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A Famine of Horses
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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About this ebook
With a Note From the Author.
In the year 1592, Sir Robert Carey, a handsome courtier, comes north to Carlisle to take up his new post as Deputy Warden of the West March. He has wrangled his appointment to be nearer to his true love, a married woman, and farther from the gimlet eyes of his creditors and the disapproving eye of his father (the Queen’s cousin—possibly her half-brother). And of course, he can use the money….
Sir Robert is quick to realize he won’t see a profit from the perks if he fails to keep the peace. Alas, he is quickly challenged by the murder of a local lad, the possible betrayal of a disappointed rival, the ire of the lady’s husband, and the question of the horses—the hundreds of horses being stolen from all over the neighborhood. It’s hard to say whether the greater danger lies without the city walls amidst the scheming Scots—or within, amidst the unruly English garrison.
Rich in atmosphere and packed with vivid real and fictional characters, few novels are as well imagined or as much fun as this romp through roguish courtiers, rival gangs, rustling, treason, and high ambition.
In the year 1592, Sir Robert Carey, a handsome courtier, comes north to Carlisle to take up his new post as Deputy Warden of the West March. He has wrangled his appointment to be nearer to his true love, a married woman, and farther from the gimlet eyes of his creditors and the disapproving eye of his father (the Queen’s cousin—possibly her half-brother). And of course, he can use the money….
Sir Robert is quick to realize he won’t see a profit from the perks if he fails to keep the peace. Alas, he is quickly challenged by the murder of a local lad, the possible betrayal of a disappointed rival, the ire of the lady’s husband, and the question of the horses—the hundreds of horses being stolen from all over the neighborhood. It’s hard to say whether the greater danger lies without the city walls amidst the scheming Scots—or within, amidst the unruly English garrison.
Rich in atmosphere and packed with vivid real and fictional characters, few novels are as well imagined or as much fun as this romp through roguish courtiers, rival gangs, rustling, treason, and high ambition.
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Author
P.F. Chisholm
P.F. Chisholm is an author and journalist. She is a graduate of Oxford University with a degree in History. Her first novel, A Shadow of Gulls, published when she was eighteen, won the David Higham Award for Best First Novel. patriciafinney.com
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Reviews for A Famine of Horses
Rating: 4.0697669767441855 out of 5 stars
4/5
43 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wonderfully adventurous historical mystery, set among the Border Reivers in the reign of Elizabeth I. Sir Robert Carey, a courtier of the Virgin Queen returns to the Scots borderlands where he was raised to take a position as a Deputy Warden for his not terribly bright but terribly well connected brother in law. A terrific collection of characters help or hinder Sir Robert in trying to discover why Jock of the Peartree and his men are stealing, buying, borrowing all the horses in the north and why Jock's son Sweetmilk has been found dead in a copse.
This was such fun! I just so enjoy books where the history is accurate and interesting but the story doesn't bog down in it. I will be looking out for the rest of this series with anticipation. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Excellent start to a potentially good series. Interesting characters, authentic atmosphere and enough medieval vocabulary to keep the learning curve moving upwards.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is fictional mystery novel about a real historical person. Sir Robert Carey was a courtier at the court of Queen Elizabeth. His grandmother was Mary Boleyn, so his father, Lord Hunsdon, was a cousin, or possibly a half-brother to Elizabeth. Carey is sent to Carlyle near the Scottish Border to serve as deputy warden of the West March. This is a lawless area with nearly constant raids between the different Scottish families. Several wonderful characters emerge: Carey's sister Philadelphia, his love interest Lady Widdrington, his crusty second in command Sgt. Henry Dodd. I also loved the colorful name the author invents for the Scottish ruffians: Sweetmilk, Jock of the Peartree, etc. A sprinkling of Scottish dialect is delightful : "ye dinna ken" = you don't/didn't know. Fun!!!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a great book. It really gives a feeling of being there in the later part of the 16th century. The characters are interesting and it is fun that the author uses a person that was there in those times and was actually a Deputy Warden. The author did a great job resurching for this book and it ties together very nicely. Besides the mystery part of it, it is a great read to anyone who is interested in English history during the time of Elizabeth I.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tudor England of the 1590s’. Chisholm steeps her story in so much 16th-century atmosphere and historical detail.
The quality of the story is superb. PF Chisholm has a fine grasp of the character’s traits.
They are all so very human and compelling. Sergeant Dodd for one is the epitome of the dour northern with a wry sense of humour and an intelligence rivaling Sir Robert Carey's.
Most of all it’s a damned enjoyable romp for anyone who likes historical fiction.