Bøker av Griff Hosker

James of Ecclestone is now a rich man, a family man and a respected landowner. Once the spy of two kings, his life is peaceful. When a Scottish raid touches his family he is forced to draw a sword and go to war once more and when the Scottish king opts for belligerency and threatens war then James has to don a cloak, take his dagger and become a spy once more. Retelling the greatest defeat in Scottish history, Flodden narrates the battle from the viewpoint, not of the great and the good but the billmen who won the victory against all odds.

This is a story of the American Civil War. Jack Hogan is an orphan whose parents are murdered by a scoundrel. After being press ganged to serve on a slaver he finds himself working for a slave master in Charleston. When the war begins they become Partisan Rangers and fight the war against the north from behind enemy lines. They fight as the forerunners of the American Special Forces such as the Rangers. Based on John Mosby and the Grey Ghosts the fast moving novel is filled with battles, skirmishes and the kind action familiar to those who have read the author before.

While England's future is in the balance the Scots decide to take advantage. Hordes are unleashed as King David invades. The only opposition to his mighty army of 26,000 men is the Warlord of the North and an ancient Archbishop of York. With cruel invaders rampaging through northern England and ravaging the land enemies must join together to fight off the enemy who threaten to take half of the land.

When there is gold then there will be those who wish to take it. If the gold is aboard a ship then there will be pirates. Thomas is a former slave who has become a gunner on a Spanish galleon. His life is no less parlous than when he was a slave but through courage and determination, not to mention more than a little luck, he becomes successful and joins Francisco Pizzaro as the conquistador conquers an empire with less than 200 men.

The British Army at the end of the nineteenth century was not a fair place. Despite the reforms, a bad officer could still ruin men's lives and Jack Roberts discovers that despite being a hero of Rorke's Drift, that means nothing when a superior has influence. He becomes a soldier serving in the Egyptian campaign where he learns not only new skills but how to deal with the new responsibility fatherhood brings.Throughout it all one thing is constant, he is a soldier of the queen, a redcoat with a rifle.

When Sir William and his father, Sir Thomas of Stockton, the grandson of the Warlord, return from the crusade, they have to fight a new enemy: The Scots. Now that Queen Joan has died then King Alexander of Scotland is under the influence of the French. Sir William has to defend a perilously under protected border. King Henry loses a disastrous battle to the French and the men of the Tees Valley are decimated. This is when Sir William will be truly tested for he is alone with fewer men than he needs. A fast-moving novel which shows the border between Scotland and England at a time when Kings and nobles had yet to decide precisely where it was!

The novel takes Bill Harsker from the fields of France to other postings in the post war world of 1918. It is the story of the early days of the R.A.F. when Winston Churchill commanded the fledgling air force. Bill is sent to help fight the Bolsheviks in the Baltic where he has to learn to take-off and land on a carrier. There he has to learn how to play politics with men whose loyalties are not obvious. Ordered to the rebellion in Egypt and then Somaliland, Bill has to learn a whole range of new skills. Based upon actual events Arctic Snow to Desert Sand is the story of how the Royal Air Force learned its skills of war in a time of peace.

Jarl Dragonheart's granddaughter has almost come of age and she is becoming a powerful witch. The Skull Taker clan wish to take revenge for the death of their own witch at Snorri's hands and take both Ylva and the land of the wolf from the Dragonheart. When Ylva falls into the hands of the Norns then Dragonheart must descend into the bowels of the earth and do battle with the most powerful of witches. With spies in his land Dragonheart is in danger of losing his land and he must use both his experience and his people to try to save the land of the Wolf. A fast-moving novel which culminates in a battle in the heart of the land of the Wolf between Norse and Dane.

The first attempt by the Norse explorers to settle in the New World has ended in disaster. With most of their better warriors dead in a battle with the Penobscot tribe the survivors decide to head home across the wide and empty seas. They would risk a battle with King Harald Finehair. What they do not know is that they have left their Navigator alone and surrounded by enemies. The novel follows the two brothers, Erik the Navigator and Fótr Larsson as they both do what they must to survive.Erik must learn to live like a Skraeling and Fótr must fight the enemies of the Clan of the Wolf. Summoned by Ylva the volva Fótr is charged with a quest which seems impossible while Erik has to fight Penobscot warriors who are intent on vengeance.

Dragonheart must find the traitor, Magnus, who is still a threat to the harmony of his home. He journeys north to the wild islands and to the land of the Welsh but still his enemy evades him. Finding another link to his past the Jarl Dragonheart discovers the tomb of an ancient British Queen and his link to the mystical sword is strengthened. When he does find his enemy Magnus it is in the heart of a Saxon kingdom and he has to face his most difficult challenge yet. A fast paced novel it culminated in a fight for the Dragonheart's home.

Sir Thomas of Stockton has lost his son. Taking a handful of chosen men, he crosses the seas to travel through France seeking his enemy. Fate throws him in with a French lord and he meets the French King Louis. After exacting revenge, he returns to England where he helps King Henry plan and execute his campaign Poitou. The King comes of age when he and Sir Thomas lead their men against French and Poitevin rebels.

With the rest of Europe subservient to Emperor Napoleon, he sends his best Marshals to Portugal to rid himself of the annoyance that is Sir Arthur Wellesley. Thanks to an uncooperative parliament, the Viscount has little chance of defeating the French with their superior numbers and so he constructs a devilishly complicated series of defences north of Lisbon.While they are being built Major Matthews and his sergeant have to travel behind enemy lines to discover the size of the problem. There Major Matthews' past comes back to haunt him and he risks all to gather the information which General Wellesley needs.As Viscount Wellesley and his resilient army try to fend off the tentacles of the French army they have to fight battles in the most uncompromising of landscapes. The Light Division's defence of the Côa, the Battle of Bussaco and the bloody Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro are just three of the actions in which Major Matthews and Sergeant Sharp fight for Sir Arthur Wellesley!

Jarl Dragonheart and his men raid Lundenwic and bring back a great amount of treasure but they also bring trouble. He incurs the hatred of a Danish clan who kidnap Aiden and seek to destroy the Jarl's home. During the rescue an even greater treasure is discovered and a link to the past. This fast moving novel culminates in a battle between the Kings of Mercia and Wessex with the handful of warriors who fight for the Viking Dragon.

Alfraed of Norton is given the task of protecting the Empress Matilda back to the Emperor, her husband. He and his men have to fight enemies, bandits and treachery from within as they battle through an Empire which is a nest of treachery and political ambition. While princes play for thrones Alfraed must keep the Empress safe. A fast moving novel which is set against the turbulent 11th century.

Jarl Dragon Heart is set to trade and raid in the seas beyond the world he knows. He has to venture, with an ever decreasing number of oathsworn warriors, to face new and terrible enemies. When he finds himself betrayed from within and pressed on all sides by enemies he has to fight not only for his own life but for those whom he loves the most. Jarl Dragon Heart becomes embroiled in the politics and plots of greater kingdoms and Empires. The book is filled with both sea battles and land battles. The Vikings fight Franks, Vikings, Saxons and the Spanish as they fight for survival.

Desperate times cause for desperate measures and when the Clan of the Fox flees, first Northumberland and then Iceland, the Viking warriors have no idea of the world they will find when they sail across the endless ocean.It is not just the sea and the weather which tries to kill them it is the animals in the land that they find and it is the Skraeling, the natives who see them as a threat from the east. The clan flees danger but finds more in this new world in the west.When divisions emerge in the clan then it seems as though they are doomed to die in this savage wilderness.This is Book Three of the New World saga.

Jarl Dragonheart has unfinished business. Some of his men are missing in the heart of Wales and he has to punish the Hibernians who killed his daughter and her family in Dyflin. With a handful of Ulfheonar and untried warriors he sets sail to seek the men he lost. The Weird Sisters have been spinning and his path is not a straight one. It will take him from Wales to Lundenwic, the land of the East Angles Dyflin and culminate in Om Walum. He will lose oath sworn during the journey and his family will be threatened. He will have to fight the powers of darkness as they try to entrap the warrior who wields the sword touched by the gods. The Dragonheart may be old but so long as he draws breath he will fight for his family, his clan and his land. He is a Viking!

Wing Commander Bill Harsker is sent by the Air Ministry to the British Protectorate of Iraq. Ordered by the League of Nations to keep the peace, he has just a handful of aeroplanes to control the skies over Mesopotamia. Attacked by rebellious Kurds and then an invading Turkish army, the Royal Air Force is hard pressed to keep the peace. When an old nemesis from Bill's past emerges, he finds himself fighting for not only peace but his life. Based on true events this is a fast-moving novel about the early days of the Royal Air Force.

While Jarl Dragonheart raids the Empire his homeland is attacked. Taking his warriors he embarks on a war of revenge. He takes on the might of Wessex. When he discovers he has been betrayed he must search out the traitors and spies who hide behind smiling faces.

One marshal has been defeated by Viscount Wellington but more have been sent to drive the British back into the sea and to reconquer Portugal. The defences at Torres Vedras played their part and now the British must see if they can overcome the French defences at Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz.Major Matthews has a key role to play in the attacks for he is charged with discovering how to overcome the French and their guns.From bloody siege to the Battles of Salamanca and Garcia Hernandez Bloody Badajoz follows the fluctuating fortunes of both the British army and Robbie Matthews, hero of Fuente de Oñoro!

1877: When his family loses their home, to Jack Roberts, who has grown up hearing stories of the Crimean war and the magnificent charge of the Heavy Brigade, the choice between working in a dangerous factory or enlisting in the army and putting on the famed red uniform is an easy one. But when fighting for Queen and Country takes him far from home and defending a small mission station from overwhelming numbers, it is anything but easy and bravery and stoicism take on new meaning.

The Dragonheart makes a journey to the top of the highest mountain in his land. He discovers a wolf cub which is close to death. He brings it back to health and it becomes part of his life. He does not know what effect the cub will have save that it has been sent from the spirits or the gods and he cannot ignore it.When the clan raids the monastery at St Michael's Mount they set in motion larger events. The whole Saxon world becomes changed when the Dragonheart fights King Egbert on the fields of Pennsans. Emboldened by their raid the clan, with other Vikings keen to take part in a raid, attack and sack Lundenwic. It is there that Dragonheart finds more connections to his past and learns that his grandson Ragnar is more than capable of leading the clan. Is this the time for Dragonheart to step down as leader?

The comfortable world of Jarl Dragonheart is about to be shattered as a ghost from the past leaves Norway to settle a blood feud. The Clan of the Wolf had defeated Saxons and Danes. They had helped to subdue the Hibernians but would they be able to fight those with the same blood? In a novel which ranges from Dyflin to Wessex and Wales to Man this fast moving novel charts another turbulent time in the Land of the Wolf.

The next instalment of the Border Knight series which charts the fortunes of the dynasty begun by Alfraed, the English Knight and 1st Earl of Cleveland. Kings make treaties but it is men who keep or break them. When Sir Thomas of Cleveland is given the task of policing the northern border, he is given a poisoned chalice. His son is given the northern manor of Elsdon and there he is on the front line. He has to fight bandits, enemy lords and traitors from within. Set in the harsh lands of the Scottish borders Sir William comes of age. He becomes a warrior who has the blood of the Warlord.

It's 1940 and the British Expeditionary Force is caught ill prepared for the onslaught of the German Blitzkrieg and its deadly panzers. Caught in the desperate retreat to Dunkirk, Tom Harsker, son of a World War 1 ace, discovers he is a natural soldier. Escaping to England and with complete disaster narrowly averted, Tom is selected to join the newly formed Commandos. With Britain standing alone and the seemingly inexorable German forces massing across the Channel for invasion, Tom and his fellow Commandos must battle against all odds in daring raids to buy precious time.

Now recovered from his wound and having had a brief period of rest with his wife Major Matthews, General Wellesley's aide and sometimes spy, is sent back into Spain. The allies have gathered enough men to begin to retake Spain and then begin to attack the French on their own soil but the road to France will not be an easy one.With Sergeant Sharp at his side the intrepid Robbie Matthews is sent behind enemy lines to seek out a safe route for the allied armies heading for France. At the same time, he must train four new aides for Marquis Wellington and as they are fresh from England with lofty and unrealistic goals that is as hard as any mission as a spy.Encompassing what many consider to be Wellington's greatest battles, Vittoria, the Nivelle and St. Pierre, the Road to France is the penultimate book in the Napoleonic Horseman series.

When a young boy and his father, a master gunner, leave their home in Devon they cannot know that piracy will become their life, for a while, at least. Set in the early days of the Spanish conquest of the Americas and with a young King Henry on the throne of England, this is a novel of discovery and riches, slavery and death. It is a time of innovation when guns changed from being firing tubes to cannons that could bring death and destruction. Above all, it is the story of a youth who, against the odds, becomes a man, and more becomes a master gunner in his own right.This is the first part of a series that will culminate in the heights of the Andes where the power of the Spanish comes up against the Incas in their mountain eyries.

Sent into exile once more Don Rodrigo de Vivar has just Will Redbeard and two warriors for companions. Over the next years, he creates the legend of El Cid defeating enemy after enemy. Fighting overwhelming odds, he succeeds every time until, at last, he has his fiefdom of Valencia. This is the final chronicle in the series and details the last eighteen years of the life of the man known as El Cid. Although this is the last in the series it is a stand-alone book. Forget the film and read the reality of the man who was the greatest knight of his age; some would say, any age!

Jarl Dragonheart grows old but he still strives to make his land and his clan secure. Taking his great grandson, Sámr Ship Killer to raid the lands of the Caliphate of Cordoba he embarks on an adventure he believes may be his last. When he discovers a plot to attack the Land of the Wolf the Clan of the Wolf have to rally together to defend the land they love.

Will Strongstaff has achieved far more than he ever thought. He is a gentleman. He has land, a wife and children. Yet he is still a warrior. He still has an oath to honour. King Richard is now under the sway of the evil Earl of Oxford Robert de Vere. When the King's cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, sends for Will to fight in Galicia for his father, John of Gaunt, then Will has to return to the world in which he grew up, the world of the hired sword. This time he not only has enemies on the battlefield but enemies closer to hand as murderers try to end the life of his new lord, Henry Bolingbroke.