Jerusalem?  The initial battle with the Hebrews indicates that they have learned Roman tactics.  However, the second battle is a bad one for the Romans, as the Twelfth loses its eagle in the battle.  Can Demalion and his comrades get it back, or will Vespasian, the new governor of Syria have to write the Twelfth off the list of legions?

Author M. C. Scott has written an intriguing novel about the Twelfth legion based on true events.  A good read for fans of historical fiction.

Dead Men's Bones

DI Tony McLean, DS Bob Laird, and DC Stuart MacBride have been called out to a remote ravine where the body of a highly tattooed man has been found in a fast flowing river.  However, when McLean gets back to HQ, Detective Superintendent Duguid assigns him the task of investigating the apparent murder and suicide of an MSP.

McLean selects DS Kirsty Ritchie to help him.  When they get to the scene of the crime, McLean finds his old mentor, Detective Superintendent Jack Tennant in charge. One would think that it is a simple open and shut case, but Duguid wants more.  Meantime, McLean finds out from the post-mortem that all the tattoos on the first victim are less than a month old.

Working two cases is going to keep McLean and his team busy.  McLean and Ritchie discover that the MSP's city house has been gone through, his computer wiped clean and his filing cabinet rifled.  That evening when he arrives home, he finds a man from the secret service waiting for him.  The man tells him to not give up on the MSP's case.  The following day, Duguid tells him to close the case.

DNA provides a name for the tattooed man.  He is ex-army.  McLean is also now sure where the man went into the river; at a nearby former asylum.  When he goes to it, it is in the process of being torn down.  Later, the body of the tattoo artist likely responsible for the tattooed man is discovered.  Burns on his lips appear to be the same as those on the lips of the MSP.  On top of that, MacBride finds a connection between the MSP and the asylum.

What to make of the connections?  How can McLean protect himself and his team from the powers that be as they go through their investigations?  Once again, author James Oswald has put together a fast paced action thriller.  A good read.

An Irish Doctor in Love and at Sea

It is 1940, the Battle of Britain is underway and Fingal O'Reilly is now in Portsmouth for further training at Haslar Hospital, which is the naval hospital in this naval city.  Being a naval reserve, Fingal doesn't make a very good impression on the hospital's admiral when he presents his orders.

Fingal wants his fiancé, Deirdre to join him, and he has a place for her to stay.  They also want to get married, but naval regulations may prevent that from happening.  Fortunately Fingal's teacher is able to fast track a promotion, which will allow him to marry Deirdre before he has to go back to his ship. They are also able to share Christmas together.

Having completed his training, Fingal returns to his ship, the Warspite, in the Mediterranean.  They are not immune to attack while at sea, and damage ensues.  Further damage awaits Fingal when the battleship returns to port.

The above tale is brought to mind by the reunion of the class of '31.  Fingal and a few of his classmates had arranged the reunion in Dublin.  At the reunion Fingal notices that one of their classmates, Ronald Fitzpatrick, had burned his fingers on a teapot and O'Reilly was concerned.  However, Fitzpatrick is having none of it.  Unfortunately for him, things come to a head and he is hospitalised.  Fortunately Fingal and his partners are prepared to take on his clinic.

Throughout this novel author Patrick Taylor intersperses tales of Fingal's modern-day life amongst those of his life at war, which will bring amusement and smiles to the reader.  A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Oathbreaker

Cnut has left Oxford for Canterbury.  Halfdan and Winston have stayed behind, in part because Winston has become comfortable there.  It isn't long before Cnut orders the pair to Peterborough to be his eyes and ears there.  Winston is also tasked with illuminating a book for the abbot in Peterborough.

They travel north in the company of Prior Edmund and Brother Simon and their guards who are returning home to their monastery in Peterborough.  The group takes a small detour to the monastery at Brixworth.  Edmund and Simon get into an argument with one of the monks at the monastery.  He is sent by his abbot to pray in the church over the argument, and is later found dead before the altar.  Winston and Halfdan are asked to investigate.

The issue at hand is that the monastery is gated, therefore the killer is still within its walls.  The sword used in the murder belongs to a mute man.  Is he the killer or did the killer try to make him appear the killer because he is unable to speak for himself?

Amongst the victim's possessions is found a pewter plate with his name scratched on it.  But it doesn't reveal why he was killed.  Both Halfdan and Winston are surprised when Alfilda shows up in Brixworth.  She had sold her inn in order to join Winston.  Can she provide some insight into the murder, or will she take Winston's mind off the case?

However, it is Alfilda and Halfdan who come to the realisation of who the killer is.  Author Martin Jensen provides a thrilling historical murder mystery well worth the read with a surprising conclusion.  I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

Death at the Clos du Lac

A body has been found suspended in an indoor pool at a sanitarium.  It is held down by a weight attached to its feet.  Inspector Lucas Rocco attends the scene, and when he questions the nurse who discovered the body, she refuses to answer some of his questions.  Within a very short time Rocco and his team are taken off the case when the Internal Security Directorate steps in.  But not before the team learns that the patients are drugged, and there seems to be a military connection.

Rocco and Claude Lamotte go in search of the sanitarium's security guard only to find him also dead, execution style.  Surprisingly they are given permission to investigate his death.  Returning to the sanitarium later, they find that it has been evacuated, and all documentation has been taken.

Meantime in Paris, a woman has been abducted.  The police are quietly going about searching for her.

Rocco's investigation leads him to discover that the drowning victim had learned of industrial trade agreements being manipulated at the highest levels. Once again, Rocco is warned off.  But that doesn't stop him.  He later discovers that the kidnapping could be tied in to the killing.

It has been awhile since I last picked up a book by Adrian Magson, and once again I have no regrets.  The action is fast paced and intense throughout.  It is a book that is a page turner and hard to put down.  I highly recommend this author.  I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

Spartacus the Gladiator

Spartacus has just returned to his home in Thrace from soldiering for Rome, to find that his father has been killed and a ruthless king has taken his place.  Unfortunately Spartacus' plan for a revolt is overturned and he is sold into slavery.  He is taken, with his two friends, Getas and Seuthes, to Capua where there is a school for gladiators.  Also travelling with them is the priestess Ariadne, under the protection of Spartacus.

Not long after arriving at the school, a young citizen volunteers to become a gladiator.  Carbo is tested against Spartacus, who could have killed the lad. Not doing so gains the respect of many of his fellow gladiators, however some still are at odds with him.

After a fight to the death in front of Crassus, the richest man in Rome, Spartacus decides that it would be best to break out of the school.  He does get a number of men to join in on his plans.  The breakout is bloody, and Spartacus comes away with only about 70 men.  They head to Vesuvius and set up camp, awaiting Rome's reaction.

Rome responds with a force of three thousand, but they are not true legionnaires.  A surprise attack by Spartacus' force defeats them.  His small army now has weapons and shields, but they need to be trained to fight as the Romans do.  News of the victory spreads quickly and before long slaves are flocking to Vesuvius to join Spartacus.  Rome sends a second, larger force, which is similarly repulsed.

Unfortunately, now the seasons are changing and the size of Spartacus' army has grown, but they are largely untrained and must be fed.  Will Spartacus be able to control his ever growing army of untrained slaves?  Can he keep the fifty thousand men and women together and trek them northwards to the Alps?

Author Ben Kane provides the fan of historical fiction an excellent, fast paced novel.  Based on real events, it only tells a portion of the story about Spartacus, so I find myself looking forward to the sequel.

The Best of Men

It is 1642 and Laurence Beaumont has just returned to England after fighting throughout Europe with a variety of armies.  Wounded, Beaumont was in bad shape, but while recovering, he proves his worth when he decodes a message for an officer.  He continues to work as a spy, but his gentle method leads to troubling times for him.

While in The Hague, Beaumont stole some letters which were in cipher.  He has yet to decipher them.  While in Oxford, a friend of his, Ingram, introduces him to the leader of his troop, Radcliff.  Unbeknownst to Beaumont, this is the man from whom he stole the letters.  Also, Ingram has been indiscreet about what Beaumont might be doing in the near future.

In Oxford, Beaumont's former tutor, Seward, helps him partially decipher the letters.  They are a horoscope for King Charles and appear to predict his death with in the next couple of years.  Unfortunately the whole set of letters rain indecipherable, but Beaumont tries to decipher them on his own.

Beaumont is shocked and concerned when a man appears and offers to buy the letters from him.  He passes the letters and explains them to Lord Falkland.  Later he finds himself in the grip of Colonel Hoare, who doesn't trust him, but at the same time wants to use him for his own nefarious purposes.  Unable to get anything from Beaumont, Hoare imprisons him and tortures him.  Fortunately Beaumont's friends and Falkland get him released, Hoare is arrested and put on trial.

Will Beaumont succeed in stopping the conspiracy or will he jeopardise his own family?  Is spying in his own best interests?  If not how can he get away from it?

Author Claire Letemendia has written an exciting thriller about the early onset of the English Civil War.  I found it to be a real page turner and am looking forward to picking up the sequel.