The disorderly knights

Back in Scotland, Crawford establishes a trained force of mercenaries and encounters Joleta Malett, a beautiful and wilful teenager. Through her brother, Graham Reid Malett, a knight of St John of Jerusalem, (who will also be a central figure in the next book of the series, Pawn in Frankincense), Crawford is enticed to Malta to help the Order's defence against the Turkish forces of Suleiman. This section of the book (the defence of Mdina, Gozo and Malta in 1551) closely follows historical events. Back in Scotland, and accused by his brother and companions of debauching the lovely Joleta, Crawford's rivalry with Malett results in the death of some of the series' most attractive characters, and culminates in a dramatic showdown between the two in Edinburgh.

This is an historical romance and the third of 6 books set in the mid 1500s and focused around a flawed hero, Francis Crawford of Lymond. The series starts and ends in Crawford's (and the author's) homeland of Scotland. The books follow Dunnett's hero through a series of adventures at the centres of power in Scotland, France, Malta, Stamboul (Constantinople), and Russia. He develops as a leader in war and politics, with the potential to rule a country: but at the expense of his humanity, his family and his companions, as he ruthlessly suppresses his own weaknesses and frailties. The language, culture, customs, political intrigue, warcraft and ethos of the time are captured in beautifully constructed prose and the books are worth reading for this alone. But they are also cracking adventures. If you can, ignore the author's constant reminders of her hero's beauty and stick with them.