The Scottish Prisoner

February 13, 2012
Jamie Fraser, a Scottish Jacobite from Gabaldon's bestselling Outlander series, is back and in the spotlight in the newest Lord John novel (after An Echo in the Bone). Having been arrested and paroled to the Lake District, Fraser has fathered a child with a noblewoman, though he cannot claim him lest he put his son's inheritance at risk. While engrossed in this complicated familial situation, Lord John Grey appears with an enigmatic letter that Grey suspects of containing clues to a political conspiracy. However, the mysterious message is written in the language of the Scottish Highlanders, which only Fraser can translate. His interpretation reveals the schemes of a corruptâand potentially traitorousâmilitary officer, Siverly. Promised his freedom by Grey's brother, Hal, in exchange for his help in tracking down Siverly, Fraser embarks on a quest fraught with murder, espionage, and the dredging-up of potent secrets. A complicated plot will likely baffle new readers, but long-time Gabaldon fans will find plenty to love. Agent: Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary.

January 15, 2012
Vintage historical drama from seasoned veteran Gabaldon (An Echo in the Bone, 2009, etc.), another volume in her Lord John series. Jamie Fraser, the star of the show, gets around, despite being confined to quarters--a nice estate in the Lake District, granted--for having chosen the wrong side during the Jacobite rebellion. Yet, proud Scotsman that he is, how could he have done otherwise? He's the definition of dashing, though his spirits have been dashed at the death of his beloved wife. For their parts, Lord John and his brother Hal, loyal defenders of the crown, find they have need of Jamie when they set out to chase down a corrupt officer, "determined to bring Major Gerald Siverly to justice." Siverly is a bad, bad man--think the Jason Isaacs character in the Mel Gibson movie The Patriot--who doesn't think twice about killing his own men for his nefarious ends; if he had a handlebar mustache, he'd be twirling it. Meanwhile, the Greys, morally ambiguous chaps themselves, have deeper and darker reasons to want to put Siverly down. What more could you expect from a fop who heads an organization called the Society for the Appreciation of the English Beefsteak? A historical drama wouldn't be worth its salt without a grail, and Gabaldon obliges with a not completely cooked through yarn about an ancient Gaelic poem, a hidden treasure (with clues tucked away, of course, in an abbey) and a romp through the wilds of Ireland and Scotland. Gabaldon's formula is as reliable as an old Flash Gordon episode: There are the requisite villains, sneaky and dastardly, and good guys who are very good. But the author also has a nice, sometimes bawdy sense of humor--one of those villains earns the sobriquet "that wee arse-wipe," and some of the adult interactions in the story are very adult indeed. A bonus for longtime fans of the series: Unlike some of the earlier books, where they have been known to wander offstage, Fraser and the Greys are on hand for most of the action. A not strictly chronological but thoroughly entertaining entry in a franchise that shows no signs of running out of steam.

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December 15, 2011
Gabaldon left Outlander fans breathless and gasping for both air and answers at the end of An Echo in the Bone, and the next installment in the megapopular time-travel series isn't due to be published until 2013. Still, she tosses her loyal followers a meaty bonepardon the punby featuring Outlander hero Jamie Fraser heavily in her latest Lord John Grey crime novel. In fact, though Jamie often pops up in these spin-off novels as a minor character, this time around he shares center stage with Grey. After being paroled from Ardsmuir Prison, Jamie's anonymous and relatively quiet routine at the estate that houses his illegitimate young son is abruptly disrupted by the unexpected arrival of Irishman and fellow Jacobite Tobias Quinn, who is hoping to unearth the legendary Druid's Cup, thereby inciting rebellion against England. When Lord John Grey reluctantly seeks Jamie's assistance to clear the name of a friend and fellow officer and to bring the true criminal to justice, a classic case of strange bedfellows ensues. The strong chemistry between these two stalwart, yet supremely dissimilar, protagonists crackles as they travel to Ireland and face a daunting series of moral and physical obstacles and quandaries. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This could be the worthy Lord John Grey's breakout novel, as readers are treated to large dollops of Outlander heartthrob and hero Jamie Fraser. Two supermen for the price of oneGabaldon fans everywhere will be standing in line.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)