By Force of Circumstance, Book III of The Chosen Man Trilogy, by J.G. Harlond, takes us deeper into the world of Ludo Da Portovenere, who is best described as a cocktail of corsair, merchant, secret agent of both monarchies and the church, and servant to no one. Ludo, as he is called, is tasked by the Queen of England to sell the Crown jewels to raise money for the Royalist cause during the Civil War. A task which seems easy enough, but Ludo soon discovers that others have different plans for the treasure he carries, and the blood trail ensues. Moreover, Rogelio - an agent of the Vatican with a mission to destroy Ludo and everything he loves, picks up on his trail. This is a beautiful piece of writing, both intelligent and colorful, as are the other two books in this series. J.G. Harlond has mastered capturing 17th century Europe with such historical lucidity, that we are not only captivated by a story of intrigue, skullduggery, murder and romance, but also find ourselves cast back in time when monarchies vied for power, wars waged between empires, and the Vatican played both sides like pawns in their sordid game. No spoilers, but we hope to see Ludo Da Portovenere back again. Highly recommended read.
Reviewed by International Writers Inspiring Change
About the author
Secret agents, skullduggery, sea voyages and romance . . .
Creator of the infamous Ludo da Portovenere, J.G. Harlond (Jane) writes page-turning historical crime novels set during the 17th Century and World War II. Each story weaves fictional characters into real events.
Jane also writes Viking-age historical fantasy drawing on Norse myths and legends.
Prior to becoming a full-time fiction author, Jane was involved in international education and wrote a number of school textbooks.
After travelling widely – she has visited or lived in most of the locations in her novels – Jane is now settled in her husband’s home province of Andalucía, Spain.
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