Arrows of Albion

When Martin Kemp joins the English army in order to avoid the hangman, he may just be delaying the inevitable.

While he remains hopeful that at least there’s the chance for some heroics, the reality is very different.

Kemp’s war is instead a terrifying odyssey through the panic and confusion of his first battle, the brutal realities of siege warfare, and eventually to the field of Crécy, where he faces the armoured might of the French nobility. But as an elite longbowman, when it comes to winning or losing, he could have a vital – though dangerous – part to play.

This stunning adventure brings the medieval world vividly to life, and is ideal for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Matthew Harffy and Giles Kristian.

It is 1347 and the French, after a crushing defeat at Crécy, are licking their wounds while their king raises a new army.

Locked into a fruitless siege, the English are camped in the marshes around Calais. Among them is foot soldier and archer Martin Kemp, whose dreams of serving his king and reliving the chivalrous adventures of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table are tempered by the gory and brutal reality of siege warfare.

Having narrowly escaped death in a surprise attack from the French, Kemp sees a chance for a reprieve when a shaky truce is signed. But can there really be peace for a man like Kemp?

Kemp: Passage at Arms is packed with authentic period detail and narrative verve, and cements Jonathan Lunn’s reputation as one of the most entertaining historical thriller writers working today.

France, 1351-2: Kemp and his men are captured in a skirmish near Calais, and subsequently imprisoned in a French castle. All attempts at escape are punished with death.

Then Sir Hugues de Beauconray comes to Kemp with an offer: escort a Dominican friar on a quest to steal a mysterious book from an abbey in Scotland. Fail, and ten of Kemp’s friends will be hanged.

In the hotly-disputed border country, Kemp will need all his skills as a swordsman and archer if he is to return to France and rescue his comrades. But more importantly, survive...

A masterful historical thriller, full of nail-biting action and detailed historical research, perfect for fans of David Gilman, Bernard Cornwell and Giles Kristian.

Into a land torn by civil war rides freebooter Martin Kemp, in search of a lord in whose service he can win plunder and glory.

Soon he falls under the spell of charismatic outlaw Sir Ranulf FitzWaryn, who entertains grandiose ambitions of ruling over his own personal fiefdom.

The higher Kemp rises through the ranks of FitzWaryn’s band, the more he realises the price of success might be his very soul.

When a French Army comes seeking a reckoning, Kemp’s loyalties are divided between his king and the woman he loves, forcing him to gamble all against impossible odds on the battlefield.

A thrilling historical series, the bestselling Arrows of Albion series is perfect for fans of Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell.

Haunted by guilt and his sins, archer Martin Kemp is in Scotland to collect on a debt when war breaks out afresh. The border erupts in bloody violence.

Stalked through heather and forest by French men-at-arms sent to stir up the Scots against the English, Kemp and his friend Ieuan find themselves roped into escorting a motley band of civilians to safety. Matters are complicated by a Scottish knight who is not what he seems, but not nearly as much as by the presence of one of Kemp’s old flames.

Pursued to Berwick, Kemp and his companions find themselves besieged in the castle with no hope of relief or escape. When the Scots launch an all-out attack, Kemp may have to sacrifice everything in a brutal showdown that will determine the destiny of the Scottish crown...

A rollicking adventure in the bestselling series, this brilliant novel from Jonathan Lunn will leave you battered and exhilarated. Perfect for readers of Angus Donald, Bernard Cornwell and Matthew Harffy.

1356. Burnt Candlemas. King Edward III invades Scotland in the dead of winter to punish the Scots for their recent attack on Berwick.

When the fleet bringing supplies for his army is scattered by a storm, it seems God himself is punishing the English for the arson of a Scottish church. Wrongly blamed for the fire, archer Martin Kemp finds himself in chains, a victim of the king’s wrath.

As the army retreats to England, it is ambushed by the Scots in the whiteout of a blizzard. Kemp is cut off with a handful of men, desperate to find their way home from a bleak and hostile land. But the knight who takes command of this motley band has an agenda of his own, one that will put all of their lives in jeopardy...

An enthralling historical adventure, full of intrigue and suspense, perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden and Matthew Harffy.

The Count of Targères has seized control of Cazoulat. Determined to stamp his authority on the district, he is playing divide and rule, convincing the townsfolk that only he can crush the heretics in their midst.

Medieval archer Martin Kemp arrives on the Gascon frontier, where bands of brigands are pillaging undefended towns like a plague of locusts. Kemp is determined to win back control of the band of mercenaries he once captained, the Company of the Dragon - but with the company now in the pocket of the Count, he faces an impossible task.

Kemp soon finds himself caught up in a deadly game of cat and mouse with Targères. When the Bishop of Cahors arrives at Cazoulat to carry out a Holy Inquisition, Kemp and his friends must gamble everything – their fortunes, their lives, perhaps even their souls – on a brutal showdown at the Castel Galinièr.

The thrilling next instalment of the bestselling series by Jonathan Lunn, perfect for readers of Angus Donald, Bernard Cornwell and Matthew Harffy.

September 1356. Martin Kemp and his troop of archers ride with the Black Prince’s army as it burns and plunders its way across France. When they find all the bridges across the Loire are destroyed, however, their hopes of uniting with the Duke of Lancaster’s army are dashed, and a hasty retreat is the order of the day.

But a French army is closing in fast and Kemp’s old foe, Sir Geoffroi de Chargny, rides with it, now honoured with the duty of bearing the Oriflamme: the sacred war banner of France.

Cut off, outnumbered and running out of supplies, the weary English realise their only hope is to risk everything on a pitched battle, and hope the tricks they used ten years earlier at Crécy will pay off a second time, in a field just a few miles outside of Poitiers...

A climactic moment in history expertly told by a master of the genre, perfect for fans of Christian Cameron and David Gilman.