Dorothy Dunnett was a Scottish historical novelist renowned for her intricate and meticulously researched narratives. Her works delve deeply into human psychology and the complexities of historical events, weaving together political intrigue and personal drama. Dunnett's storytelling is characterized by a rich, evocative style that immerses readers in the past. She masterfully captures the nuances of her characters and their tumultuous worlds.
For the first time Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles are available in the United States in quality paperback editions.Sixth in the legendary Lymond Chronicles , Checkmate takes place in 1557, where Francis Crawford of Lymond is once again in France, leading an army against England. But even as the Scots adventurer succeeds brilliantly on the battlefield, his haunted past becomes a subject of intense interest to forces on both sides.
Part of Dorothy Dunnett's series that explores the intricacies of 16th-century history through the exploits of the soldier Francis Crawford of Lymond.
In this conclusion to the House of Niccolò series, Nicholas de Fleury reappears in Scotland, "and as the secrets of his birth and heritage come to light, Nicholas has to decide whether he desires to establish a future in Scotland for himself and his family, and a home for his descendants."--Jacket
'A glorious panorama of medieval times ... The historical research is impeccable' Sunday Express The year 1464 finds our hero Nicholas in Venice. Plagued by enemies bent on dissolving his assets and smearing his character, he sets sail for Africa, legendary location of the Fountain of Youth and the source of gold in such abundance that men prefer to barter in shells. He will discover the charms of the beautiful Gelis - a woman whose passion for Nicholas is rivalled only by her desire to punish him for his role in her sister's death. Erotic and lush with detail, SCALES OF GOLD embraces the complexity of the Renaissance, where mercantile adventure couples with more personal quests behind the silkeb curtains of the Age of Discovery.
Menaced by England and riven by internal discord, Scotland in 1548 clung to a single hope of survival as a nation and an alliance with France to be sealed by the betrothal of the five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots, to the Dauphin. But once in France, Mary suffers a series of ominous accidents.
This is the third book in the "House of Niccolo" series. Set in 15th-century Cyprus, this novel continues the saga of Nicholas van der Poel, international mercenary who started out as a dyer's apprentice, as he plays for the highest stakes with the greatest super-powers in Europe.
Legendary Lymond Chronicles 3
Combining all the political intrigue of Game of Thrones with the sweeping romanticism of Outlander, Dorothy Dunnett’s legendary Lymond Chronicles have enthralled readers for decades and amassed legions of devoted fans. In this third volume of the series, Francis Crawford of Lymond is dispatched to embattled Malta to assist an order of crusading knights in defending the island against the Turks—only to discover that the greatest threat to the knights may lie within their own ranks. Having refused a commission from the dowager queen of Scotland, Lymond turns mercenary, heading to Malta to observe the Crusading Order of Knights Hospitaller of St. John, a brotherhood of monks sworn to defend Christendom with swords instead of sermons. The Knights’ beloved leader, Sir Graham Reid Malett, is devout and charming, and openly declares it his mission to turn Lymond from his mercenary ways and bring him into the order. But as the Turkish fleet launches a series of devastating attacks, Lymond comes to realize that there may be a much deadlier enemy closer at hand: an adversary who is as subtle as he is savage, and whose piety conceals an absolute genius for evil.
With the bravura storytelling and pungent authenticity of detail she brought to her acclaimed Lymond Chronicles, Dorothy Dunnett, grande dame of the historical novel, presents The House of Niccolò series. The time is the 15th century, when intrepid merchants became the new knighthood of Europe. Among them, none is bolder or more cunning than Nicholas vander Poele of Bruges, the good-natured dyer's apprentice who schemes and swashbuckles his way to the helm of a mercantile empire.Winter 1474 finds Nicholas exiled in the frozen port of Danzig, Poland. His Machiavellian exploits in Scotland have cost him friends and family--not to mention countless riches. As the ice melts, temptations arise. Will he assist the Muslim Prince Uzum Hasan against the Turks? Will he lose himself among the secret, scented gardens of the Crimea in the arms of a close friend's bride? As Nicholas pursues his future, his estranged wife, Gelis, seeks the truth about his past, only to discover the secret identity of his latest comrade in arms--a tantalizing ghost from the past poised to deal him the crowning death blow.Shimmering with detail, alive with intrigue, Caprice and Rondo is Dorothy Dunnett's quicksilver evocation of a world where joy is fleeting, love is unexpected, and truth the rarest commodity of all.
With the bravura storytelling and pungent authenticity of detail she brought to her acclaimed Lymond Chronicles, Dorothy Dunnett, grande dame of the historical novel, presents The House of Niccolò series. The time is the 15th century, when intrepid merchants became the new knighthood of Europe. Among them, none is bolder or more cunning than Nicholas vander Poele of Bruges, the good-natured dyer's apprentice who schemes and swashbuckles his way to the helm of a mercantile empire. The year is 1471. Within the circus of statecraft, where the lions of Burgundy, Cyprus, England, and Venice stalk and snarl, Nicholas wields a valued whip. Having wrested his little son Jordan from his estranged wife, Gelis, he embarks on the greatest business scheme of his life-- beginning with a journey to Iceland. But while Nicholas confronts merchant knights, polar bears, and the frozen volcanic wastelands of the North, a greater challenge the vengeful Gelis, whose secrets threaten to topple all Nicholas has achieved. Here is Dorothy Dunnett at her best. Robustly paced, prodigiously detailed, To Lie with Lions renders the quicksands of Renaissance politics as well as the turnings of the human soul, from love to hate and back.
Tina Rossi, the world's leading coloratura soprano has travelled to Edinburgh, ostensibly to sing in the Festival, but in reality to meet her lover, top scientist Kenneth Holmes. Instead of finding Kenneth at their rendezvous, she discovers an unknown corpse. It's up to Dolly and Johnson and Johnson to solve this mystery.