In volume two of The Warlord Chronicles, Cornwell presents a gripping tale of Arthur and Merlin, as well as other familiar personalities of Arthurian legend. Pigott-Smith's gravelly voice reflects the character of the grizzled veteran of Arthur's retinue who writes these tales and reminiscences for future generations and for Queen Igraine. The bloodcurdling adventures, intrigue and wars are brought to life by Pigott-Smith, who captures the flavor and fabled personalities of this time before written history.
Agincourt (Azincourt in French) is one of the most famous battles ever fought; the victory of a small, despised, sick and hungry army over an enemy that massively outnumbered it. Azincourt, the novel coming soon, tells the story of that small army; how it embarked from England confident of victory, but was beaten down and horribly weakened by the stubborn French defence of Harfleur. By the end of that siege common-sense dictated that the army sail for home, but Henry V
The British occupation of Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War brings together two unlikely comrades, redcoat Sam Gilpin and rebel Jonathon Becket. The story of these two young men evocatively illustrates the divided loyalties that characterized this war. Though both men love the same woman, the true heroine of the novel is Becket's patriot sister, Martha Crowl. She commands the attention of the reader with every appearance. The grim and gory reality of war is skillfully played out against the gaiety of Loyalist society.
Truman's seventh, meatiest novel involves a group of blackguards, posing as prominent patriots in the nation's capital. One is Senator John Frolich whose young daughter Valerie, a journalism student, is murdered. Reporter Joe Potamos questions the victim's classmates and their instructor, George Bowen, a crony of the senator, and Marshall Jenkins, a politically powerful land developer.
The book opens with a bloody discovery: the corpse of a young soprano who has been skewered with a prop from the WNO's soon-to-premiere production of Puccini's Tosca. As the media swarm, the company sets up its own task force, and Annabel asks Mac to be involved. Life imitates opera, and suddenly all the performers seem to have something to hide: passions for one another, histories better left uncovered, and even connections to foreign terrorists.
