Soldier of Fortune (Captain Rawson 1) [Hardcover]

Edward Marston (Author)

Book Description

Series: Captain Rawson 1 | Publication Date: March 15, 2008

The first in a series of adventure novels featuring Captain Rawson spy, linguist, sportsman, duellist, ladies man and career soldier involved in the campaigns of the Duke of Marlborough during the war of the Spanish Succession.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edward Marston was born and brought up in South Wales. A full-time writer for over thirty years, he has worked in radio, film, television and the theatre. Prolific and highly successful, he is equally at home writing childrenâs books or literary criticism, plays or biographies and the settings for his crime novels range from the world of professional golf to the compilation of the Domesday Survey. He is also a former Chairman of the Crime Writers Association.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Allison & Busby; 1ST edition (March 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749080523
• ISBN-13: 978-0749080525
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,782,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacks consistency, April 8, 2010

By 

Kuma-kun (Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soldier of Fortune (Captain Rawson 1) (Paperback)

Problem with the old idea of judging a book by the cover. Wrong uniform. Wrong era.

Story has too many holes, even after reading it twice we have a man who made it up to a captaincy without purchase who started as a private soldier in the DUTCH army? Stranger things have happened but the back story on the main character is too full of holes to make it believable.

Lacks excitement in the action phases. Has relationship between officer and sergeant (a la Sharpe and Harper) nothing new there.

Worst part overall is the inability to read the book without referring to another source for the background on the places and battles as well as the characters involved.

The war of Spanish Succession may not have been the best backdrop to start out with.

BTW: I majored in British History.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hybrid Book, November 6, 2009

By 

J. P. Kimmel (north carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Soldier of Fortune (Captain Rawson 1) (Paperback)

I am a big fan of the Doomsday Books of Edward Marston. I found this book to be an attempt to cross Bernard Cornwall with Danielle Steele. At times it plodded along and I found the heroine in the story quite annoying at times (maybe that was on purpose, i dont know). I wil probably stick to the Doomsday and Railway series of books.Soldier of Fortune (Captain Rawson 1)

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Swashbuckling Fun, June 16, 2009

By 

Jeannie Mancini "vernefan" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Soldier of Fortune (Captain Rawson 1) (Hardcover)

Soldier of Fortune is the first installment of Marston's new adventure series involving quite a charismatic hero, Captain Daniel Rawson. This new series for Marston departs his usual realm of murder mystery novels to take us into the military world during the battles between England and France for the War of the Spanish Succession. Fans of author Edwin Thomas' Misadventures of Martin Jerrold will really love this new action story as they are similar in flavor.

Although this is technically a war story, the author does not get too bogged down in military strategy detail, nor focuses too solely on the war itself, to the point of boredom or for lack of a good yarn. This book was a fabulous blend of action, adventure, romance, humor, and military battles, but shows us the human factors amidst the blood and bullets of great love, friendship and endearing emotions between the many players involved both on and off the battlefield. Marston allows the reader to simply fall in love with our dashing young Captain Rawson as he not only climbs the ranks of duty and claims many gestures of honor under his commander the Duke of Marlborough, but spends much of his life engaging and disengaging from one lady-fair to the next, and often is left running for his life from husbands and villains alike. With swashbuckling duels and dodging bullets, pretty ladies swooning from Daniels gallant charms and acts of chivalry, murderous husbands out to behead Rawson for debauchery, Captain Daniel Rawson gives us a jolly good show and I eagerly anticipate reading book two now out, Drums of War. This is not a serious military novel, but a light and easy fast paced historical adventure ride that is fun and very enjoyable.