Really enjoyed this. Set in 9th C Britain and following reluctant hero and recluse, Dunston, The Wolf of Wessex takes us on an action packed adventure with plenty of mystery, while the Danes threaten both the kingdoms of Cornwall and Wessex. This has clearly been meticulously researched but the author never bogs the reader down in excessive historical detail. The characters are engaging. The plot is fast paced and thrilling. And best of all, the author has not made the classic error of assuming all women were meek little subservients. A mark of great histfic is the author’s ability to show a different mindset but still make the story and characters plausible to a modern audience. This is definitely the case here. A well told story with plenty of fight scenes.

Wonderful tale of medieval Wessex with an old warrior.being forced back into violent action to protect himself and a young girl from dastardly villainous characters. Beautifully atmospheric descriptions of the forest abound as the tale of the chase builds with extra interesting people introduced into the story all cleverly building to a blood soaked finale but no the tale still has more twists until an ending that hopefully leaves an opening for more adventures from these fascinating characters.

I was fortunate enough to be granted the privilege to read advanced copy of this grand historical saga covering the year 838 when plots were uncovered against Wessex, where King Ecgberht reigned. The Danes had eyes on Cornwall and the story begins with brutal killings in trying to prevent a monk to deliver a message of warning to the king.

The author provides the reader with a helpful guide at the beginning with definitions such as: Cornwalum= Cornwall, the westernmost part of the older kingdom of Dumnonia...and the people were known as the Westwalas (West Welsh)", etc.

Our hero in this tale is an older former warrior, Dunston, who prefers living quietly in the woods with his dog. He served the king for many years in battle but promised his deceased wife he would stop killing. One day, however, he finds the body of a man brutally killed close to his home. Soon after the frightened daughter of this man appears. The plan becomes one of transferring the body on a cart to the nearby Reeve.

The challenge of being accused of the murder and jailed after finding there was "a new sheriff in town" is just one of the many hurdles Dunston along with Aedwen, the daughter of the murdered man, must face in this action filled and moving story.

There are many well described combat scenes including axes, swords, spears and arrows. Now that I have had a taste of this author's writing and commitment to historical research I will be reading more of his books.