The Devil's Command

by Eleanor Swift-Hook

‘Thrilling and powerful battle scenes, a conspiracy and a dash of romance – The Devil’s Command has it all.’ Fiona Forsyth, author of the Lucius Sestius Mysteries.

England, October 1642.
The war between King Charles and his Parliament reaches a watershed as the clash of ideologies becomes a clash of armies on the battlefield of Edgehill.

Former lawyer, Gideon Lennox, finds himself an unwilling participant fighting in the king’s army alongside Philip Lord, a notorious mercenary commander with a mysterious past.

After enduring the horror and brutality of battle, Gideon is confronted with an even greater challenge. Lady Catherine de Bouquelemont, an accomplished Royalist spy and the woman Lord loves, has been betrayed and captured.

Uncovering the identity of the traitor, Gideon plays a dangerous game as he gains entry to the Parliamentarian held town of Warwick to discover the whereabouts of Lady Catherine.

But not all is as it seems.

Having put his head in the enemy's noose, Gideon becomes entangled in a web of plots from which he can see no sure way to escape with his life.

Eleanor Swift-Hook fell in love with the early Stuart era at university. She lives in County Durham.

Praise for Eleanor
'Brutal, dark, and brilliant; it kept me gripped from the gruesome opening to the thrilling conclusion.' Jemahl Evans, author of The Last Roundhead.

‘A superb blend of history and intrigue… A likeable hero and engaging plot.’ Richard Foreman, author of Turpin’s Assassin .

Genres: English Civil War

305 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 8, 2022

About the author

Eleanor Swift-Hook enjoys the mysteries of history and fell in love with the early Stuart era at university when she re-enacted battles and living history events with the English Civil War Society. Since then, she has had an ongoing fascination with the social, military and political events that unfolded during the Thirty Years' War and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. She lives in County Durham and loves writing stories woven into the historical backdrop of those dramatic times.

You can find her on Twitter @emswifthook or learn more about the background of Lord's Legacy on her website www.eleanorswifthook.com.

Reviews

[P.J. Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eleanor Swift Hook once again successfully melds real history and fiction. Her description of the Battle of Edgehill, which started the First Civil War, was fantastic, covering the cavalry charge which could have won the battle, (and potentially the war) but due to their eagerness to loot and plunder, the battle ended in a stalemate and prolonged the war. It was nice to see Eleanor not shying away from that brutality.

This horror kicks off the book. We are once again sharing two POVs, that of Gideon and Nick. We also learn a little more about the conspiracy which is satisfying. The plot then progresses as after the battle we discover that Kate (Lord's new wife) has been captured as a spy and is being held in Warwick, so it's up to Gideon to go undercover into the den of the Parliamentary army and discover a way to save her. All this is the midway point, and more follows, with very little respite as the MC, Lord and the rest of the company make their way to Oxford.

The writing and characterisation is top notch. Gideon is developing too, he still has his moral centre, but he is finally realising the nuances. I was disappointed to discover that the feisty Christobel had been kidnapped and wed to Nick. It was difficult to envision how this incredible woman would end up in this position, and unfortunately we didn't see this. I hope we can catch up with Christobel next book. The narrative wasn't as focused as the previous book due to the start of the war, however, this is replaced by more characterisation, as well as introducing famous historical figures who will hopefully play a larger part in future novels.

The Devil's Command is a great read for lovers of historical fiction and I highly recommend it.

[Ben Bergonzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eleanor Swift-Hook brings her skill at historical world building to the campaign and battle of Edgehill, the first major battle of the English Civil War. Gideon Fox, now part of Philip Lord's company of soldiers, has travelled from the North to join King Charles' army as it gathers on top of a steep hill overlooking the Warwickshire farmland. Meanwhile, Lord's inveterate enemy, Sir Nicholas Tempest, continues his hostile manoeuvring in the north, with the doubtful help of Daniel Bristow, a young officer with a louche pose but in fact clever and, where needed, brutal.
The story unfolds with a fine description of the battle, in which Fox helps his master recapture the King's Colour, alongside the real life hero Captain John Smith - showing the King give Philip Lord a battlefield knighthood along with Smith, the author manages an insertion of fiction into fact as gracefully as anything done by George Macdonald Fraser in his many descriptions of battles. Soon Fox has to put his head into the lion's mouth by impersonating a double agent and so finding himself in Warwick Castle, face to face with the Parliamentary General, the Earl of Essex. Although Essex is depicted as something of a Blimp, his subordinates, for example Lord Brooke, are harsher.
The plot is fast moving, labyrinthine, and the characters always compelling. Little known byways of the war are included, such as the siege of Banbury Castle.
A couple of slight reservations - the town of Warwick is referred to as a city, which it never has been, and I also felt that this author, whose scene-setting is usually so strong, could have beneficially spent more time on research in the town. Knowing it well, I can report that there are many places there where little has changed since the 17th century. A card game between Bristow and Tempest went on rather too long for my taste, given that they were playing Picquet, understood by few people today.
All in all, though, this is an excellent book, very good value, and a great addition to the corpus of English Civil War fiction. I have the next one in the series on my shelf, and look forward to getting to it soon.