Daughter of War

Europe is aflame. On the Iberian Peninsula the wars of the Reconquista rage across Aragon and Castile. Once again, the Moors are gaining the upper hand. Christendom is divided.

Amidst the chaos comes a young knight: Arnau of Valbona. After his Lord is killed in an act of treachery, Arnau pledges to look after his daughter, whose life is now at risk. But in protecting her Arnau will face terrible challenges, and enter a world of Templars, steely knights and visceral combat he could never have imagined.

She in turn will find a new destiny with the Knights as a daughter of war… Can she survive? And can Arnau find his destiny? (Summary from Amazon)

Firstly, I did enjoy Daughter of War. Secondly, however, I was a bit miffed that the title and cover were a little misleading. It's not really about Titborga, who I thought it was going to be about, but about Arnau, her man at arms. Titborga plays a crucial role and the book is about her journey, but the focus is on Arnau. That's fine, but I had a certain expectation and I didn't get it. Perhaps in another book about this group of Templars. Thirdly, it also contains my new favorite line of dialogue; "How is your haranguing voice?" as well as a wonderful character in Father Diego. Trust me on that.

Anyway, the book is good and has a lot of detail. Titborga and another female Templar nun (that I won't name for spoilers), were real people, which makes for an interesting read, especially since I had never heard of female Templars. All of the characters were very fleshed out and felt like real people. You hate some, like others, and feel awful when things go badly. And things go badly, pretty quickly.

A lot of the book is not quite politicking, but a lot of political maneuvering and trying to reach out for help. Much of the fighting happens in short bursts and near the end. The violence isn’t toned down at all. It’s very true to real life, I imagine. So if that isn’t your thing, I suggest you skip this book. However, if you like historical stories with many real life overtones, then this is the book for you.

I received an uncorrected advance proof copy from NetGalley.

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The Awkward Squad

Suspended from her job as a promising police officer for firing "one bullet too many", Anne Capestan is expecting the worst when she is summoned to H.Q. to learn her fate. Instead, she is surprised to be told that she is to head up a new police squad, working on solving old cold cases.

Though relieved to still have a job, Capestan is not overjoyed by the prospect of her new role. Even less so when she meets her new team: a crowd of misfits, troublemakers and problem cases, none of whom are fit for purpose and yet none of whom can be fired.

But from this inauspicious start, investigating the cold cases throws up a number of strange mysteries for Capestan and her team: was the old lady murdered seven years ago really just the victim of a botched robbery? Who was behind the dead sailor discovered in the Seine with three gunshot wounds? And why does there seem to be a curious link with a ferry that was shipwrecked off the Florida coast many years previously?

Translated from the French by Sam Gordon (Summary from Amazon)

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of a British TV show called New Tricks, where a group of older men are off solving cold cases and getting into trouble.

The Awkward Squad, however, isn't just older men and women police officers. It's a French police squad of undesirables and people unable to be fired. This leads to some interesting characters from an officer believed to be a curse and another officer who wrote a series of famous books. All of the characters were really interesting and well fleshed out. They each had a distinct personality, but when working together as a whole unit, they meshed wonderfully.

Capestan, the leader of this rag tag group seems to have a hard time ahead of her, but she doesn't let this new job get her down. They start with some cases that have loose threads that need wrapping up. Soon, they are embroiled in murder, corruption, and more.

There were some lovely twists and turns and by the end, I was sad to leave this new team. Hopefully, there will be more, but if not, this was a lovely ending to a great story.

I received an uncorrected advance proof copy from NetGalley.

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