A keepsake collection of Lord John Grey's shorter adventures and a spectacular addition to any Gabaldon fan's library, LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF THE DEVILS brings these three unique novellas together for the first time. LORD JOHN AND THE HELLFIRE CLUB marks the first appearance of Lord John outside the Outlander novels (and chronologically precedes the novel LORD JOHN AND THE PRIVATE MATTER). A young diplomat is killed in the street as he begs Lord John for help. Witnessing the murder, Grey vows to avenge the young man, as the trail leads to the notorious Hellfire Club and the dark caves beneath Medmenham Abbey In LORD JOHN AND THE SUCCUBUS, Grey's assignment as liaison to a Hanoverian regiment in Germany finds him caught between two threats: the advancing French and Austrian army, and the menace of a mysterious 'night-hag,' who spreads fear and death among the troops. Acknowledging that he is unlikely to fall victim to a succubus, Lord John is obliged to contend with the marauding night-hag before the enemy arrives. This tale with a touch of the supernatural bridges the action between Gabaldon's two full-length Lord John tales. Finally, in LORD JOHN AND THE HAUNTED SOLDIER, Lord John is called to the Arsenal at Woolwich to answer a Royal Commission of Enquiry's questions regarding a cannon that exploded during the battle of Krefeld (a central action in LORD JOHN AND THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLADE). Accusations ensue, and Lord John finds himself knee-deep in a morass of gunpowder, treason, and plot -- haunted by a dead lieutenant, and followed by a man with no face.
Industry Reviews
A secondary character from Gabaldon's Outlander series steps out in three supernatural yarns.Conflicted raconteur Lord John Grey, last seen in Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (2007), is back. This triptych includes two stories culled from historical anthologies and one original tale published here for the first time. Gabaldon's strengths are on full display. The short form forces her to curtail the sprawl evident in the recent Outlander novels, while the historical backdrop serves to showcase her exhaustive research. With his unrequited passion for the Scottish rebel Jamie Fraser still fresh in his mind, Grey stumbles into a secret society hidden in London in "Lord John and the Hellfire Club." Temptation, blackmail and murder ensue as Grey negotiates the minefields of the British class system. An old-fashioned ghost story lies at the heart of "Lord John and the Succubus," a companion story to the Prussia-set Brotherhood of the Blade. In the midst of the Seven Years' War, Grey must establish the connection between a murdered soldier and a towering gypsy temptress with a secret worth keeping. The last story, "Lord John and the Haunted Soldier," cagily incorporates a thrilling bit of detective work as the noble major ferrets out a traitorous cannoneer among a Royal Artillery Regiment. This last story is the freshest and most thorough portrait of Gabaldon's multifaceted leading man, so troubled by the events that overtake him. "God knows I am neither ignorant nor innocent of the ways of the world. And yet I feel so unclean, so much evil I have met tonight," he writes. Deftly written, pleasantly concise stories about the ghosts of desire, each with its own discrete merits. (Kirkus Reviews)
