And, through the web of allegiances the family owes to other supporters of the Stuart cause, we swiftly develop an empathy with the sacrifices, the commitment, and the almost religious devotion of three generations of Jacobites to their King and Prince. Now S G MacLean, who is the niece of author Alistair MacLean, has her head in a snowy 17th Century York with a follow-up to her Damian Seeker series. She felt it wasn’t a good time to shift genres, because it was going to be quite a different book, so she asked me if I had anything else,” Shona said. After Culloden, Iain MacGillivray was left for dead on Drumossie Moor. Wounded, his face brutally slashed, he survived only by pretending to be dead as the Redcoats patrolled the corpses of his Jacobite comrades. The novel begins with a prologue in which prisoners taken after the unsuccessful Jacobite rising in 1715 are plotting escape.

And loss. The loss of many men, young and old, on the battlefield or afterwards in merciless manhunts. Read Historia’s interview with Alis, in which she talks about writing fiction set in two centuries and two places: England in the 14th century and West Wales in the 19th. What draws her to such contrasting settings? The story has all the elements - intrigue, twists and a touch of romance - and MacLean weaves fact and fiction together wonderfully to produce a highly enjoyable read. Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes. Mary Paulson-Ellis was born in Glasgow and studied Politics and Sociology at Edinburgh University. She worked for several years in arts administration before giving it all up to become a writer. She began with an evening class as part of the Edinburgh …Her father, who was born in Daviot Manse not far from the battlefield, could make it sound as though the uprising had taken place yesterday when he spoke of the events. S.G MacLean writing paints to life the story in front of you and does an exceptional job with weaving facts and fiction together creating a truly memorable story.

There’s no getting away from it, the nights are fair drawing in. So embrace the falling leaves, cold … The mystery is centreed around a missing book of names, which is part of a greater collection. This book seems to hold the key as to why so many people are being killed. Now THAT is what you call a powerful read. An exciting story full of intrigue, betrayal, and murderous revenge. I had a hard time putting down the book whenever Real Life interfered with my reading time. The author does a great job in bringing the time, place, and characters to life. I was especially interested in the Grande Dames, that while fictional did reflect the important role that women played in the Jacobite cause. MacLean also noted various nonfiction works that would be useful for further reading. Surprisingly this was my first experience of S. G. MacLean’s writing although I have heard many good things.Not gifted with his father’s resilience, Iain’s persisting trauma in the wake of the Jacobites’ defeat at Culloden is constantly triggered as the pair work together to discover the identity of both a murderer and the traitors he is targeting. Alis Hawkins is the author of the Teifi Valley Coroner historical crime series and of medieval mysteries. MacLean’s book is an excellent example of a well-written and researched historical fiction. My knowledge of the conflict between Stuart and Hanover supporters, especially from the point of view of the Scottish Highlanders, is limited, but the author created a believable, detailed and fascinating world. He also supplied an extensive reading list for those seeking biographical or historical knowledge. The importance of local politics for the novel’s plot made me worried that the book would become overwhelming, but that never happened. The necessary information is supplied in an accessible form, and the intrigue keeps the reader’s interest peaked. Thirty-six years later, six years after the Jacobites’ final, failed rebellion of 1745, Iain MacGillivray is a lost soul. He gets up each morning, dresses and goes to his bookshop where he endures another day of a life he no longer finds meaningful.

The atmosphere in the Highlands for many years after the Jacobite defeat at the battle of Culloden must have been terrifying.

But ultimately, it’s the characters who make the book sing. The way in which their lives are changed forever by the murderous events at the heart of the plot draws the reader into their world and makes latter-day Jacobites of us. Even though history tells us that there were no more rebellions after 1745, we will the Elibank plot to be successful and the Highlanders freed from the oppression of the Hanoverians. Set at a time after the battle of Culloden. Fact and fiction combine to show how the Jacobites were treated by the Redcoats. The passion has not been beaten out of the Jacobites and a new uprising is planned. Iain MacGillivay and his family will find traitors and murder will bring out old secrets. Well crafted characters keep you entertained with a bonus of the historical settings. Six years on from Culloden, the man left for dead, Iain MacGillivray is now a bookkeeper in Inverness. One day, he notices a stranger searching his shelves for a particular book, but he feels he is after something else and that this stranger is not going to bring good news.

Loss of culture, loss of trust, loss of the familiar old ways. A feeling of overwhelming, uncontrollable change. Although an interesting enough story, this failed to capture me. In my humble opinion, Ambrose Parry, Antonia Hodgson, and Kaite Welsh are better writers. The start of a new series set in Inverness. The story is about the Jacobite movement and the 1746 Battle of Culloden. Someone is left for dead on Drumossie Moor, and that is the start of the adventure into this historical epic of a novel.Most novels I’ve read don’t dig quite as deeply into the past as this, and the few that do don’t in … And yet, such is the strength of his father’s belief in the cause that Iain finds himself hoping against hope that all may not be lost. Shona went to Aberdeen University to study history and lived in Aberdeenshire for the next quarter of a century. Her title came through James VI, so I thought it was wonderful she was taken to Holyrood and then up to St Giles.” Forthcoming book She’ll be appearing alongside Christopher Brookmyre, Douglas Skelton, G.R. Halliday, Michael Malone and Neil Lancaster.