England and Prussia - Mid-Eighteenth Century

Lord John and the Hellfire Club begins with a bang...or rather a stabbing. Lord John Grey witnesses the violent death of Robert Gerald, a man he's just met. A relative of Grey's friend, Harry Quarry, the dead man seems to have been targeted by a group of self-appointed vigilantes who might possibly be members of Sir Francis Dashwood's Hellfire Club. And the only way Grey can solve the mystery of who killed Robert Gerald is to venture into the den where this group meets. How dangerous would it be for Grey, though, if or when the club members discover his own well-kept secret?

Lord John and the Succubus is set in the soon-to-be battle zone of rural Prussia. We meet the dashing Prussian officer Captain Stephan von Namtzen, whom Lord John thinks of as a blond Jamie Fraser (from the Outlander series). But the real issue is that of two soldiers who have died mysteriously, one a Prussian, the other an English soldier. Rumors circulating among the troops of both armies is that a succubus (a female demon) has killed them, so it's up to Grey to both squash that rumor and find out who, or what, killed the two men. In the meantime, he must halt the amorous advances of a widowed princess, and fight the feelings he has for Namtzen, who is sending Grey mixed messages.

Lord John and the Haunted Soldier is a completely new novella written for this book, whereas the first two have been previously published. Grey has been involved in a tragic accident during one of the battles in Germany. After the officer in charge of a cannon is killed, Grey takes over, but is badly injured when the big gun mysteriously explodes. Returning to England to recover from his wounds, he is summoned to appear before a military/civilian tribunal to answer questions about the accident. The implications are infuriating to Lord John, and he leaves the building, only to see a mysterious old soldier in an antiquated uniform outside, as well as the improbable, and entirely impossible, face of the man who died beside the cannon. Just what is going on? And why was his half-brother's name brought up in the inquisition? Grey and his trusty and overly protective valet, Tom Byrd, must find the answers to not only prove Grey's innocence to the court, but also to himself.

Short, riveting, and impeccably written, each of these stories shows Lord John in different scenarios, and gives readers more insight into the man we wonder about in the Outlander novels. Tightly composed mysteries that don't reveal much until the bitter ends, old and new fans of Diana Gabaldon will thoroughly enjoy these excellent novellas.

Jani Brooks