Sumerford's Autumn by Barbara Gaskell Denvil

Amazon UK £4.01 £11.99

Amazon US $15.19 $17.99

Amazon CA $23.54

This title was selected as the August Book of the Month

Adventure / Family drama

1400s

England

A dysfunctional family, plots to liberate a royal pretender to Henry VII's throne, murder most foul, secrets and lies, smuggling, piracy and, oh yes, the odd ghost or two. Barbara Gaskell Denvil packs all of this and more into one book. Right from the first sentence the action begins and it doesn't let up throughout.

We follow Ludovic, fourth and youngest son of the Earl of Sumerford a man who had fought at Bosworth for King Richard III but pardoned by Henry Tudor, thus he is a man wary of angering the king. Ludovic meets Alysson through strange circumstances and finds her a position with the Lady Jennine, new wife to the eldest and dangerously simple eldest son, Humphrey. The middle two brothers have their own secrets, though one is more open than the other and Ludovic is not entirely innocent either.

To say much more would be to give away some of the plot, which is tight, well crafted and tied up neatly with no loose ends. Each of the major characters are deliciously irreverent, the settings evocative, from the beauty of Somerset to the torture chambers in The Tower and the entire book convinces you that you are indeed in the late 15th Century. And there are some surprises as to who did what to whom to keep you guessing, especially the final denouement which will have you saying, 'I didn't see that coming'!

This is a great read – with an eye catching cover - from a prolific author and her fans will adore this book.

© Richard Tearle

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