Conquest by Jack Ludlow

In his author's note at the back of the book Jack Ludlow wonders why the de Hauteville familly has not been the subject of books and films before his own trilogy. How true. Tancred de Hauteville had ten sons all of which he trained to be fearsome warriors. Denied employment by the Duke of Normandy one after another they travelled to Italy to hire themselves out as mercenaries. Thirty years later they were undisputed masters of the whole of southern Italy and Sicily. In three volumes - Mercenaries, Warriors and Conquest - Ludlow has taken the threads of their history and woven a thrilling saga that takes us every step of their bloodstained path to power. This final volume ends as they complete the overthrow of the Byzantines in Apulia and have broken the power of the Saracens in Sicily surely Ludlow cannot leave the story of this incredible familly here. One more volume Mr Ludlow, please!

The Devil's Paintbrush by Jake Arnott

In March 1903 Major General Sir Hector Macdonald known throughout the Empire as "Fighting Mac" was in Paris fleeing an impending scandal. By chance he meets Aleister Crowley the notorious practitioner of the occult. Crowley then leads him on a night of drink and drugs during which Macdonald relives the key episodes of his life which have lead him to his present position. Arnott is, of course, well known for his crime novels but in this book he takes the reader on a masterly exploration of the psyche of a doomed hero.

A Matter of Blood by Sarah Pinborough

As readers of this blog will have noticed historical novels are my thing, however, I do like to try other genre if a particular book looks interesting. A Matter of Blood which is the first volume of a promised trilogy entitled The Dog-Faced Gods, caught my eye and I am very glad that it did. This is a modern serial killer police detective story with supernatural overtones. Set in the near future when most governments are virtualy bankrupt a super financial institution know simply as The Bank has everyone in it's debt and cash-strapped authorities allow the police to top up their incomes with bribes from certain approved criminal "firms". D.I. Cass Jones has all the ususal modern police attributes, heavy smoking, drinking, drugs, failed marriage and at odds with everyone else on the force. In addition to which he comes from a familly with some supernatural background which he resolutely rejects. To try to summarise the complex plot would do it no justice I will simply say that once I started this book I could not stop. I look forward to volume two.

Heresy by S.J. Parris

Parris is a pen name. How do I know? Because they reveal her real name at the back of the book. This leads me to ask, why bother with a pen name if the writer's real name is to be revealed in the same volume? OK gripe over. Stephanie Merritt a.k.a. S.J. Parris has written a real cracker of a detective story set in Elizabethan England. Her sleuth is Giordano Bruno renegade monk, philosopher and astronomer who has been brought to England by Sir Phillip Sydney. Sydney, nephew of Queen Elizabeth's favourite the Earl of Leicester, is an adventurer, intellectual and man-about-town but also an agent of spymaster Walsingham. Arriving in Oxford to debate his astronomical theories Bruno finds himself involved with murder and a secret Catholic group lead by a charismatic Jesuit. Bruno risks life and limb to unearth the secrets of the group and solve the murders, so much for philosophers as ivory-tower wallahs. Having established this team of Bruno and Sydney so effectively surely Parris must have more intrigues for them to become involved in. Soon I hope.

The Chevalier by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Volume seven of Miss Harrod-Eagles Dynasty saga takes the Morland familly through the upheaval of the reigns of William and Mary and Queen Anne. When James the Second goes into exile Annunciata Morland and her sons Charles, Earl of Chelmsford and his younger brother Maurice go with him. It is truly said that no King who leaves his country ever returns as King and this slowly dawns on the impoverished and shrinking Court at St. Germain. Then, as Queen Anne dies and is succeeded by the unpopular Prince George Lewis of Hanover, supporters of the House of Stuart judge the time ripe for an uprising. Fate and bad leadership doom it to failure and Annunciata returns to England where the rest of her familly has stayed keeping their heads down and hanging on to their estates. Miss Harrod-Eagles has boundless imagination and a true storytellers gift.

The Philosopher Prince by Paul Waters

The Philosopher Prince follows the fortunes of Drusus and Marcellus, first introduced in Cast Not The Day, as they struggle to survive in the late Roman Empire. The Christian Church, espoused by the Emperor Constantine, is using it's new-found power to destroy the old religions and enrich itself by using it's placemen in the Imperial bureaucracy to confiscate the goods of anyone it can denounce. Drusus and marcellus are charged with treason by Paulus of the Imperial Secret Police and hauled off to Germany. Fortunately they are rescued by the young Prince Julian who is himself surrounded by spies and plots. This is a truly outstanding historical novel I only wish that my poor words could do it justice. Read it for yourself and see!

Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear

At the end of the First World War many men returned to civilian life suffering from what was termed "shell shock" which today would probably be termed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. By 1931 when this book is set it's effects were still being felt by many ex-soldiers which made it almost impossible for them to find work in an economy mired in depression. One ex-soldier tries to force the hand of government into alleviating their distress by means of violent action. Purely by chance Maisie Dobbs finds herself drawn into the investigation run by Scotland Yard's Special Branch and is there just a hint of romance between her and Chief Superintendant MacFarlane? Whatever! This is another excellent detective story from Miss Winspear.

Raiders from the North by Alex Rutherford

This is the first volume of a promised quintet of novels collectively called Empire of the Moghul. At the end of the fifteenth century Babur finds himself King of the minor Central Asian state of Ferghana due to the accidental death of his father. Fortunate to have the support of his late father's General he establishes his rule. As a descendant of both Genghis Khan and Tamburlaine great things are expected of him as his grandmother never ceases to remind him. As one deduces from the title eventually he conquers Hindustan and founds the Moghul Empire but only after a breathtaking series of battles, betrayals and skin-of-the-teeth successes. I am not qualified to judge the historical accuracy of this story but as Mr Rutherford sets out his tale with such verve I am not inclined to worry on this score. I look forward to volume two.

The Templar Magician by P.C. Doherty

Two Templar knights, Edmond de Payens and Phillip Mayele, are sent to Tripoli where Count Raymond is under threat. Despite their presence the Count is murdered in the street, an act which triggers riot and massacre. The terrible Muslim sect, The Assassins, are suspected but news of a coven of black magicians within the Order that may be responsible means that the knights are assigned to travel to the newly established English Chapter in company with a mysterious Genoese to put an end to this evil. P.C. Doherty has given us another of his excellent historical adventures though I must reluctantly point to one small error. On page 42 an elderly English knight, William Trussell, used the phrase "to cut to the chase". This surely is a modern usage originating in the film industry indicating moving to an action sequence. Of course, Mr Doherty may have come across this in his extensive researches in ancient works and if this is the case I appologise for mentioning it.

The Shangani Patrol by John Wilcox

This is the seventh of the adventures of Simon Fonthill and his companion 352 Jenkins and tells how they become involved in the plans of Cecil Rhodes to extend his influence north of the Cape. Rhodes has concluded an agreement with Lobengula, King of the Matabele and overlord of Mashonaland, and needs Fonthill to lead a convoy of wagons conveying the goods that are his part of the bargain. He also wants Fonthill to try to find a route to the sea from Matabeleland but here he comes into conflict with the Portugese who have colonised Mozambique. Lobengula's young warriors are hungry for a war and Rhodes colleague Jameson is determined to press ahead regardless to found the country he already refers to as Rhodesia. With all of this the scene should be set for a cracking adventure novel. Unfortunately two things get in the way. The first is that some of the characters express views that are more of the twentyfirst that the nineteenth century. This is, I suppose, understandable in that the publishers desire not to offend anyone in these times when taking umbrage has become our national passtime. This is irritating but I can let it pass. My second complaint is more structural, avoidable and in danger of putting me off these books altogether. On the book jacket the Sunday Express is quoted as describing the Fonthill novels as "grown-up Boys Own stuff" well it isn't. No self-respecting Boys Own hero would drag his wife round with him to generaly get in the way and complicate matters. Alice Fonthill is what Americans refer to as "feisty" ie she cannot keep her big mouth shut and causes endless unnecessary problems which Simon has to sort out. As far as the action goes she is entirely surplus to requirements. Is there no way she can be shipped of to Norfolk and stay there so that Simon and 352 can get on with the derring-do uninterupted? I am quite sure that Alan Quartermain would not have put up with her. I shall, of course, get round to reading the next Fonthill but he and 352 are drinking in the Last Chance saloon.

The Long Shadow by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

This is the sixth in Miss Harrod-Eagles Dynasty series and continues the story of Annunciata Morland at the Court of King Charles the Second. Annunciata is now wealthy and well-connected both as Countess of Chelmsford and the unacknowledged illigitimate daughter of Prince Rupert of the Rhine, uncle to the King. The death of King Charles, however, leads to civil turbulance made all the more pitiless and determined as it is based on religion. The Protestant fanatic, the Earl of Shaftesbury, uses an incendiary preacher, Titus Oates, to stir up the London mob and make accusations of sympathy for Catholicism against anyone at Court friendly towards the Duke of York later James the Second. Annunciata needs all her wits and experience to save herself and her familly from disaster. OK so the Dynasty series are supposed to be "womens books" but I like them. So there!

Oscar Wilde and the Dead Man's Smile by Gyles Brandreth

According to Mr Brandreth Oscar Wilde claimed that he could tell if a man was a potential murderer if he showed his lower teeth when he smiled but, of course, this is Oscar Wilde and noone knew if he was joking. As with the previous books in this series the story is told by the writer Robert Sherrard who acts as a Watson to Wilde's Holmes. Appropriately this story begins with Sherrard giving the manuscript of this case to Arthur Conan Doyle in the tea room of Madame Tussauds at Wilde's direction. Ten years previously Wilde had undertaken a lecture tour of the United States and there met the great French actor/manager Edmond La Grange who asks him to collaborate on a translation of Hamlet. Wilde agrees and journeys to Paris only to become involved in a series of bizarre fatalities. Gyles Brandreth's meticulous research introduces us to a cast of fabulous characters in a setting as elaborately fantastical as the Art Deco decor of the period whilst his skilful narrative draws the reader onwards to the intelligent conclusion. I eagerly await Oscar's next outing.

Lustrum by Robert Harris

Rome in 63 BC and the first cracks are appearing in the edifice of the old Republic and the cast of characters whose rivalries, jealousies and naked ambition will bring it down and build an Empire on it's rubble are striding on to it's stage. Cicero the lawyer and politician who wants to be rich, Crassus the rich man who wants to be a General, Pompey the General from the provinces who craves the approval of the Patrician elite, Cato the austere fanatic who wants to bring back the ways of the past and Catalina and Clodius two deadly jokers in the pack. Above all there is Julius Caesar whose shadow is beginning to fall across the city. All this is, of course, well trodden territory and it is a tribute to Robert Harris' confidence and skill that he can proceed to guide us here as if it was virgin land. The story is told through the writing of Tiro, slave and confidential secretary to Cicero and ends as the ex-Consul is driven into exile. Surely Mr Harris cannot leave the story there, he owes it to his readers to continue this fascinating saga.

A Gentle Axe by R.N. Morris

This is a fascinating novel set in St Petersburg in 1866 and follows an investigation into a double murder by Porfiry Petrovich, the detective who brought to justice Rodion Raskolnikov in the novel Crime and Punishment. In the winter of 1866 an old woman collecting firewood in Petrovsky Park comes across two bodies, a large man hanging from a tree and a dwarf packed into a suitcase. She robs the corpses and departs. Later the killings are reported and the case handed to Porfiry Petrovich of the Department of the Investigation of Criminal Causes. Porfiry is at odds with his superiors and his colleagues (which fictional detective is not?) nevertheless he doggedly pursues the case until he arrives at a satisfying conclusion. Morris has written a very entertaining novel with a unique atmosphere that kept this reader enthralled. As to whether his depiction of Porfiry Petrovich tallies with that of the original I could not comment as I have not read Crime and Punishment. I find it all too easy to become depressed without reading nineteenth century Russian novels.

The Pirate Devlin by Mark Keating

Patrick Devlin is only young but already he has chalked up more suffering than most of us experience in a lifetime. He ends his youth as servant to an RN Captain whose ship is captured by pirates whom he joins. With the knowledge of navigation that he picked whilst serving in the RN ship he advances through the pirate ranks until he is Captain. Loads of punch-ups and cunning plans lead to his crew sailing off with a chest full of French gold. One could almost imagine Errol Flynne in the lead role or perhaps these days Russell Crowe. Just the thing for a sunny day, a swimming pool and a bottle of vino. Or should that be Jamaica Rum? Yo Ho!

Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran

Everyone has heard of Cleopatra the fabled Queen of the Nile and her love for first Julius Caesar and then the dashing, if unreliable, Mark Anthony. Also well known is her son by Julius named Caesarion and murdered by Octavian following his victory at the Battle of Actium. However, few including myself were aware of her three children by Mark Anthony. Twins Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene and the youngest, Ptolemy. Ptolemy dies as they are transported to Rome but Alexander and Selene live to be paraded through the streets in Octavians Triumph. Afterwards, although they are kept in luxurious conditions in the house of Octavians sister, they are nonetheless prisoners whose fate will be decided as a matter of political policy. Selene, through whom the story is told, meets Prince Juba who is Caesars bodyguard despite being the son of King Juba of Numidia who was defeated and executed by Caesar. He tells Selene that her only chance of survival is to make herself useful to Caesar which she does by using her talent for drawing in the design of public buildings that he is funding. Michelle Moran provides us with a very colourful and entertaining account of life at the Court of Rome's first Emperor, luxurious and priviledged to outsiders but full of mistrust and fear for those within. A truly excellent novel.

The Gun-makers Gift by Mathew Plampin

Of all the worlds arms manufacturers Colonel Samuel Colt must be one of the most iconic. It was his factory in Hartford Connecticut that made the famous "Peacemaker" revolvers, "the gun that won the West" and many other places beside. What very few people know is that the Colonel attempted to open a factory in London for the manufacture of the "Navy" revolver, the gun used by Clint Eastwood in the film "The outlaw Josey Wales". Around this short-lived enterprise Mr Plampin has woven a fascinating tale whose leading character, Edward Lawry, is hired by Colt to be his London Secretary. Lawry becomes romanticaly involved with a young woman in the factory and through her is dragged into the plots of a gang of Irishmen whose ambition is to steal enough of these technicaly advanced weapons to enable them to carry out an assassination. A very good book.

Young Bloods by Simon Scarrow

This is the first in a series of novels which chart the careers of the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon Bonaparte. Actually I picked this book up several years ago under the impression that it was one of Mr Scarrow's excellent Roman novels and was so disappointed when it wasn't that I put it aside. This shows me two things, one: that I should have known that Simon Scarrow could not write a dull book no matter what the subject and two: the reason why some well known writers produce work under a pen name. I digress. Arthur Wesley is born the third son of an Irish Earl and therefore has to carve his own path to fame and fortune a circumstance that costs him the chance to marry the woman he loves. Fearful of the spread of revolution and determined to preserve Britain's traditional values he throws himself into a military career. Bonaparte, seething with resentment of his treatment as an outsider because of his Corsican birth, abandons his attachment to the land of his origins and embraces the revolution. We all know the course of events that these two men will dominate over the years of conflict to come but Simon Scarrow brings the tale vividly to life on the back of meticulous research and his talent for pacy narrative. On the subject of research, mine gives the familly name of Wellington as Wellesley whilst Scarrow persists in calling him Wesley. Which of us is right?

No Sleep for the Dead by Adrian Magson

The title is a give-away for the plot. A villain is walking about who should be pushing up the daisies. Adrian Magson centres his books on an interesting duo of a freelance investigative reporter and a former military policeman. The story opens with Frank Palmer, the ex MP, hired to serve papers on a dodgy company director whilst Riley Gavin, the female reporter, acts as a diversion. Job done but as they leave the building Palmer spots a man who should be dead. Has the villain recognised Palmer? If so what is his next move and what can the duo in the white hats do about it? Just to complicate matters an old enemy surfaces this time allied to a black gangster with a ferocious reputation. OK so the plot is not overly original but Magson keeps the pace going from first page to last making this a warm afternoon no-put-downer which is the kind of book that I, and millions of others, really prize. The first Magson I have read but it will not be the last.

The Information Officer by Mark Mills

Normaly I would never touch a book set in the Second World War if only because most of the plots were threadbare when I first read these stories as a boy. It was, therefore, with a certain amount of trepidation that I approached The Information Officer by Mark Mills but I am delighted to report that he has managed to produce an excellent novel by using the war background with intelligence. Malta in the summer of 1942 is a bitterly contested strategic outpost for the British and suffers daily bombing raids from which the native islanders see their homes and livlihoods destroyed. It is the job of Major Max Chadwick, the Information Officer, to make sure that the news that is diseminated to the islanders is positive to keep up their morale. When Max is given evidence that points to local women being murdered by a British Officer he embarks on a private investigation. This is discovered by his superiors and he is warned off but his love for a local woman forces him to persist despite the danger. Mark Mills has written a superior novel which combines an intelligent plot and excellent page-turning writing.

The Black Pearl by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

I first began to read Miss Harrod-Eagles chronicle of the Morland familly of Yorkshire in 1997 and continued up to volume 12 in 1998 and then for reasons that escape me now I stopped. Deciding that a break of 12 years is quite long enough I have begun to re-read starting at volume 5 in case I do not live long enough to get to the end. In The Black Pearl we join the Morland familly at the end of Cromwell's rule. They are in reduced circumstances as a result of vicious fines and confiscations levied on them by the republican government but by hard work and determination manage to hold what is left of their estates together. The Restoration leads to some, but not all, of their lands returning to them and at a time when death from disease haunts every familly the Morlands are not immune. The young, beautiful but illegitimate Annunciata Morland is presented at Court where she finds love, danger and the answer to her mysterious background. I have already obtained volume six.

Strange Images of Death by Barbara Cleverly

Once again Miss Cleverly's hero, Commander Joe Sandilands of Scotland Yard, finds himself investigating murder in France this time in a strictly unofficial capacity. Drving down to the Riviera for a well earned holiday Joe agrees to take his neice to join her father at a chateau where a group of artists are being entertained by a mysterious nobleman. On arrival he discovers that the community has been disturbed by a crime and fears that more violence may be about to erupt. Sandilands is prevailed upon to stay and attempt a resolution which he does as Miss Cleverly weaves yet another of her gloriously complicated plots. An excelent page turner for a summer holiday.

The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd

Fans of the late Peter Cushing and the crew from Hammer Films will find little to recognise in Peter Ackroyd's take on this famous story. Frankenstein is no longer a German Baron but a Swiss businessman and his experiments are undertaken in a Dockland warehouse a long way from any Carpathian castle. Igor is also a casualty of Mr Ackroyd's re-write instead Frankenstein's companions are Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron and Dr Polidori among others. Why would Ackroyd want to embark on a re-writing of a classic such as this? Surely the original story was perfectly satisfactory and one must ask what has Mr Ackroyd added to it that justifies the effort. On the other hand the writer is very highly regarded in literary circles and no doubt his admirers, and there are many, will welcome what is , after all, a very entertaining book.

Tyrant- Funeral Games by Christian Cameron

The third novel of Christian Cameron's Tyrant series is, quite possibly, his best yet. Set in the aftermath of the death of Alexander the Great as his generals battle to carve up his Empire the story follows the escape of Satyrus and Melitta from the sack of Tanais following the betrayal and murder of their mother Srayanka. I am here assuming knowledge of the previous two volumes. The twins supported as always by their Spartan tutor Philokles flee to Heraklea and thence on to Alexandria pursued by assassins as they seek to contact friends of their late father now working as mercenaries for Ptolomey who has made himself Lord of Egypt. The primary sources for this period of history are sparse but Mr Cameron uses his imagination and a true gift for narrative to produce a stunning page- turner of a novel with never a false note to spoil ones enjoyment. Roll on volume four.

Lavinia by Ursula Le Guin

The Romans, as is well known, claimed descent from Aeneas who lead the last of the Trojans from the destruction of their city. The story was immortalised in the epic poem The Aeneid by Virgil. Based on this poem Le Guin uses her imagination and considerable narrative skill to bring to life the story of Aeneas sailing up the Tiber and winning the hand of Lavinia Princess of Latium and founding the city that would rule the known world. On the front cover there is a quote from Publishers Weekly that this book "deserves to be ranked with Robert Graves I, Claudius", sorry no it doesn't. It is a very readable book but not in Graves' class and such hyperbole does Miss Le Guin no favours.

The Second Woman by Kenneth Cameron

I do not like to be overly critical of the books I read as I appreciate the effort that goes into writing them but this one tried my patience to breaking point. I am not concerned with the plot of this novel as I did not read enough of it to find out what it was because the writing so annoyed me. It is written by an American and his "hero" is American, a writer who is accepted into the higher reaches of Edwardian Society but who behaves like the worst stereotype of a wartime G.I. on leave. It will not do Mr Cameron, you obviously have no conception of the manners expected of a gentleman at the time and not only would Denton have received no invitations beyond the first his uncouth arrogance would probably have earned him a "facer". I implore you, Mr Cameron, write about the United States in future safe on your own home ground.

Hardcastle's Mandarin by Graham Ison

Detective Inspector Ernest Hardcastle of Cannon Row Police Station is one of the old fashioned stand-no-nonsense coppers who kept the streets safe in the early years of the twentieth century. In this his seventh case accompanied as always by Sergeant Marriott he investigates the murder of Sir Nigel Strang, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Munitions and as senior civil servants are popularly known as "Mandarins" the title of the book is explained. Scotland Yard's Special Branch become involved, much to his annoyance, as German Intelligence are suspected of the crime. Hardcastle, however, prefers to stick to tried and trusted police methods and discovers that Sir Nigel's private life is not that of an upright pillar of the establishment that his widow would have them believe. Another murder is committed and this time German spies may well be involved but so is a low level criminal well known to the police. Inspector Hardcastle, politely but firmly, ploughs his way through all ranks of society until he brings his man to justice at the end of another satisfying story. I look forward to more of his investigations.

The return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller

In 1920 Britain was still trying to recover from the trauma of what was spoken of as The Great War. Millions had died, more had been maimed and many who had returned ostensibly uninjured suffered damage that neither the medical profession or society knew how to cure or come to terms with. His experiences on the Western Front followed by the death of his wife and baby have turned Laurence Bartram into a semi-recluse but then the sister of an old school friend asks him to enquire into the circumstances of his suicide. Aided by his friend Charles Carfax he pieces together a story that takes us through the horrors of the trenches via a traumatic execution to the point where Captain Emmett sees death as his only course. Miss Speller weaves a complex and convoluted tale peopled by beleivable characters with their feuds and friendships exaggerated by the horrors they have experienced and which some try to expunge by writing the poetry that became one of the legacies of the era. Robert Goddard is reckoned to be the master of this kind of novel but he has a serious challenger in Elizabeth Speller.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

In one of the few books to be awarded the Booker Prize that is also readable Miss Mantel has drawn us a portrait of Thomas Cromwell that contrasts markedly with the devious and manipulative character that we have seen in so many books about the Court of Henry the Eighth. Usualy portrayed as the betrayer of his patron Wolsey and the facilitator of Henry's divorce and remarriage, the eager despoiler of the monasteries and always available for Tudor dirty work a more odious character hardly strides the pages of British history. In Wolf Hall we are shown instead a thoughtful, loyal and hard working employee of Wolsey, surmounting an abused childhood and adventurous early career to become the prop for a volatile and self-centred monarch. All the time that I was reading this book the mental picture I had of Cromwell was that of the actor Michael Kitchen in his carefully understated role in Foyles War. An excellent book.

Salamander by Roger Silverwood

A group of British soldiers "liberate" a priceless jewel from one of the deserted palaces of Sadam Husein and smuggle it to England then one of their number winds up dead. Retired Inspector Frank Spence is brought back to head the enquiry. The plot is not that original but then whose plots are these days after decades of detective stories. The book is carried by a pacy narrative suffused with dry humour. A good deckchair book.

Now you see me by Margaret Murphy

An intiguing detective story set in Liverpool concerning a missing person who is not really missing, a murder, a dodgy security firm and a complex computer crime. Sara rents a couple of rooms in her house to Megan who complains of being followed by a muscular man who watches but never approaches her. The action then moves to a security firm run by Doran who learned his business working as an enforcer for one of the Trotskyite groups that ran Liverpool in the seventies and early eighties. The police are lead by Inspector Rickman, who is suffering from some unnamed trauma, backed up by Sgt Foster a Lothario who has an unrequited lust for Constable Naomi Hart the third member of the team. The action bowls along and the description of the computer wizardry is fascinating. I am not sure that I approve of the ending as I like to see criminals brought to justice.

The Incendiary's Trail by James McCreet

The popularity of the Victorian detective story can be traced back to the great Arthur Conan Doyle and his creation Sherlock Holmes. True, the way had been signposted by Wilkie Collins and Edgar Allan Poe but it was Doyle's genius to make the fogs and ill-lit side streets of the capital of the world's greatest Empire part of the story. Other writers have tried to emulate this wonderful trick, Raymond Chandler in Los Angeles or Caleb Carr in nineteenth century New York, but no other backdrop can create the atmosphere of menace that the mention of Whitechapel or the docklands of Bermondsey or Limehouse can bring to a story. Over the years many have trodden in Doyle's footsteps with varying degrees of success now Mr James McCreet steps up for this most challenging task and I am glad to say that he makes a fair fist of it. I have always tried to keep my little pieces from being "spoilers" and giving away too much of a story and so I will merely give a brief outline. The Metropolitan Police are being hounded by the Press for their inability to clamp down on crime and the murder of a young woman from a "freak show" gives their critics a sensation that they can exploit. The Commisioner is pursuaded to let Scotland Yard use a criminal to catch the murderer but all the officers concerned know that this is a desparate stratagem with their careers or even their liberty at stake. Mr McCreet builds this into an enthralling narrative which kept this reader glued to the page long past his bedtime. I look forward to his next excursion.

Soldier of Sidon by Gene Wolfe

The Soldier of Sidon is Latro the Phoenecian or is he Lucius the Roman or someone else entirely? No one really knows including himself. Every night he forgets what has happened the previous day ( my wife says that I have the same problem) and so has to write down all his actions and thoughts in the evening and these writings form the book. This is, in fact, the third novel that Wolfe has written about this man and in this style. The first, Soldier of the Mist, I read in 1988 and the next, Soldier of Arete, in 1991 and it was not until 2006 that he published this volume which will not be the last judging by the ending. Latro/Lucius is in Egypt brought there by Muslak a ships captain who says that he owes him his life. Muslak buys them two young women from the Temple of Hathor (my kind of religion!) and they sail down the Nile to sell their cargo of hides. At this time Egypt is part of the Persian Empire and the Satrap hires them to explore the Nile to it's source. Latro, we discover, is a renowned soldier and his faulty memory retains his fighting skills and the languages he has learned in the past whilst wiping out everything else. I must admit that I am not usualy into this kind of whimsical fantasy and it is a tribute to the writing skill of Gene Wolfe that I have swallowed this whole. I am sure that another volume is in the offing and I just hope that we do have to wait another fifteen years for it as I may not last that long.

Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

The late Michael Crichton moved out of his usual sphere with this attempt at a swashbuckling historical adventure a la Rafael Sabatini. More comfortable on his usual ground of research based science fiction he has produced a run-of -the-mill, if very competant and acceptable, tale of sea-doggery but it is not up to the very high standard we gratefully came to expect from him. Am I alone in thinking this a sad farewell to such a brilliant and entertaining writer.

Last of the Amazons by Steven Pressfield

This ai another of Steven Pressfield's constructions of research and imagination held together by the cement of a wonderful narrative flow. Set circa 1250 BC in the Athens of Theseus, slayer of the Minotaur and creator of the template for modern politics ( yes, he is the one to blame) it tells the story of his voyage to the land of the fierce warrior women known to us as the Amazons and one of the first great culture clashes of recorded history. The city dwelling, sea roving Athenians are instinctively distrusted by the free-wheeling, range riding Amazons and when Theseus and the warrior Queen Antiope fall in love and elope their desire for revenge outweighs all other matters. Raising a huge army they invade Attica and beseige the vastly outnumbered Athenians. They fail and depart from the pages of history except as brief references in Homer and Plutarch and are now regarded as myth and legend rather than fact. Pressfield spares us nothing in the telling of the brutal battles that are fought hand-to-hand with a blood chilling savagery. No Geneva Conventions in those days! He creates a cast of fully rounded characters and through them tells a story of love and hate, blood and tragedy that ranks with the most dramatic tales of the Classical world. As far as I am aware Mr Pressfield has published nothing since "The Afghan Campaign" , surely we are due another of his splendid historical novels soon!

Target by Simon Kernick

As readers of this blog will have noticed my taste runs to stories set in previous eras, in fact I usualy avoid modern thrillers as their brutality and vulgarity are most off-putting to me. Target by Simon Kernick has plenty of brutality and a good ration of vulgarity but it is a tribute to his writing that I found myself carried along by this story despite this. Writer Rob Fallon meets the attractive ex-girlfriend of his mate Dom and ends up back at her flat when two thugs break in snatch the girl and try to kill him. He escapes by mere chance but when he brings the police back to the flat it has been cleaned up and everyone denies that anything has happened. This is followed by a more that usualy realistic investigation which kept me "glued to the page" as they say. A real good 'un.

The Winter Garden Mystery by Carola Dunn

This is, I think, chronologicaly the second of Miss Dunn's detective stories featuring the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple and Detective Chief Inspector Fletcher of Scotland Yard. Daisy, in pursuit of her work as a feature writer for Town and Country magazine, is invited to Occles Hall in Cheshire and whilst being given a tour of the grounds her inquisitivness leads to the discovery of the body of a missing parlour maid. Shocked by the casual nature of the investigation carried out by the local police she phones DCI Fletcher whom she had met during "The Death at Wentwater Court". The duo pursue the murderer down all the usual blind alleys until an unusualy violent conclusion is reached. Another excellent mystery from Miss Dunn which I thoroughly enjoyed.

My Lives by Edmund White

This autobiography may not have been intended as a celebration of the "life outrageous" but White's uninhibited descriptions of his sexual adventures would shock many readers even in this day and age. For myself I found his delight in retailing his every encounter at first amusing then boring and finaly irritating. Mr White has lead an interesting life and writes well and has produced a large body of work, both fiction and non-fiction, which has gained him many admirers. After reading this book I admit that my own opinion of him is ambiguous.

Death of a Wine Merchant by David Dickinson

Question: What do you do if a member of your familly is found shot dead and another member is found holding the gun and refusing to give an explanation?
Answer: Send for Lord Francis Powerscourt and all will be revealed.
This is the ninth Powerscourt investigation by David Dickinson and like all the others it is very well plotted, highly imaginative and excellently written. I will not spoil the enjoyment for potential readers by detailing the action but simply say that if you like Victorian/Edwardian detective stories you will love Lord Francis Powerscourt.

Order in Chaos by Jack Whyte

The third and final volume of Jack Whyte's Templar trilogy charts the demise of the Order at the hands of the French King Phillip the Fourth and his evil chancellor William de Nogaret. Warned by sympathisers at the French Court Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Order, sends William Sinclair to the naval base at La Rochelle to remove as much of the Order's treasure as possible aboard the Order's ships. Forming an alliance with the beleagured Robert Bruce he founds a community on the Isle of Arran. As the years pass the hope that the Pope would intervene on their behalf is dashed and William, as acting Grand Master, frees the remaining knights from their vows allowing them to marry. After leading his knights in support of Robert Bruce at the battle of Bannock Burn William takes his people to find a new life in the Americas. Do I detect here the basis of a new series of novels? No bad thing!

Execution Dock by Anne Perry

Execution Dock is the sixteenth in Anne Perry's series of investigations by William Monk. Formerly a Private Investigator he is now Commander of the River Police, a unit independant of the Metropolitan Police Force. As the story opens he is in hot pursuit of Jericho Phillips, a pornographer and owner of a boy brothel, who has murdered one of his boys who attempted to run away. Phillips is brought to trial but found not guilty after a clever defence by Sir Oliver Rathbone, a friend of Monk, and another regular character in the series. Monk is determined to bring Phillips to justice and Miss Perry weaves his quest into an enthralling story.One slight grumble. Perhaps a little less of the high-minded philosophising and moralising would make a more pleasing narrative.

The Montmartre Investigation by Claude Izner

Set in 1891 this is the third in chronological order in the highly entertaining Victor Legris mysteries. In between running a fashionable bookshop and looking after his beautiful Russian mistress, Tasha, Victor solves murders and this one begins with the body of a young woman found at a Montmartre crossroads. The same day a single red shoe is delivered to Victor's shop by a goatherd!! Accompanied by his assistant Jojo, driven to distraction by Tasha, introduced to the nightlife of the Moulin Rouge by a journalist turned cancan dancer Victor pursues the killer. As with the previous novels Claude Izner gives us more than an whodunnit, this is a marvellous tour of Belle-Epoque Paris in the company of a fascinating cast of characters. Full marks also to translators Lorenza Garcia and Isabel Reid.

Theoderic by Ross Laidlaw

Throughout history there has run one thread that has motivated some of the most pivotal characters - the desire to be "one of us". Ross Laidlaw has charted the career of a man who sacrificed the chance to leave a legacy tha would have resounded through the centuries on the altar of just this desire. Taken to Constantinople as a hostage for the good behaviour of his father, the King of the Ostrogoths, Theoderic fell in love with all things Roman and devoted the major part of his life in a vain attempt to re-establish the Western Empire. His attainments were many but his one ambition, to be accepted as an equal by the Romans, would always be denied. To the Romans from the Patrician Senators to the labourers on the docks he would always be a barbarian, a realisation that would only break through a lifetime of wishful thinking when it was too late. He died embittered with his lifetimes work crumbling about him surrounded by Roman subjects who could not understand that by undermining him they had sabotaged their last chance to restore their fortunes. A tragic story very well told by Mr Laidlaw.

Rome: The Emporer's Spy by M.C. Scott

Manda Scott is the author of the Boudica quartet of novels set in Britannia but in her latest work she moves the action to Gaul then Alexandria and finally to it's climax in Rome. Recent historical research has suggested that the great fire that devastated parts of Rome and had for long been laid at the door of Nero was in fact the work of Christians as he claimed at the time. Ms Scott has delved into the records and gives us a picture of the fragmented nature of the early church with it's vicious theological feuds which could well have inspired one group contemplate such a devastating act. Her portrayal of Nero also is much more credible than, for example, the petulant buffoon as played by Peter Ustinov in the film Quo Vadis. The hero of her story is an undercover agent of indeterminate Middle Eastern origins named Sebastos Pantera who has returned from a protracted tour of duty in Britannia still recovering from his injuries. Convalescence is not on the cards, however, as Nero has got wind of a plot to destroy Rome and Pantera is the only man he trusts to counter it. Ms Scott winds the story through the treacherous currents of Nero's court, the dangers of the chariot races, the mystical temples of Alexandria and finaly to a deathly struggle in the back streets of Rome. This is a cracking page turner of a book which is the highest praise that I can give. I look forward in eager anticipation to the next book in the series and will make an effort to get hold of that Boudica quartet.

The Listening Eye

This is another excellent who-dunnit by the late Patricia Wentworth. Miss Paine, a lady of middle years whose hearing was totally destroyed by a bomb blast during the Blitz, attends a gallery where her portrait is displayed and chances upon a plot to rob and murder a man carrying a valuable necklace. The conspirators are unaware of her ability to lip-read and imagine themselves safe until one is informed of her facility by a garrulous attendant at the gallery. Miss Paine, unsure of her reception at a police station with this information consults Miss Silver and thereafter we are treated to another of Miss Wentworth's well written stories. Bliss!

THE DIARY IS BACK

Let joy be unconfined in literary circles around the world. Yes! Patrick's Book Diary is once again blazing a trail across the computer screens of the world in the cause of entertaining books. A no-go area for the arty-farty literati who believe that good books should read like wading through treacle this is the site for those of us whose highest praise is that a book is a "thundering good read". So if you believe that a book should be "socially relevant" and stick to "challenging" themes that "explore the conciousness of modern society" please go back to the Guardian or the London Review of Books and leave this page to those of us who read for pleasure.