The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon

The Scottish Prisoner (Lord John Grey, #4)

by Diana Gabaldon

London, 1760, and Lord John Grey - aristocrat, soldier and sometime spy - finds himself in possession of a packet of papers that might as well have come equipped with a fuse, so explosive are their contents.

The documents reveal a damning case of corruption and murder against a British officer, Major Gerald Siverly, and Lord John is compelled by his own honour as a soldier to bring Siverly to justice. But the documents also hint at a larger - and far more dangerous - mystery, a conspiracy to revive the Stuart cause in the bloodiest way possible. For Lord John, this information not only puts his own life in grave peril, but also brings back personal memories he would rather remained undisturbed.

One of the documents is written in Erse, the language spoken by Irishmen and Scottish Highlanders, and a language Lord John became all too familiar with as governor of Ardsmuir Prison when it was full of Jacobite prisoners.

Including a certain Jamie Fraser.

Jamie's and Lord John's paths now seem destined to cross again, as together they find themselves thrown into a world of ancient relics, bloody rivalries and fiendish plots.

Reviewed by Linda on

5 of 5 stars

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This was absolutely my favorite of the Lord John books! And I am pretty sure that's because there was a lot of Jamie in it, and also because it really explains the real friendship between John and Jamie that we've seen in the later Outlander books. I really needed a fix from this world, it is one of my favorite historical / romance novels, and it was wonderful to enter it again, while I am (un)patiently waiting for Written in My Own Heart's Blood :D

This story exlained a lot about John and Jamie's relationship, and also how life was for Jamie while he was in Helwater. It also showed how much Jamie still missed Clare, even after so many years, and it was beautiful how he would always say a prayer for Clare and the baby's safety.

It also helped me actually like John a little more (not that I didn't like him before, but, still!) and to understand him better as well.

It was all written in the well-known Outlander style, and the descriptions of both people and places were well done.

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  • Started reading
  • 29 November, 2011: Finished reading
  • 29 November, 2011: Reviewed