As a fan of Historical fiction I very much looked forward to reading this book hoping that it would be the start of a new series for me. Daniel Rawson is described as an 'adventurer,spy,charmer' so was hoping that he would turn out to be a cross between Sharpe/Bolitho and Flashman but in the end proves to be none of them.

We are initially introduced to Daniel Rawson as a young boy who witnesses his beloved father being hanged for treason for fighting to overthrow the King then saving his mother from being raped by one of the victorious soldiers with the soldier's own sword. So far so good. Now fast forward 20 years to find Captain Rawson,a career British soldier,in the bed of the wife of a leading French general mainly it seems to glean intelligence from her.When the cuckolded husband arrives home unexpected Rawson abandons the wife to her fate without barely a second thought.It is from here that the plot seems to go downhill with the author over relying on stereotypes to drive his story. We have the stoic mistress who refuses to give her lover's name when caught out,the vengeful husband, the simpering lovelorn English girl who seems to be able to feint at will and the valiant but always complaining Sergeant Welbeck to name but a few. Then there are large stretches where nothing really happens before the battles are raced through with apparent unseemly haste.

Now on the plus side I know little about the Spanish War of Succession and it is obvious that the author has done his research and it is a relatively easy read.As this is the first book in a series I am willing to give him another go immediately so will be hoping for better. Initial report "OK but must try harder". ( )

I quite liked this. The hero of the piece is Captain Rawson, who is evidently a dashing soldier and a spy on the side. He's in Marlborough's army and we find him initally bedding the bored wife of a French General to discover information, which works, but doesn't please the general very much. He sets 2 ruffians after our dashing hero to make sure he's killed and to claim the reward. It all gets a bit complicated when a lady that Captain Rawson has met in London believes herself in love and decides to follow him across Europe. She then causes no end of trouble, like you do. Not necessarily the most accurate account of the battle of Blenhiem, but it's an engaging story and the dashing captain is a likeable enough chap - just enough daring to make him interesting, and a hint of danger to make him exciting. ( )

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/node/4737 ( )