new author alert: Claire Letemendia

I love discovering new authors and I came across one today that looks very enticing.  It does require taking a risk, albeit a small one usually, but with this novel it's 692 pages worth!  Although I am not one to shy away from a door stop of a novel, there is always that bit of hesitation of starting a tome from an author you've never read, especially if the book in question is the author's first.  With all that said, I've decided to take that risk and grab this one in May.  Read the description below and see what you think.  Will you be taking the leap with me?

 
US Release Date:  May 12, 2009

It is 1642, and Laurence Beaumont has just returned to England after six long years fighting — and avoiding fighting — in the European Wars. Having fled his home to escape the responsibilities of his noble birthright, he has been a lowly infantryman in Spain, a spy for the Germans, and a cardsharp in a Dutch brothel. He has seen horrors visited upon men, women, and children by enemy and ally alike, and he no longer has faith in God, in causes, or even in humankind itself.

As the clashes between King Charles I and his mutinous Parliament come to a crisis and England is thrown into civil war, a reluctant Beaumont is drawn back into the world of warfare and intrigue when he discovers coded letters outlining a plot to assassinate the king. Soon the conspirators — one of whom is among the most powerful men in the kingdom — are in hot pursuit, and Beaumont must find proof of their identities before they overtake him. Pressed into service by the secretary of state’s ruthless spymaster, Beaumont finds himself threatened on all sides, facing imprisonment, torture, and worse if he makes a single wrong step. The ravishing Isabella Savage, a practiced seducer, wants to help, but may only lead him deeper into the conspiracies within the king’s camp. And all the while Beaumont is haunted by a prophecy and by the memory of a devastating betrayal.

The Best of Men brings to vibrant, realistic, and bawdy life the battlefields, taverns, and aristocratic bedrooms of the 17th century. Laurence Beaumont is an unforgettable character, and Claire Letemendia is a dazzling storyteller.

About the Author

Claire Letemendia was born and raised in Oxford, England, and lives in Toronto. After completing a doctorate in Political Theory and lecturing for some years, she chose to pursue a career as a writer and editor. Since childhood, she has been fascinated by the English Civil War. The Best of Men, ten years in the making, is her first novel.

6 comments:

  1. Hmm. That's not really my time period, so I think I'm going to wait and let YOU take the risk and see how it goes from there.

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  2. I think this one might be worth a try- maybe I'll check it out. Thanks for keeping me up-to-date;)

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  3. This looks like a real possibility

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  4. Hmmm, it does sound interesting but like Jen, I think I'll let you plunge in first and then I'll follow if you like it. lol.

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  5. I'll put my hand up to this book being exactly my time period, so of particuar interest. However as Dar says, I'll let you jump in first in case the military strategies and battles dominate the human element. I'm a lazy reader and tend to skip those to get to the 'people' bits. But it does sound goo.

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