"Captures the terror and tension of the Civil War. An assured start to a new, gripping series." Michael Arnold
Northamptonshire.
14th June 1645.
The Battle of Naseby is set to decide the outcome of the civil war in England.
The armies of King Charles I face those of Parliament and its untested New Model Army. Yet amidst the carnage, an intensely personal battle takes place between two men.
Captain Maxwell Walker is a royalist cavalry officer, widower and father. Loyal and brave, but haunted by his grief, Maxwell thirsts for revenge. His life has never been the same since his encounter with the parliamentarian Gervase Harper, a man whose ruthless streak sees him prosecute the war with vigour. Harper cuts down anyone who gets in his way. Maxwell's wife was no exception.
The outcome of Naseby causes Maxwell to be tasked with a royal rescue mission. The King's most personal possession must be retrieved. His cypher would allow Parliament to decode captured royal correspondence and that would deal a major blow in the propaganda war.
The soldier must play the spy.
His actions, however, earn him the enmity of both sides. The hunter becomes the hunted.
Facing a murder charge, as well as a great siege, Maxwell makes a discovery that might just save himself and the King's remaining cavalry.
However, all of this rests upon his next encounter with Gervase Harper.
Mark Turnbull is the author of Allegiance of Blood and is the editor of the Historical Novel Society's online newsletter.
Praise for Mark Turnbull:
"A rollicking good adventure set against the backdrop of the civil war." Jemahl Evans, author of The Last Roundhead
