Berenger Fripper thought that returning to England and taking holy orders would be the peace that he needed after his experiences on the battlefields of France, but realising that such peace is nowhere to be found, her returns to the life that he, at least, understands. But with a fragile stalemate – the Treaty of Bretigny – in place, the country is full of English and French armies, roaming the countryside looking for purpose.

When Hawkwood’s company stumbles across a monastery with the promise of riches, it seems that their luck is changing, but when that treasure is stolen from under their noses, they are determined to find both the thief and the missing treasure. But as the weeks stretch on and they are swept up into the Great Company, can they find a way through the politics and fighting that doesn’t leave to an unmarked grave for each of them?

I should say that first of all, despite the description above, this isn’t a murder mystery. Yes, there is a mystery herein, but it is only one strand of the story as we follow Hawkwood’s Vintaine from October 1359 to April 1361 as they cross France in search of… well, purpose I suppose.

Why am I reviewing it then, given it’s not a mystery? Well, basically a lot of the books that Mike (friend of the blog) writes are mysteries, most of those being historical titles, and there is no one better at juggling a huge cast of characters. It’s an era that I know little about – the lull in the Hundred Years War after the victories of Edward III fade into a stalemate, leaving a huge number of English forces wandering the country, trying to survive – the French are destroying stocks of food for example to stop the English – and hoping to find something to help set them up when they return to England.

Mike does his usual excellent job of getting into the point of view of the varying characters – note for example the section towards the end where we see a reaction to a seemingly brutal act, only for the next section to be from the point of view of the man who committed it, putting a completely different spin on matters.

How this compares to other historical epics – I’ve no idea, quite frankly, as it’s not my genre. But I’ve read Fields Of Glory and Ashes Of Rebellion, the first and fourth books in the series, and I fully intend to get round to reading the other two as well. Which, as it’s not my genre, should tell you all that you need to know…

Treaty Of Blood is out now in all formats. Many thanks to the author for the review copy.