Product Description

A keepsake collection of Lord John Grey’s shorter adventures and a spectacular addition to any Gabaldon fan’s library, Lord John and the Hand of Devils brings three unique novellas together for the first time.

Lord John and the Hellfire Club marks the first appearance of Lord John outside the Outlander novels. A young diplomat who had begged for Lord John’s help is killed before he can explain his need. Witnessing the murder, Grey vows to avenge the young man, as the trail leads to the notorious Hellfire Club and the dark caves beneath Medmenham Abbey.

In Lord John and the Succubus, Grey’s assignment as liaison to a Hanoverian regiment in Germany finds him caught between two threats: the advancing French and Austrian army, and the menace of a mysterious “night-hag,”
who spreads fear and death among the troops.

Finally, in Lord John and the Haunted Soldier, Lord John is called to the Arsenal at Woolwich to answer a Royal Commission of Enquiry’s questions regarding a cannon that exploded during the battle of Krefeld. Accusations ensue, and Lord John finds himself knee-deep in a morass of gunpowder, treason, and plot–haunted by a dead lieutenant, and followed by a man with no face.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7657 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-25
• Released on: 2008-11-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The indefatigable Gabaldon, who has made the British 18th century her own, offers a trio of novellas about Lord John Grey, whose minor role in the Outlander novels (concerning Jacobite Jamie Fraser and including A Breath of Snow and Ashes) has become a major fictional spinoff (Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade, etc.). The three mystery-adventure novellas of this volume span 1756 to 1758, in settings packed with dark secrets—and therefore dangers—for the soldier-hero with secrets of his own. The first novella finds Lord John swearing vengeance in London for a murdered government official, leading him to a deconsecrated abbey where members of the political elite indulge their basest desires. The second pits Lord John against a succubus that plagues his Prussian encampment, and combines humor with military strategy and supernatural myth. The third, most complex narrative finds Lord John investigating the cause of a cannon explosion in the English countryside that results in a fellow officer's death. Gabaldon brings an effusive joy to her fiction that proves infectious even for readers unfamiliar with her work or the period. A foreword and introductory notes add background on the book's evolution. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Jeff Woodman bridges time in his portrayal of a villain made infamous in Gabaldon's Outlander series, now a hero of Gabaldon's Lord John Grey novellas. Grey is an eighteenth-century gay military man whose sleuthing seems built from his ability to understand the underbelly of life because of what he hides. Gabaldon's rambling prose, tight in these shorter pieces, still has a colorful cast of characters. They find full realization in Woodman's lively delivery of dialogue. Woodman's narration is vigorous and precise, and he is especially good at the nuances of class. Woodman also takes on a ghost, as well as a queen, as Grey ferrets out treachery at all levels of the military. S.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Review
“The freshest and most thorough portrait of Gabaldon’s multifaceted leading man. . . . Deftly written, pleasantly concise.” — Kirkus Reviews


From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews

The best
I've read all her books and Lord John's saga never did a lot for me but this one is very, very good. The best one is the third novella "Lord John and the haunted soldier". Lord John becomes alive in this novella and we are beside him during his world weariness and depression after being hurt during a battle.
I loved this novella and I think you should read it if you are into characters that are tridimensional and credible.

Susana

Lord John and the Hand of Devils
Once again I became lost in the writing of Diana Gabaldon. I felt as though I was right there with Lord John and even smelled the scents and felt the wounds. This character has opened my mind to a history that is not well known ie: the treatment of homosexuals in past centuries. Diana is able to convey the mindset of the people of that time and gives you thoughtful consideration of the hurdles met by the men

Lord John and the Hand of Devils
Interesting to read the other side of Lord John from in the books with Jamie and Claire.