The Drums of War by Michael Ward Book Review

Synopsis

London 1642.

The King has fled London with the drums of war ringing in his ears. Across the country, lines are being drawn and armies raised.

Influential royalist Lady Carlisle switches sides and presses spice trader Thomas Tallant and his partner Elizabeth Seymour into Parliament's service.

Soon Thomas faces double-dealing in his hunt for a lethal hoard of gunpowder hidden on the river, while Elizabeth engages in a race against time to locate a hidden sniper picking off Parliamentary officers at will in the city.

The capital also witnesses a vicious gang of jewel thieves take advantage of the city’s chaos to go on the rampage, smashing homes and shops, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. They hand pick their targets but refrain from selling any of their loot. There are more questions than answers.

When war finally erupts, Elizabeth is caught in the brutalising carnage of Edgehill while Thomas joins the Trained Bands in their defence of the city. As he mans the barricades at Brentford, in a desperate rearguard action to repel Prince Rupert’s surprise attack, he realises the future of London rests in the hands of him and a few hundred troopers.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth believes she has identified the jewel thief and goes underground to trace his hoard.

But all is not as it seems.

My Thoughts

In this, the third Thomas Tallant mystery, Thomas Tallant, Member of Parliament and a spice merchant, and Elizabeth Seymour, a scientist and his romantic interest, follow separate investigations. Although Elizabeth's is of a more personal nature, both have been instigated by Lucy Hay, the Countess of Carlisle, who at this time is allied with the Parliamentarians. Elizabeth is investigating a series of jewel thefts and Thomas is tracking down a consignment of gunpowder stolen by Royalist forces.

The peace talks have failed. The King has left London, but soon he and an army are marching on London to put pressure on Parliament. The time has come to choose sides.

Thomas becomes involved with Philip Skippon and the Trained Bands raised to defend London; however, the trail of the stolen gunpowder leads him away from the city, into danger and betrayal. Assistance comes by way of Royalist friends, but he is caught up in the battle of Brentford, one of the vulnerable approaches to London. With other Parliamentarians, Thomas faces the superior Royalist cavalry under the command of Prince Rupert. Meanwhile, Elizabeth's skills as a healer are needed and, despite the danger, she travels to Edgehill at the request of a friend, totally unprepared for the horrors that await.

For the most part, the book follows Thomas and Elizabeth as they pursue their individual investigations. I was disappointed that there was not as much interaction between these two as in the previous novels, but was thrilled that Elizabeth was given a role independent of Thomas, where her many talents are again utilised. Eventually, their stories do converge in an unexpected way.

Towards the end, the book focuses on the clashes between Royalists and Parliamentarians. With Thomas entrenched with the Parliamentarians at Brentford, we are taken into the thick of the fighting. The initial elation and relief when they see off the cavalry soon turns to chaos as greatly outnumbered the Parliamentarians are attacked again and forced to retreat.

I found The Drums of War to be the most exciting book of the series so far. Although it can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the series in order, to better appreciate the relationships between the characters and in particular Thomas's mindset and how events influence his decision to join the Parliamentarians.

The first two, Rags of Time and The Wrecking Storm, focused more on the mysteries Thomas is called on to solve and his family's spice business, with Elizabeth providing her intellectual and scientific expertise when asked. In The Drums of War, while there are still mysteries to solve, there is a decided difference between this and the previous two novels. The story line is more adventurous with the inclusion of the two battle scenes, which relegated the two mysteries to the background. Not that I felt this was detrimental in anyway as the battle scenes were well written and portrayed the confusion and death without being too gory. However, this has left me wondering which direction the next Thomas Tallant mystery will take. Regardless, I'm looking forward to it.

My thanks to Michael Ward for a complimentary copy of this book to review.