Kemp: Passage at Arms

Book excerpt: A brilliant medieval action thriller perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Matthew Harffy and Giles Kristian. It is 1347 and the French, after a crushing defeat at Crécy, are licking their wounds while their king raises a new army. Locked into a fruitless siege, the English are camped in the marshes around Calais. Among them is foot soldier and archer Martin Kemp, whose dreams of serving his king and reliving the chivalrous adventures of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table are tempered by the gory and brutal reality of siege warfare. Having narrowly escaped death in a surprise attack from the French, Kemp sees a chance for a reprieve when a shaky truce is signed. But can there really be peace for a man like Kemp? Kemp: Passage at Arms is packed with authentic period detail and narrative verve, and cements Jonathan Lunn’s reputation as one of the most entertaining historical thriller writers working today.