The Lawless Land

by Boyd Morrison, Beth Morrison

Overview

'A rollicking adventure [with] the inventive twists and turns of a satisfyingly bustling plot.' New York Times

'Fantastic... Gerard Fox could be Jack Reacher's ancestor, 700 years ago. Highly recommended!' Lee Child

First in a fast-paced historical adventure series from New York Times bestselling author Boyd Morrison and expert medievalist Beth Morrison.

Live by the sword. Die for the truth.

England, 1351. The Pestilence has ravaged the land. Villages lie abandoned but for crows and corpses. Highways are patrolled by marauders and murderers. In these dark and dangerous times, the wise keep to themselves.

But Gerard Fox cannot afford to be wise. The young knight has been robbed of his ancestral home, his family name tarnished. To regain his lands and reputation, he sets forth to petition the one man who can restore them.

Fate places Fox on the wrong road at the wrong time as he hurtles towards a chance encounter. It will entangle him with an enigmatic woman, a relic of incalculable value, and a dark family secret. It will lead him far from home and set him on a collision course with one of the most ambitious and dangerous men in Europe – a man on the cusp of seizing Christendom's highest office.

And now, Fox is the only one standing in his way...

'A novel full of both authenticity and thrills, and readers are sure to clamor for more from this writing duo.' Mark Greaney

'A hugely entertaining historical novel!' Eric Jager, author of The Last Duel

'The Lawless Land combines the rich historical tapestry of Umberto Eco and the relentless pace and adventure of Clive Cussler.' J.T. Ellison

'Boyd and Beth Morrison bring the Middle Ages to life in vivid detail with historical authenticity and a sense of fun... This thriller has it all!' Graham Brown

'[An] exceptional series launch.' Publishers Weekly

'A winning combination of author and expert medievalist... Thoroughly enjoyable.' Historical Novel Society

'A simply riveting action/adventure novel... The stuff of which blockbuster movies are made.' Midwest Book Review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781801108638
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	05/12/2022
Series:	Tales of the Lawless Land , #1
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Boyd Morrison is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twelve thrillers, including six with Clive Cussler. His first novel, The Ark, was an Indie Next Notable pick and was translated into over a dozen languages. He has a PhD in industrial engineering from Virginia Tech.

Follow Boyd on: @BoydMorrison IG: @BoydMorrisonWriter www.facebook.com/BoydMorrisonWriter

Beth Morrison is Senior Curator of Manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum. She has curated major exhibitions including 'Imagining the Past in France, 1250-1500', and 'Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World'. She has a PhD in the History of Art from Cornell University.

Follow Beth on: @BethMorrisonPhd IG: @BethMorrisonWriter www.facebook.com/BethMorrisonWriter

Editorial Reviews

★ 03/14/2022

In the summer of 1351, English knight Gerard Fox, the hero of this exceptional series launch from siblings Boyd (Piranha with Clive Cussler) and Beth Morrison, is riding his horse in Kent when he’s overtaken by a carriage hurtling down the road driven by a young woman fleeing murderous attackers. After rescuing the woman, Lady Isabel of Kentworth, Fox learns she’s fleeing a hated fiancé. The two join forces, only to learn secrets about each other in a series of well-timed twists. The authors make splendid use of such medieval-plot standbys as a castle with secret tunnels, plague-riddled vagabonds, a grand tournament, a priceless manuscript, and duplicitous churchmen as the action ranges from Canterbury to Paris and elsewhere in France and finally Italy. But the novel’s real strength is its antagonists: Isabel’s ruthless fiancé, the Earl of Tonbridge; the power-hungry Cardinal Dominic Molyneux; and, best of all, the cardinal’s sociopathic son, Basquin. Fox and Isabel must use every ounce of intelligence and cunning they possess to try to escape the grasp of this deadly trio. Historical fiction fans will eagerly await the couple’s further adventures. (May)Correction: An earlier version of this review misspelled the first name of the Gerard Fox character. It also misidentified the authors as being husband and wife.

Publishers Weekly

Fantastic – suspenseful and historically fascinating... Gerard Fox could be Jack Reacher's ancestor, 700 years ago. Highly recommended!'” —Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“The authors make splendid use of such medieval-plot standbys as a castle with secret tunnels, plague-riddled vagabonds, a grand tournament, a priceless manuscript, and duplicitous churchmen as the action ranges from Canterbury to Paris and elsewhere in France and finally Italy. But the novel's real strength is its antagonists: Isabel's ruthless fiancé, the Earl of Tonbridge; the power-hungry Cardinal Dominic Molyneux; and, best of all, the cardinal's sociopathic son, Basquin... Historical fiction fans will eagerly await the couple's further adventures” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Fourteenth-century Europe, devastated by the plague and beset by the warring armies of England and France, offers another turbulent fictional setting. But the knight-errant at the center of Boyd and Beth Morrison's rollicking adventure is a fittingly valiant paragon of chivalric virtue. Early on, while rescuing a damsel very much in distress, Gerard Fox explains that his personal story is "full of murder, intrigue and treachery of the worst sort." As well as the occasional jolt of inappropriately modern chat ("I'm not the only one who is on to you") that's best ignored while surrendering to the inventive twists and turns of a satisfyingly bustling plot. Fox is a medieval action hero, tussling with not one but three villains, along with platoons of knights and hangers-on” —New York Times

“A compulsively readable, immersive tale of chivalric adventure and dangerous romance in a war-torn, plague-stricken Europe. Readers will relish the twists and turns of the plot, thrilling to a chase that gallops across lawless lands, winds through treacherous labyrinths, and risks all in mortal combat as the daring hero and heroine strive to save themselves and their imperiled world. A hugely entertaining historical novel!” —Eric Jager, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Duel

“A simply riveting action/adventure novel... The stuff of which blockbuster movies are made, The Lawless Land will leave its enthusiastic readers looking eagerly toward the next installment in this entertaining saga of knight Gerard Fox” —Midwest Book Review

“A winning combination of author and expert medievalist... Thoroughly enjoyable” —Historical Novel Society

“A fantastic start to a brilliant new adventure series that you won't want to miss. The brother/sister team of Boyd and Beth Morrison brings the Middle Ages to life in vivid detail with historical authenticity and a sense of fun. Packed with murder, love, betrayal, twists, epic battles, secret passages, and duels to the death, this thriller has it all!” —Graham Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fast Ice

“A thoroughly entertaining tale that I found to be exceedingly well told. In their first collaboration, they have crafted a novel full of both authenticity and thrills, and readers are sure to clamor for more from this writing duo” —Mark Greaney, New York Times #1 bestselling author of The Gray Man

“A gallant knight, a witty heroine, a quest for the ages... The Morrisons have created a thrilling medieval adventure packed with fascinating historical detail. The Lawless Land combines the rich historical tapestry of Umberto Eco and the relentless pace and adventure of Clive Cussler into a brilliant new series. I can't wait to see where Fox goes next!” —J.T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of Her Dark Lies

“A love story that grips you right from the start... Absolutely fascinating and it really epitomises the violence, chivalry and, of course, the power of the elite” —Bishop's Stortford Independent

“Absolutely fascinating and it really epitomises the violence, chivalry and of course the power of the elite of those times” —Annabel & Grace

From the Publisher