Category: Blog Tour

Rags of Time by Michael Ward #BookReview @RandomTTours

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Rags of Time BT PosterWelcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Rags of Time by Michael Ward, the first in a series of historical mysteries set in 17th century London. My thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in the tour and to the author for my digital review copy.

Rags of Time Final CoverAbout the Book

London, 1639. Spice merchant Thomas Tallant returns from India to find his city in turmoil – overcrowded, ravaged by crime and seething with sedition. A bitter struggle is brewing between King Charles I and Parliament as England slides into civil war.

A wealthy merchant is savagely killed; then his partner plunges to his death in the Tallant household. Suspicion falls on Tom, who soon finds himself being sucked into London’s turbulence. As he struggles to clear his name, he becomes entranced by the enigmatic Elizabeth Seymour, whose passion for astronomy and mathematics is matched only by her addiction to the gaming tables. Can her brilliance untangle the web of deceit that threatens to drag Tom under?

Format: ebook (318 pages)             Publisher: Sharpe Books
Publication date: 23rd June 2020 Genre: Historical fiction, crime, mystery

Find Rags of Time on Goodreads

Purchase links*
Amazon UK
*link provided for convenience not as part of an affiliate programme

My Review

Rags of Time is a historical murder mystery set during the latter part of the reign of Charles I. Spice merchant Thomas Tallant is forced to turn investigator when he is implicated in the mysterious deaths of two wealthy businessmen who just happen to be prominent figures in the rival wool trade.

The author does a great job of conjuring up the sights, sounds and smells of 17th century London: its bustling, crowded streets full of traders selling their wares; the pungent aromas of brewing, tanning and other industries; the narrow, tenement-lined alleyways where trade of an entirely different nature takes place.

Thomas’s investigations take place against the backdrop of a time of unrest as relations between King and Parliament deteriorate and rumours of Papist plots abound. London is a city driven by fear.  Apprentices are rioting on the streets, seditious pamphlets are circulating and war with the Scots is looming. “King or Parliament? King or Parliament? It’s time to choose” is the oft-heard cry.

Sir Ralph, Thomas’s father, performs the role of keeping the reader informed of wider events both at home and abroad. Meanwhile, Thomas finds himself drawn into the murky world of spies and informers, forced to make risky bargains to gain the information he needs to clear his name and restore his family’s reputation. However, he’s not the only one interested in getting to the bottom of the two deaths.

The spirited, pipe-smoking Elizabeth Seymour makes a great addition to the cast of characters. She’s a woman out of her time in many respects with an interest in astronomy, mathematics and the latest scientific theories. (Fast forward to the 1940s and she might well have been employed at Bletchley Park.)  As well as knowing her poetry and loving the theatre, she,  like Thomas, has experienced the thrill – and the consequences – of financial speculation. Cue the flowering of an instant mutual attraction between the pair.

The trade rivalry between the different merchant fraternities adds a sprinkling of spice to the mix, meaning there is no shortage of possible suspects and motives. But just what caused the two men’s deaths – was it the work of demons or of human hand? I’m pleased to say it’s Elizabeth’s logical mind that helps to provide the first key to unlocking the mystery.

Rags of Time is a well-crafted historical mystery with a satisfyingly intricate plot and plenty of period detail. I, for one, look forward to reading more of the adventures of Thomas Tallant.

In three words: Lively, intriguing, mystery

Try something similar: A Murderous Affair by Jonathan Digby

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Mike Ward Author picAbout the Author

Writing has been central to Mike Ward’s professional life. On graduating from university he became a journalist, working in newspapers and for the BBC. He then went into journalism education, teaching and researching journalism practice before becoming head of the UK’s prestigious Journalism School at UCLan. For the last eight years he has run his own content creation company.

Rags of Time is Mike’s debut novel. Its sequel is due to be published late in 2020.

Connect with Michael
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The Englishman by David Gilman #BookReview @HoZ_Books @amberachoudhary

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EcD3Ae0XYAApocBI’m thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for The Englishman by David Gilman, published today by Head of Zeus. Thanks to Amber at Midas PR for inviting me to take part in the tour and to Head of Zeus for my review copy. You can read my review below.

9781838931391About the Book

A clandestine war on the desert border of Mali and Algeria; murder and kidnap on the suburban streets of West London; a Moscow CID police inspector investigating the assassination of four of her fellow officers by the Russian mafia; a young MI6 officer facing the possibility that a long-running operation has been fatally compromised: connecting them all is the Englishman – Dan Raglan, outsider, exile, one-time member of the French Foreign Legion, fully trained killer.

Raglan’s quest for answers will become a quest for vengeance. It will lead him to the winter-ravaged wasteland of the Sverdlovskaya Oblast and Penal Colony #74, a place that holds Russia’s most brutal murderers. A place of death and retribution.

How will he get in? More importantly, how will he get out?

Format: Hardcover (480 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 9th July 2020 Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Thriller

Find The Englishman (Raglan Book 1) on Goodreads

Purchase links*
Amazon UK | Hive (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience not as part of an affiliate programme

My Review

I was first introduced to the books of David Gilman when I read Masters of War the first in the series of the same name set in the 14th century and featuring the adventures of archer Thomas Blackstone. The author took a break from that series to write Night Flight to Paris, set in WW2 occupied France, a book I absolutely loved. In The Englishman, he moves from historical fiction into the world of the contemporary thriller and what an adrenaline-fuelled thrill ride it is.

The book’s protagonist, Dan Raglan – the Englishman of the title – is a bit of a man of mystery. Although taken in by a couple when he was orphaned, his real ‘family’ are his former comrades in the French Foreign Legion. Although a trained killer and a loner by nature, he’s not the cold figure you might expect. The things he’s seen, endured – and done – have left traumatic memories that occasionally rise to the surface; only his incredible willpower keeps the nightmares at bay. Raglan’s own life experiences also mean he has instinctive empathy for those who suffer loss at an early age. Oh, and I’ll confess even this happily married lady got a bit hot under the collar at the thought of Raglan’s lean, muscular physique and other attributes. However, I suspect I would have a formidable rival for his affections.

Moving from a dramatic opening in a remote part of Russia, to Mali in West Africa, to the streets of London and then back to Russia again, The Englishman has everything you would expect – and want – from a contemporary thriller. There are plenty of bone-crunching action scenes, the bad guys are really bad, the plot is satisfyingly intricate and there are twists, turns and surprises aplenty. The author is pretty ruthless when it comes to his characters; don’t expect all of them to make it to the end. In the first part of the book especially, the author makes good use of his own military experience in detailed descriptions of equipment, weaponry and tactics.

If you’re looking for a compelling, well-told story incorporating topical issues such as international terrorism, money laundering, covert military operations and state-sponsored organized crime, then The Englishman is the book for you. All that’s missing for it to be a complete picture of the world we’re living in now is a global pandemic but perhaps Raglan will be called on to grapple with that in a future book.

The Englishman promises to be the start of a terrific new series and I for one can’t wait to see what Raglan gets up to next.

In three words: Gripping, action-packed, pacy

Try something similar: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

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DAVIDAbout the Author

David Gilman is an award-winning author and screenwriter. David enjoyed many careers – including firefighter, paratrooper and photographer – before turning to writing full time in 1986.  He has written many radio and television scripts including several years of A Touch of Frost. In 2007 his Danger Zone trilogy for YA was sold in 15 countries.

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