The Lawless Land

by Boyd Morrison and Beth Morrison

First in a fast-paced historical adventure series from New York Times bestselling author Boyd Morrison and expert medievalist Beth Morrison.

Live by the sword. Die for the truth.

England, 1351. The Pestilence has ravaged the land. Villages lie abandoned but for crows and corpses. Highways are patrolled by marauders and murderers. In these dark and dangerous times, the wise keep to themselves.

But Gerard Fox cannot afford to be wise. The young knight has been robbed of his ancestral home, his family name tarnished. To regain his lands and reputation, he sets forth to petition the one man who can restore them.

Fate places Fox on the wrong road at the wrong time as he hurtles towards a chance encounter. It will entangle him with an enigmatic woman, a relic of incalculable value, and a dark family secret. It will lead him far from home and set him on a collision course with one of the most ambitious and dangerous men in Europe - a man on the cusp of seizing Christendom's highest office.

And now, Fox is the only one standing in his way...

'Fantastic... Gerard Fox could be Jack Reacher's ancestor, 700 years ago. Highly recommended!' Lee Child
'A novel full of both authenticity and thrills, and readers are sure to clamor for more from this writing duo' Mark Greaney
'A hugely entertaining historical novel!' Eric Jager, author of The Last Duel
'The Lawless Land combines the rich historical tapestry of Umberto Eco and the relentless pace and adventure of Clive Cussler' J.T. Ellison
'Boyd and Beth Morrison bring the Middle Ages to life in vivid detail with historical authenticity and a sense of fun... This thriller has it all!' Graham Brown
'(An) exceptional series launch' Publishers Weekly

• ISBN10: 1801108668
• ISBN13: 9781801108669
• Publish Date: 12 May 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Head of Zeus
• Imprint: Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 480
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jeff Sexton]

Solid Middle Ages Tale Told With Modern Storytelling Structures. This is a tale where the Middle Ages comes alive in a manner very consistent with how it is portrayed in fictional tales of the era such as The Canterbury Tales (and yes, Canterbury itself features in this tale) and The Decameron. As a potential series starter, it really could go the direction of either of those historical books, though the setup for a Decameron type series is less clear here (but I could still see the ultimate direction being to do a modern version of each of the ten tales therein). There is not one thing inauthentic to the period that I was aware of, though it is possible an actual Middle Ages historian may claim that X didn't happen until some period later or some such. Still, with Beth Morrison herself being an actual Middle Ages historian... it becomes quite clear just how authentic the siblings tried to make this book. And yet even with the Middle Ages trappings re: customs and available weaponry, the actual story here, of a soldier intent on vengeance who suddenly becomes the protector of a woman and her secrets, could well be told in *any* time period and ultimately reads with a 21st century flair for storytelling even while telling a Middle Ages tale. Truly excellently done, and very much recommended.