Catching the Eagle (The Regency Reivers Series) [Kindle Edition]

Karen Charlton (Author)

Book Description

Easter Monday, 1809: Kirkley Hall manor house is mysteriously burgled. When suspicion falls on Jamie Charlton, he and his family face a desperate battle to save him from the gallows. When £1,157 rent money is stolen from Kirkley Hall, it is the biggest robbery Northumberland has ever known. The owner sends for Stephen Lavender, a principal officer with the Bow Street magistrate's court in London, to investigate the crime. Suspicion soon falls on impoverished farm labourer, Jamie Charlton, and the unpopular steward, Michael Aynsley. Jamie Charlton is a loving family man but he is hot-tempered and careless. As the case grows against him, it seems that only his young brother, William, can save him from an impending miscarriage of justice. But William is struggling with demons of his own. Desperate to break free from the tangled web of family ties which bind him to their small community, he is alarmed to find that he is falling in love with Jamie's wife. Set beneath the impenetrable gaze of a stray golden eagle whose fate seems to mirror that of Jamie's, Catching the Eagle, the first novel in the Regency Reivers Series, is a fictionalised account of a trial that devastated a family and divided a community.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Told with gritty realism, Catching The Eagle is a suspense-filled page-turner, which spares nothing in its descriptions of the hardships and injustices suffered by the poor at the turn of the 19th century.

Its ending leaves the reader poised perfectly for the next volume - for which I can hardly wait."

            Kathy Stevenson, The Daily Mail

About the Author

Karen Charlton grew up in Sheffield and Leeds. She completed an English degree at Hull University. After a few years of roaming between various jobs in Harrogate, Ripon, and Scarborough, she finally settled in Teesside. She completed a postgraduate teaching certificate at Durham University. Since then, she has combined a teaching job at a Stockton secondary school with her writing and raising her own pair of little villains. The Regency Reivers series is based on the true story of her familys notorious ancestor, Jamie Charlton.

Product Details

• File Size: 489 KB
• Print Length: 354 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1908483040
• Publisher: Knox Robinson Publishing (December 4, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006IBBNT2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #593,112 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good start for the series! March 11, 2012

By IngaKS

Format:Hardcover

My review:

Catching the Eagle is a first book in a historical family saga. You are introduced to the characters and the surroundings in a very fascinated way. The title has also a very significant role in book: you meet an eagle who is struggling for keeping its freedom - just like the main characters in the book. Catching the Eagle was an interesting and well-written book with medium pace which is suitable for historical drama, believable characters and it was easy to read.

Regarding the plot:

Catching the Eagle starts with burglary of a big amount which is gathered as taxes for Kirkley Hall manor house. At the same time you are introduced to the main characters the Charlton brothers and their family. The reader meets Jamie and his beautiful wife Cilla and Jamie's brother William.

The steward of Kirkley Hall Michael Ansley is sure that Jamie is the one who stole the money and accuses him for it. Detective Lavender is called in from London to solve the case and find out who is the guilty one in the case. As the detective is investigating the burglary, many things point towards Jamie, but since William is protecting his brother, Jamie gets off charges. The mystery remains, because during the first book the case is still not solved.

The author creates quite interesting setting and historical world where the society is much divided - you have the noble class who requires justice and the village people who work hard to survive. I enjoyed to learn more about the Charlton family and their stories.

The only thing I had difficulties with Catching the Eagle was the pace of the story, which in my opinion was sometimes too slow.

Regarding the characters:

Catching the Eagle was packed with fascinating characters, some of them were likeable, some despicable. The novel was very much driven by the characters, because the characters were carrying and unfolding the Charlton family story.

My favorite character was William. He supports his brother and his whole family by working hard and thinking clearly. He is a balanced and down to earth character even though he has his own struggles.

I did not like Jamie very much in the beginning of the story, because he put everything he held dear through lot of suffering. He was careless, clueless and acted very stupidly when the investigation started. Luckily his character developed through the story, but as I see it, he let everybody in his family down.

I loved Cilla, a woman with great strength. I really wished that Cilla and William could be together and Jamie would be imprisoned, but as the story went, I felt sorry for Jamie and Cilla.

There were also many interesting supportive characters in the book and I really enjoyed that the author put as much effort to the supportive characters as into the main ones.

Generally:

Catching the Eagle was very interesting historical novel, where many things were left open at the end of the book and I am looking very much forward to read the sequels.

4 stars.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great social study wrapped in a fun mystery! January 7, 2012

By Ellie

Format:Hardcover

I have thoroughly enjoyed this novel. To be honest, I read it in one go. I couldn't put it down! The author did a fantastic job at capturing life in the first part of the 19th century in Northern England, complete with very rich and often humorous dialogues.

The story follows the life of the Charltons, a farming family. When one of the brothers, Jamie, is accused of having stolen a large sum of money, the family will have not only to deal with a justice system that does not look kindly on the poor, but also with the people of the parish and their new outlook on their whereabouts. To the end, the author will keep the mystery intact, leaving the reader on the edge of his seat, wondering if he will ever get an answer and a resolution to the trial. Who stole the money? What happened the night of the crime? Is Jamie guilty or innocent? Did his wife Priscilla know? Will the tenacity of his brother William be enough to save Jamie from the gallows?

Very well-written, fast paced, funny at time, poignant at others, Karen Charlton has done a great job at describing the habits and hardship of the population. As I was reading it, I was reminded many times of certain passages from various Dickens' novels, from Bleak House to the villain of The old curiosity shop in the character of Michael Aynsley. The author really did a great job at establishing the inescapable and un-breach-able social gaps. The descriptions are vivid, the vocabulary well-chosen and the dialogues are impeccable. For anyone interested in the judicial system or in a well-done social study, or simply in solving a good mystery, this is a must read!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars It was ok January 18, 2012

By Emily

Format:Hardcover

I liked the concept behind this book and the story itself was ok, but I just couldn't get into the book. The writing style was too descriptive for me. I prefer my stories to go much faster and leave more to the imagination, so I think this book was just not my type of book. Others might love it.

More About the Author

Karen Charlton is an author and teacher from Teesside, England.

She was born in Sheffield but grew up in Leeds. Karen obtained an English degree from Hull University and she studied for a post graduate teaching certificate at Durham University. After a few years roaming between various jobs in Harrogate, Ripon and Scarborough she finally settled in Teesside, where she was invited to stay and improve the gene pool. It needed improving. 'Catching the Eagle' is the true tale of her husband's notorious criminal ancestor: Jamie Charlton.

Karen combines a teaching job at a Stockton secondary school with writing novels and raising her own pair of 'little villains.'

Apart from her interest in genealogy, Karen enjoys reading, the theatre and a weekly trip to the village pub quiz.

Read more about Karen and 'Catching the Eagle' on her website: www.karencharlton.com