Hawker and the King’s Jewel (The Swords of the White Rose series, 1)
It’s 1485, and the eve of the Battle of Bosworth, when King Richard unexpectedly summons Sir John Hawker. Hawker, a middle-aged knight with an interesting past as a condottiere for the Republic of Venice, and a spy for the House of York, is very surprised to be entrusted with not one, but two secret missions: he must return to Venice a priceless gem that just might be cursed, and he must keep an eye on a certain teenaged knight, who happens to be Richard’s illegitimate son. We all know how things end at Bosworth: now defeated and hunted, Hawker decides to keep his word to the dead king, by bringing both the jewel and the son to Venice. Only, young Giles Ellingham isn’t exactly pliable, a few others tag along with questionable motives—and, most of all, it soon becomes clear that Richard’s secrets weren’t very well guarded to begin with.
Ethan Bale begins this new series with plenty of colourful action and a melancholy edge. The haunted Hawker, blinded by his wish to recapture a brighter past, is a particularly interesting character, and I look forward to reading more of his adventures.
