The Devil's Beat by Robert Edric

In 1910 a group of young girls in a Nottinghamshire village claim that the devil appeared to them in a clearing in the woods.   Most people regard the stories as lies but the tale spreads and the Assistant Chief Constable asks the Director of Public Law to set up an enquiry to kill the story once and for all.   The Director sends Francis Merritt who has conducted many enquiries on his behalf but as soon as he arrives Merritt realises he is on a hiding to nothing.   To assist him he has the self-important magistrate Webb, the vicar Rev. Firth who is completely dominated by his wife and the local Doctor Nash, the only one who gives him any real support.   The press descends on the village and Mary Cowan, the oldest and leader of the girls, together with her father play it for all they can make from it.   The enquiry, of course, achieves nothing and ends with the tragic death of one of the girls.  

This is a truly remarkable book with it's insightful examination of the characters and their motives.   Robert Edric may never appear on the the much hyped best seller lists or be piled high in Waterstones but his name will always be at the forefront for those who recognise quality when they see it.

Oscar Wilde and the Murders at Reading Gaol by Gyles Brandreth

The sixth of Brandreth's Oscar novels and it is arguably his best as not only has he once again produced an excellent murder mystery but convincingly conveys Wilde's despair as he serves his two year sentence for gross indecency.

At Pentonville prison Wilde is the subject of the malice of the sadistic Warder Braddle who dies in mysterious circumstances after visiting Wilde's cell.   Moved to Reading he is then confronted by Braddle's younger brother an even nastier piece of work.   The prisoner in the next cell, an Indian named Luck, attempts to blackmail Wilde over his acquaintance with a young boy prisoner while the prison doctor persuades the Govenor to allow him to investigate murders that the authorities would rather be written off as accidents.

The best part of this book in my opinion is not the murder mystery, good as that is, but Brandreth's description of the soul destroying prison regime and Wildes reaction to it.   Wildes realisation of what his actions have done, not just to himself, but to his wife and sons is totaly believable.   Brandreth has immersed himself in the work and character of his subject to such an extent that acceptance of the narrative as Wilde's own words is extended without demur.   The book ends with Wilde in exile in Dieppe and only a year or so to live.   Does this mean that this is the last of these excellent books?   Let us hope not!

The Sins of Severac Bablon by Sax Rohmer

On Kindle via Project Gutenberg

Another of Rohmer's non Fu Manchu novels first published in 1914 and with a plot that would most certainly not find a publisher today.

It is inferred in the book that Severac Bablon (is this an anagram?) is a descendant of Jewish royalty but be that as it may he certainly considers that the acquisitiveness of Jewish businessmen is giving the whole people a bad name.   His solution is to force several prominent financial figures to give large well publicised donations to charity and when I say large the sums of fifty or one hundred thousand pounds at 1914 prices cause a sharp intake of breath.   The methods he uses are typical of this type of fiction at the time.   He is always several jumps ahead of his pursuers, is a master of disguise, he has adherants at all levels of society and is always the perfect gentleman.   Such a plot, such a character appear laughable today but the quality of Rohmer's writing overcame any modern doubts and kept this readers attention to the end.

Once again one is aware of the debt modern readers owe to Project Gutenberg who make available books that would never find their way into print again yet are a part, even if some do not wish to recognise the fact, of our literary heritage.

Marius Mules 2 : The Belgae by SJA Turney

On Kindle

Based on Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars the first book followed his campaign against the Helvetii and other tribes of southern Gaul.   Now, desparate for another victorious campaign to silence his political enemies in Rome he turns his attention to the Belgae, a federation of tribes along the Rhine.

Caesar returns to Gaul as the Legions leave their winter quarters and prepare for the campaigning season.   Most of the senior officer corps of the first novel appear again headed, of course, by Fronto.   The first tribe they move against, the Remi, promptly surrender and are granted generous terms by Caesar to encourage others to follow their example.   Unfortunately most of the others are determined to put up some resistance if only for prides sake and the body count on both sides mounts up.   As in the first book it is up to Fronto to try to alleviate the callousness with which Caesar views the expenditure of human life when weighed against his ambition.   A typical example is his treatment of his own Camp Prefect.   The father-in-law of this officer has fallen into debt to Publius Clodius Pulcher, a blue blooded gangster whose squad of thugs have a reputation for violence to chill the blood.   Clodius has political ambitions and has become an enemy of Caesar and is using pressure on his wife' s familly to make Paetus, the Camp Prefect, send information back to Rome.   This plot is discovered  and Caesar is ready to crucify Paetus when Fronto suggests that instead he should be used to send Clodius misleading information.   Paetus agrees to this when Caesar says he will use his familly bodyguards in Rome to protect his wife and children, however, he does no such thing and they are murdered on the orders of Clodius.

This incident is all too typical of Caeasar's attitude to the lives of others, his own men included, and only their background of military discipline and concern for their own famillies keep Fronto and his band of horny handed veterans loyal to their General.

This has been another enjoyable trip through Roman history with brilliant action scenes and well drawn believable characters.   Roll on book three.

Passenger 13 by Scott Mariani

Scott Mariani has written a series of novels featuring an ex-SAS officer named Ben Hope.   Hope has set himself up as some kind of private eye come Mr Fixit and this book, available only in e-book format is the prequel.

Major Hope is recuperating from a gun shot wound received during an operation in Afghanistan.   He attends the funeral of an old comrade-in-arms who has committed suicide by crashing the plane he was piloting taking eleven other passengers and crew with him.   His daughter is sure that he has been murdered and asks for help.   As she has very little evidence that he can go on, not to mention the wound he was carrying, Hope is reluctant to get involved.   The young lady runs off in a huff and is mown down by a van whose driver gets out and checks her pulse then drives off.   The van has no number plate which leads Hope to the conclusion that something is up.   No fool our Major Hope!   He flies to the Cayman Islands where he indulges in multiple mayhem until finaly sorting out the villains who unfortunately happen to be Senior Intelligence Officers.   It comes as no surprise that his resignation is accepted.

Mr Mariani has written a first class bash-crash page turner of a thriller and if this is the prequel I shall be on the lookout for the subsequent books.

Scorpions Nest by MJ Trow

Another of the excellent series of historical thrillers featuring the playwright Christopher Marlowe in his guise of agent for Sir Francis Walsingham.

Marlowe is despatched to Rheims where the Catholic Church has founded the English College as a seminary for exiled English priests.   Walsingham suspects that this is where Mathew Baxter, the only surviving member of the Babington plot, may be found.   Using the name Robert Greene, his rival at Cambridge, Marlowe infiltrates the College but finds himself faced by a series of murders that have taken place there.   In order to discover the whereabouts of Baxter Marlowe finds himself investigating the murders.   He is assisted by Solomon Aldred, a Walsingham agent masquerading as a wine merchant, who has been established in the town and supplies the College which enables him to gain contact with Dr Allen the Principal and Dr Skelton his deputy.   Walsingham also sends Thomas Phellipes, his code breaker, accompanied by Professor Michael Johns, late of Corpus Christi, and a former tutor of Marlowe.   With no one at the College appearing in their true identity and the body count rising Marlowe finds himself indeed in a "Nest of Scorpions".

These Marlowe stories are Trow's best since the outstanding Lestrade series.   Hopefully more to come.

The Last Caesar by Henry Venmore-Rowland

Set in the time known as the "Year of the Four Emperors" Venmore-Rowland has written a very lively novel of political intrigue and life threatening action.

Aulus Caecina Severus has completed his necessary time with the Legions serving with distinction in Britania during the Boudica revolt.   His next step on the Cursus Honorum is to serve as Quaestor in Hispania Baetica which he looks forward to as a quiet and lucrative term of duty before returning to Rome for the next step on the road to the Senate.   However, hardly had he settled in to his new post when he is sent for by Servius Sulpicius Galba, a former Consul, and Govenor of Hispania Terraconensis.   When he arrives Galba tells him that he is going to lead a rebellion against the despised Emperor Nero and he wants Severus to go to Gaul and supervise a fake uprising which will be used by Galba's supporters in Rome to undermine Nero.   Severus sets off but finds the planned uprising a shambles and the leader incompetant.   Security is non-existant and it seems that the secret plans are common knowledge leading to the Rhine Legions moving south to counter an uprising that was never more than a sham.   The upshot of this is that despite his frantic manoevering he ends up leading a Gaulish war party in an attack on Roman Legions with hundreds killed in the process.   Somehow he manages to talk his way out of this and, Nero having commited suicide and Galba being proclaimed Emperor, he is appointed Legate of the Legion Four Macedonica an unprecedented promotion at his age of just twentynine.

Unfortunately Severus' dream of seeing out his four years in command of the quiet Rhine frontier before returning to Rome for another plum job are shattered by the growing paranoia of Galba.   Since attaining the throne he has grown more and more suspicious of everyone around him and especialy those who helped him in his conspiracy.   He orders Severus back to Rome to face a charge of corruption which Severus knows can only end one way.   Galba's behaviour is now causing grave misgivings amongst the officers of all the Legions and some are now pushing for the Govenor of Germania, Vittelius, to seize the purple.   Severus now throws in his lot with this new conspiracy.

Thus endeth the first episode in the saga of Severus.   As this book is based on historical records and the details of real people and their actions the old phrase "you couldn't make it up" comes to mind!

A Soldier Erect by Brian Aldiss

Brian Aldiss made his name as a writer of science fiction but in the nineteen seventies struck out with a trio of comedy/erotic novels of which this is the second volume.   In the first volume "A Hand Reared Boy"  the "hero" Horatio Stubbs is introduced in all his sweaty desparation to encounter sexual experience.   He runs away from home to London in the hope of finding more opportunity for sex in the wicked city but ends up signing on as a regular soldier.   Another act of desparation.

This volume is set in 1944 and Horatio is a wireless operator with the Royal Mendips sent by ship to join the Fourteenth Army in India.   His unit is designated for training and acclimatisation prior to being sent to Burma to confront the Japanese.   This comprises the long central section of the book as Aldiss gives a wonderful account of the boredom inducing routine enlivened by expeditions into nearby towns in a hunt for beer and women.   The beer is easily come by but in India the squaddies only hope of female company is in the brothels all of which are out-of-bounds to British Other Ranks.   This, of course, does not deter Horatio and he takes every oportunity to risk either disease or arrest or both.   One thing is clear and that is the unsatisfactory nature of these couplings.   Horatio satisfies his lust but never finds the love that his romantic nature craves.

The final part of the book is a marvellous description of the relief of Kohima with Horatio and his mates slogging through miles of muddy jungle lacking food water and sleep until they finally acheive their objective and the Japanese begin to retreat.   As one character points out if the Japanese had simply bypassed Kohima the Fouteenth Army would have been unable to prevent them from driving right into India.  

This is an excellent and entertaining depiction of men in war and either Aldis actualy served in this campaign or he is a much better writer than he is given credit for.   Or possibly both!