Böcker av Helen Hollick

"As delicious as a Devon Cream Tea!" author Elizabeth St John*Make hay while the sun shines? But what happens when a murder is discovered, and country life is disrupted? Summer 1972. Young library assistant Jan Christopher and her fiancé, DS Lawrence Walker, are on holiday in North Devon. There are country walks and a day at the races to enjoy, along with Sunday lunch at the village pub, and the hay to help bring in for the neighbouring farmer.But when a body is found the holiday plans are to change into an investigation of murder, hampered by a resting actor, a woman convinced she's met a leprechaun and a scarecrow on walkabout...

THE KINGMAKINGBook One of the Pendragon's Banner TrilogyAll knew the oath of allegiance: 'To you, lord, I give my sword and shield, my heart and soul. To you, my Lord Pendragon, I give my life, to command as you will.'This is the tale of Arthur made flesh and bone. Of the shaping of the man who became the legendary king; a man with dreams, ambitions and human flaws. A man, a warlord, who united the collapsing province of post-Roman Britain, who held the heart of the love of his life, Gwenhwyfar - and who emerged as the most enduring hero of all time.A different telling of the later Medieval tales. This is the story of King Arthur as it might have really happened...* * *The Kingmaking: Book OnePendragon's Banner: Book TwoShadow of the King: Book ThreeThe Boy: Who became a ManWho became a King: Who became a Legend...KING ARTHURThere is no Merlin, no sword in the stone, and no Lancelot. Instead, the man who became our most enduring hero.

500 AD. Britain is at peace. But after the war cry - bitter the grave.At long last, the peace King Arthur has fought for has settled over Britain, but he is a warrior, restless for battle. When his territory of Less Britain is under threat from barbarian raiding he sails to Gaul, intending to be away for only a few months.When he fails to return, and rumour spreads of his death, who will take his place as King of All Britain - and who will Gwenhwyfar, his wife, take as a new husband?Not accepting her widowhood she is determined to discover Arthur's fate.But sometimes it takes more than courage to face the reality of truth...The Kingmaking: Book OnePendragon's Banner: Book TwoShadow of the King: Book ThreeThe Boy: Who became a ManWho became a King: Who became a Legend... KING ARTHURThere is no Merlin, no sword in the stone, and no Lancelot.Instead, the man who became a kingand our most enduring hero."If only all historical fiction could be this good." Historical Novels Review"... Juggles a large cast of characters and a bloody, tangled plot with great skill. " Publishers Weekly"Hollick's writing is one of the best I've come across - her descriptions are so vivid it seems as if there's a movie screen in front of you, playing out the scenes." Passages To The Past"Hollick adds her own unique twists and turns to the familiar mythology" Booklist"Uniquely compelling... bound to have a lasting and resounding impact on Arthurian literature." Books MagazineAMAZON READERS' COMMENTS"Spell-binding, magnificent, gutsy, heartbreaking, raw with bloodshed, triumphant! Helen Hollick's Arthurian trilogy quickly draws you into the world of legend. No genteel fairy tale story of Camelot, this! Gutsy, sweaty, and real. The Dark Ages brought vividly, to life! This is the legend I want to believe in.""In this version of the King Arthur story, Arthur is a dark hero. He is young, selfish, ambitious and callous. He makes decisions based on his own desires with little thought to future consequences, making enemies left and right. Yet Ms. Hollick does a fabulous job of letting the reader glimpse just enough of his fears and vulnerabilities to keep him from being unlikeable, and to sway the reader to root for his success. I thoroughly enjoyed the portrayal of Gwenhwyfar. She is a worthy heroine. Full of action, troubled heroes, wicked villains, violence, betrayal and, of course, true love, this well-written book is an intense read and a real page-turner.""Helen Hollick brings her multi-layered, complex characters to life on the page. I especially enjoyed her depiction of the feisty, independent Gwenhwyfar - who is somewhat of a warrior in her own right. Ms. Hollick's interpretations of the Sacred Stone, The Lady of the Lake, Stonehenge, etc., are really original.""Arthur is at times very unlikeable: no modern man in fancy dress here, but a man of his time - and that time was brutal. As for Gwenhwyfar... a brilliant heroine, at times strong, at times horribly vulnerable. Their relationship is compelling and feels true""What a story! I fell in love with Arthur from the start, a flesh and blood hero with flaws. [This] wonderful trilogy doesn't rely on unnecessary padding, the descriptions are heart rending. Here is a writer in the older style not ' jump on the bandwagon writing!' Read and enjoy..."

459 A.D. Arthur has the kingdom he fought so hard to gain.But keeping it - and his family - safe, proves to be even harder.Two enemies threaten everything that is dear to him:Winifred, his vindictive first wife, and Morgause, priestess of the Mother and malevolent Queen of the North.In this story of harsh battles, treasonous plots, and the intrigues of political upheaval during Britain's Dark Ageswe do not have the familiar tales of the Arthurian legend,but one much older, darker and deeper.The story of a man with ambition, determination and human flaws.The story of King Arthur as it might have really happened.The Kingmaking: Book OnePendragon's Banner: Book TwoShadow of the King: Book Three

The third Jan Christopher Cosy MysteryWas murder deliberate - or a tragic mistake?January 1972. The Christmas and New Year holiday is over and it is time to go back to work. Newly engaged to Detective Sergeant Laurence Walker, library assistant Jan Christopher is eager to show everyone her diamond ring, and goes off on her scheduled round to deliver library books to the housebound - some of whom she likes; some, she doesn't.She encounters a cat in a cupboard, drinks several cups of tea... and loses her ring.When two murders are committed, can Jan help her policeman uncle, DCI Toby Christopher and her fiancé, Laurie, discover whether murder was a deliberate deed - or a tragic mistake?

The Time : The Golden Age of Piracy - 1716. The Place : The Pirate Round - from the South African Coast to the Caribbean. Escaping the bullying of his elder half-brother, from the age of fifteen Jesamiah Acorne has been a pirate with only two loves - his ship and his freedom. But his life is to change when he and his crewmates unsuccessfully attack a merchant ship off the coast of South Africa. He is to meet Tiola Oldstagh an insignificant girl, or so he assumes - until she rescues him from a vicious attack, and almost certain death, by pirate hunters. And then he discovers what she really is; a healer, a midwife - and a white witch. Tiola and Jesamiah become lovers, but the wealthy Stefan van Overstratten, a Cape Town Dutchman, also wants Tiola as his wife and Jesamiah's jealous brother, Phillipe Mereno, is determined to seek revenge for resentments of the past, a stolen ship and the insult of being cuckolded in his own home. When the call of the sea and an opportunity to commandeer a beautiful ship - the Sea Witch - is put in Jesamiah's path he must make a choice between his life as a pirate or his love for Tiola. He wants both, but Mereno and van Overstratten want him dead. In trouble, imprisoned in the darkness and stench that is the lowest part of his brother's ship, can Tiola, with her gift of Craft and the aid of his loyal crew, save him? Using all her skills Tiola must conjure up a wind to rescue her lover, but first she must brave the darkness of the ocean depths and confront the supernatural being, Tethys, the Spirit of the Sea, an elemental who will stop at nothing to claim Jesamiah Acorne's soul and bones as a trophy for herself

Aged only thirteen, Emma, daughter of the Duke of Normandy, is married in a strategic alliance to King Aethelred of England.