Knight of Swords [Paperback]

Ian Breckon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2010

“An exciting and lyrical new voice . . . one to watch.”—Mo Hayder, author of Birdman

Brookes, an officer working clandestinely in Fascist Italy, is badly wounded while fighting for the partisans. He regains consciousness only to find himself the guest—or prisoner—of the Baron of Castlemantia and his mysterious family in their hilltop castle. As winter locks them in and conflict escalates beyond their walls, Brookes is drawn into the mystery that surrounds his hosts.

At once a suspenseful period thriller and a gothic jeu d’esprit in the vein of John Fowles, Knight of Swords is a sensational debut.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Knight of Swords

"Laced with a touch of the gothic, this thoroughly enjoyable historical mystery provides plenty of surprising plot turns and will appeal to readers who enjoyed Ian McEwan's early novels." —Library Journal

Praise for Knight of Swords

"Thick with menacing atmosphere." —Publishers Weekly

“A story of multiple deceptions and concealed identities that unfolds like a pack of cards . . . A space filled with intrigue and potential danger, with hints of Kafka or Mervyn Peake. Mysterious, beguiling, playful, yet making perfect sense.” —Gerard Woodward, author of I’ll Go To Bed at Noon

“An exciting and lyrical new voice in fiction. Breckon’s work is thought provoking and intelligent. He is one to watch.” —Mo Hayder, author of Birdman and Tokyo

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Ian Breckon was born in 1970. He began to write while teaching English in Italy. He has recently returned to England and now lives in Bath where he is at work on his second novel, a murder mystery set on the French Riviera in the 1920s.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Old Street Publishing (March 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1906964122
• ISBN-13: 978-1906964122
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,614,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once upon a time in a castle., June 27, 2011

By 

Dick Johnson (Oklahoma USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Knight of Swords (Paperback)

This is a many layered story of people caught up in the final days of World War II. These people just happen to be waiting for the end of hostilities - in a castle. Not some fairytale castle, but an old, worn bunch of rooms, some of which are totally dilapidated.

The family we meet is perhaps not the same family that came to live there or the same family that our main character gets to know. Brookes, the man who was left to die before being rescued by the family, is (in today's parlance) a "person of interest". He is a soldier, probably. He is with the Allies, probably.

He could be of help to the family, but only if they are who they want him to believe they are - and he is who he wants them to believe he is. We get to know these people as we spend the winter with them in their castle. Or do we?

This is sparsely worded. Breckon doesn't waste our time with niceties. He kept me turning the pages and being constantly surprised. And, he showed me not only the brutality of war, but the brutality of people to one another. Or is it love?

5.0 out of 5 stars Comments, December 26, 2011

By 

Cardinal - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knight of Swords (Paperback)

This multi-layered story continually draws the reader in, folding both the reader and the main character into a depth of mystery as isolating and enveloping as the deepening winter outdoors. And the finesse of the ending is that it turns the whole story before it on end. I found myself jotting down the author's name and hoping his next book is out very soon.