Its England in 1716 , there are many taking advantage of the turmoil throughout the land - one such man with this knowledge is Christopher Templeton who has decided to share his misgivings to the Company of Rogues . But the Fellowship , the profiteers , will do anything to keep their secrets .......... and now Templeton has disappeared !
Jonas Flynt , still recovering from his duel with death , is tasked with finding him before its too late .
Whilst Jonas's search will take him from London to the north of England he must be wary for whilst he is searching for Templeton there appears to be someone stalking him.
All is not as it appears , can Jonas fulfil his quest , can he himself survive those who would rather the truth remain hidden ?

This is yet another excellent historical , murder mystery from the Author where he manages to bring to life the sights and politics of era that enhances a readers experience of these turbulent times

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Douglas Skelton

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

A Grave for a Thief is the third book in the Company of Rogues series. I didn't actually know that when I started reading, but the author did a great job of incorporating important details from earlier books so I didn't feel like I was missing out. The books picks up the story of Jonas Flynt, who has just survived a significant injury, and his new assignment to find a missing man. As Jonas makes his way through clues and contacts in 1700's London, we meet a lot of interesting characters and run into some serious predicaments. A true historical mystery, there are plenty of twists and turns as the main character gets closer to answer. The author provides plenty of detail that immerses the reader in the time period and settings. I liked that the characters were all a bit morally grey - there was no perfect hero and the characters had depth. I also liked that chapters focused on different POVs throughout the story. I enjoyed the book, and will be looking to check out the earlier installments of the series in the future!

Another excellent Jonas Flynt story. I really like this character especially as he can’t seem to make his mind up whether he’s a rogue or not. Excellent writing, good story pace, a well put together plot line and the descriptions of places makes you feel like you’re in the towns and villages with Jonas. This book felt like it should be made into a film as it has all the things you’d want in a good movie. Hoping for more in this series.

A Grave for a Thief is the third book in a compelling historical mystery series by Douglas Skelton. Released 8th Feb 2024 by Canelo, it's 320 pages and is available in ebook format. Unclear from publisher info, but it may also be available in other formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a very high quality, excellently written and precisely researched historical series set in the very early Georgian period. This is the third book, and while it certainly can be read and understood as a standalone, there are some earlier occurrences referenced which will be spoiled if read out of order. The main protagonist is a complex and intelligent anti-hero who is forced by circumstance into high stakes skullduggery in the service of a spymaster.

The story is woven around a framework of real historical people and events (including Sir Isaac Newton), and is done so skillfully that it's not always apparent where truth becomes fiction. The plotting is quite taut and there are some moderately graphic descriptions included (not egregiously so, and not inserted gratuitously).

In style, it reminds me of C. S. Harris and Andrea Penrose. It's not derivative at all, and it's set in a different time period, but fans of those authors will find a lot to like here.

Four and a half stars. Well written and engaging.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Jonas Flynt has barely recovered from his last mission when he is given a new one. He is tasked to find a lawyer called Templeton who knows the secrets of the Fellowship, secrets he may be willing to divulge. However as Flynt starts his journey he doesn't realise he is part of a bigger game, one designed to destroy him.
I really like the last book in the series and this one is equally as good. Set in the early days of the reign of George I, life in London is portrayed in all it's grime reality. However by moving the latter part of the action to the wild northern countryside Skelton has added another dimension to his writing and it really works.

This has fast become my currently favourite historical mystery series. I love the idea of the main character; capable of violence when necessary, flawed, but with his own sense of honour. In this book there are repercussions from an earlier instalment in the series- while not strictly necessary, it would be better to start reading the series from the beginning. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

While not out-and-out mysteries, I really enjoyed the first two Jonas Flynt novels. They really tick my “unknown history” box, being set in the early days of George I’s reign, something that the school history syllabus rarely mentions, a time when the King barely spoke any English and spent a fair bit of his time in Hanover. That’s never enough for a novel, but the character of Jonas Flynt, ex-highwayman, current… um, spy, I suppose, is a mesmerising presence. It’s interesting to see the outlines of the author’s plans for his character arc, with the first book focussing on one aspect of his life, the second focussing on the London elements, and this one moving him from both as he considers which direction to take (which I presume we will discover in the next book).
This is definitely the least mysterious of the three novels, being far more of an out and out thriller, a la Jack Reacher, only with horses, flintlocks and swordsticks. You might be thinking that’s a criticism, but it’s really not – in fact, it’s the opposite because despite this, I had trouble putting the book down. Flynt’s story is a gripping one, as is that of his adversary Montcrieff and his friend (?) Gabriel and I’m really interested to see where all the threads are leading. Even the side characters have distinct characters, something Skelton seems very skilled at creating without wasting pages on endless backstory, but integrating it into the plot seamlessly. The inhabitants of the northern village, for example – I’d read more about them, but I doubt we’ll see them again.
This is one of the finest historical series of recent times and if you’re in mind to try an historical thriller, you really should check out this series – in order, preferably, as there are necessary spoilers for revelations in previous books, especially the first, An Honourable Thief.

England 1716, Christopher Templeton, lawyer to the Fellowship, has gone missing and Colonel Charter of the Company of Rogues has tasked Jonas Flynt with finding him. This will take Jonas across London and eventually to a small northern town near the Scottish border with a very bad reputation. But Jonas begins to sense that someone is following him, someone who has no intention of letting him live long enough to complete his task.

A Grave for a Thief is the third historical thriller in the Company of Rogues series by Douglas Skelton and it is an extremely compelling read. Skelton is a deft hand at description, making the time period come to life. He is especially good at recreating the language of the time without allowing modernisms to slip in. There is plenty of action and interesting characters and it moves at a brisk pace, keeping my attention throughout. Although there are references to past books, it can, I believe, be read as a standalone. Overall, a very satisfying read.

I received an arc of this book from Netgalley and Canelo in exchange for an honest review.

716. Christopher Templeton, lawyer to The Fellowship has disappeared. Colonel Charters of the Company of Rogues wants him found and gives the mission to Jonas Flynt. But he is not the only one looking for Templeton, and it seems Flynt's life is also in danger.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery thriller with its interesting and varied characters. A good addition to this series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In a short space of time I have become a big fan of this historical series. In large part that’s due to the way that Douglas Skelton writes the character of Jonas Flynt. A former highwayman, he’s being blackmailed into working for Colonel Nathaniel Charters and his Company of Rogues. Jonas has a strong moral compass though, and that tends to lead him into taking action where others with less scrupulous morality would find themselves turning a blind eye to heinous actions generally aimed at the poorer in society.

In the third book in this series, Charters charges Flynt with finding and keeping safe one Christopher Templeton. Templeton is a lawyer who has been advising The Fellowship, a group whose aims, ostensibly, are to conduct business with the aim of making a profit. But their actions are much more covert than their aims imply, and they seem to be more like the Masons with a political edge. Charters needs more information on what this secretive group are up to and Templeton has indicated he is willing to provide it.

But first, Flynt has to find him. And that’s a journey that takes him from the treacherous back alleys of London’s inns and brothels to a fiefdom in the North of England where we meet the devil in human clothing. Fortunately Jonas has met up with an old friend and when the time comes, he hopes his friend will not be found wanting.

Skelton really builds the character of Flynt in this book and though he suffers from a strong dose of regret overlaid with an aura of misty eyed longing for his past, that just makes you like him more. Yet, for all his regrets, he manages to hold the moral high ground and in so doing, place himself squarely in the face of danger. And this time the danger he faces is vicious and lethal.

I don’t always have a mental picture of protagonists in the books that I read, but in my eyes Jonas Flynt is a combination of Errol Flynn and Steve McQueen. That’s enough to keep me reading…

Verdict: With strong pace, lots of swashbuckling action and many surprises along the way, A Grave for a Thief continues to whet my appetite for more in this fabulous historical series.

Honestly, I am loving this series from Skelton. As I have mentioned previously, the timeline is set outside of my usual historical fiction parameters - but I am glad that I have dipped my toe into the Hanoverian period.

Flynt is back, and being sent on another shadowy mission by Charters. Characters from the previous two books make an appearance (so reading the series from the start is a must), and a new character is introduced, who is not unknown to Flynt. A help or hinderance is debtable.

The cat and mouse game is played out in both London and ending in some rural village, where not all is as it seems. Who is hunter and who is prey will be determined at the final customary stand-off (evil versus, well in this instance, good).

For this book, however, Skelton has decided not to draw on an actual historical event for the plotline - however, this does in no way detract from the story at hand. Overall, this book, like its predecessors, is an enjoyable romp through the underbelly of Hanoverian England, still under threat from those damnable Jacobites. And I for one, am looking forward to more!

A Grave for a Thief is the third book in the Company of Rogues series and this time Jonas Flynt finds himself tasked with locating Christopher Templeton as he is believed to hold information on the secretive Fellowship that may help shut them down once and for all. What you would expect to be a simple task turns out to be one that pits Flynt against old foes and new and may see him hanged for something he actually didn’t do.
Flynt is only just recovering from his last job for Nathanial Charters and he is not sure he really wants to take on this latest task but doesn’t feel like he has a choice. Templeton has done a good job of going into hiding and even when he manages to locate the woman he was seeing he is none the wiser as to where he might be. He does however find assistance in the form of an old friend which at times proves to be invaluable when things get tricky.
Jonas Flynt has really grown on me and despite his chosen profession he is someone who still has a conscience and does not like to see people being treated badly for no reason. This can often get him in trouble and sees him risking his life for people he barely knows. He never knows who he can trust and information that he has been given has him doubting those close to him that may put him in further danger. His feud with Lord Moncrieff takes him on a dangerous path, one which neither of the could predict and leads to a confrontation that is a revelation to both of them.
Douglas Skelton manages once again to immerse the reader in the sights and sounds of the period, never shying away from the harsh realities of life. The characters are believable and there are some you just can’t help liking even if they have a questionable moral compass at times. For me the book felt like it had a slightly slower pace to start where most of the action was centred around locating Christopher Templeton. Once the action moved from London the pace picks up as it feels there is more at stake for Flynt and those around him. I loved the interaction between Flynt and his friend Gabriel Cain and despite everything you can see the respect they have for each other and I for one would be happy if they crossed paths again sometime.
Despite this being the third in the series you could quite happily pick this book up and understand everything that is going on (although you are missing out if you have not read books one and two). If you love books that mix history with a bit of murder and mystery then this may be the book you need to add to your TBR pile

This is an historical thriller set in 1716 and full of the atmosphere of the era. It is well plotted fast paced and gripping. The well researched historical background is vivid and takes us from the streets of London into the countryside of the North. for yet more murder and mayhem. The lead characters are great as you would expected but do so are the strong willed females who make an appearance. Another great read in this series and I can't wait to see more. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I thank NetGalley and Canelo for an advance reader copy of “A Grave for a Thief.” All opinions and comments are my own.

Douglas Skelton’s Jonas Flynt is back in his third Georgian-era thriller in “A Grave for a Thief,” and like the other two books in this series, there’s something happening on practically every page, a lot of it murder and mayhem, often directed at Jonas himself. At least this time he’s got help in the form of an old friend -- but is this old friend really a friend, or is he a foe?

Jonas and his (supposed) friend, Gabriel Cain are on the hunt for a young man, a lawyer, who has information about The Fellowship, that shadowy group of men who oppose the King. Lord James Moncrieff, a member of the group, remains on the hunt for Jonas, their conflict a factor spanning three books now. The man’s trail leads them to a manor away from London, where Skelton introduces a cruel character that soon becomes a formidable opponent, culminating in an exciting battle that will test all of Jonas’s powers. Jonas and Gabriel go their separate ways, Gabriel reminding him that no one can escape his past.

With language and settings that underscore the Georgian times, “A Grave for a Thief” regales you with a character in the form of Jonas Flynt who is both saint and sinner. It’s always a pleasure to read about his exploits.

The Author’s Historical Note mentions the real people and places used in the telling of this book. One of the memorable ones is Sir Issac Newton, who makes a cameo.

Exciting historical thriller series continues

Jonas Flynt! Once more mired in the machinations of Colonel Nathaniel Charters. As he’s reminded obliquely by Charters, his life is in the Colonel’s hands. Hang for highway robbery or work for Charters. Unknown to all but a few Charters “commands a small company known as the Company of Rogues…to be used either as informants or agents in defence of king and country.”
Charters is a spymaster. For Jonas, in the end I think it’s a matter of his choice to continue with Charters. Jonas is a man of integrity, despite his history of wrong doing.
It’s 1716. Working for the Company he’s trying to find a witness to the machinations of the Fellowship. This is a group of powerful men who remain hidden in the shadows, playing the long game. Placing men in powerful positions to do what the Fellowship wants, which is a world bending to their desires. Untold wealth and influence at home and abroad.
Illegitimate Jonas has already killed his lordly father, a degenerate. His half brother, Lord James Moncrieff, a member of the Fellowship, (who desires to be the Grand Master) wants revenge. Jonas finds he needs to head north to discover the whereabouts of the witness. It’s a long and tortuous trek, leading to a deranged lord. Jonas finds himself embroiled in a seperate plot of Moncrieff’s, and needed help comes from friend Gabriel Cain. Help or what? Jonas is puzzled! Although his best friend, something seems a little off about Gabriel.
Before the tale ends, Jonas is beaten and near hanged. Bodies litter the ground behind him.
An intriguing historical thriller that takes us through the stews of London, and on into even more dangerous territory.
I kept thinking about Jonas and the atmosphere, the edge of things, the picture beyond the action, long after I’d finished. Why? I guess the plight of the anti hero appealed to me. And then there’s Jonas’ reactions to rats! Ugh!

A Canelo ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Douglas Skelton writes excellent mysteries and this a good one: gripping and well plotted. I liked the vivid and well researched historical background and the fleshed out characters
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A wonderfully enjoyable read, which thoroughly restored my faith in modern historical fiction. No anachronism, no intrusion of modern mores and values, and a totally thorough immersion in time and place. I am assuming that this book is one of a series and on the strength of this one I shall certainly be seeking out the preceding books, and looking out for the following ones.

Jonas Flynt is an interesting character, as is Gabriel Cain, and while Flynt is clearly somewhat conflicted internally as to whether he is a saint or a sinner, Cain is unashamedly a reprobate. This was a great book but having previously said that there was no unwelcome intrusion of modern attitudes, John Duck being a black man was just a tad borderline.

One thing I will say is that the violent 'action' scenes were described in extreme detail, so much so that as a woman, I found them a trifle boring and I confess to skipping past them. However, they were very well written, for those who appreciate such things. No less of a rip-roaring read for all that.

This was a great third book in the a company of a rogue series. I enjoyed the historical elements and that it worked well as a mystery. I never felt like I wasn't in England in 1716. The character worked in the setting. And they also felt like they belonged with the other 2 books in the series. Douglas Skelton writes a great story that always has the right of balance of historical and mystery. I'm glad I was able to read this as I had enjoyed the first 2.

Barely healed from his last mission from Col. Nathaniel Charters Jonas Flynt finds himself, once again called to "serve his country" as a member of the Company of Rogues, a secretive group of Rogues who undertake the less pleasant and less legal side of keep the Realm safe. This time Flynt must find a lawyer, Christopher Templeton, that has gone missing, one who has information that could possibly bring The Fellowship down. What seems to be a straightforward rescue soon becomes complicated as someone has paid one of the most skilled assassins in all of Britain to take Flynt out. Will Flynt be able to rescue Templeton before The Fellowship gets to him? Or will the Wraith get to Flynt first?

Probably the most important thing to point out with this book is that it's the third in the series and I never felt lost while reading it. Skelton does and excellent job of weaving the needed information from the previous books into the story without it ever feeling like that was his purpose, which is something I fully appreciate. I will go back and read the previous books but I'm so glad that this was still enjoyable without reading them first.

And this was an incredibly enjoyable read! Jonas Flynt is a wonderful character who spent a portion of his life doing not so good things and while he swears up and down through the whole book he's only working for the Company of Rogues because Col. Charters is blackmailing him, he's also clearly a good person. Hell, the second half of this book wouldn't exist if he wasn't. He reminds me a bit of Sebastian St. Cyr if St. Cyr hadn't been a nobleman.

The actual story in this is really well done as well. I really enjoyed how it went pretty quickly from a mystery to being completely caught up in just how Flynt was going to save the day. Because you knew he was going too, he had to especially against such a depraved Villain but just how he was going to do it or even if he could was not always clear. And yes, there are several points where the hero is helped alone by some other character appearing at just the right time to help Flynt out and yet I'm not mad about it. Because there is a nice little side story here about friendship that was just as good as the main story.

In terms of the depraved Villain, I really feel like I understated that as well. Moncrieffe who we believe to be, and is a bad guy, from the beginning is nothing compared to who that actual bad guy is. This guy is just an absolute nut job, but the kind of nut job who is nobility so he can and does get away with murder, the kind you absolutely hate almost immediately and your new goal becomes finishing the book just to see that this psychopath gets justice. I thoroughly enjoyed him!

Timing is excellent here as well, something I think is incredibly important in books like this. Skelton does an excellent job of pacing the reveals, fight scenes, etc throughout the book for maximum impact.

My own one small complaint is that there were phrases reused repeatedly through out the book. And I don't mean a phrase to create impact (there are several of those in the form of quotes from poetry), I mean Jonas would say or think something on one page and then like three paragraphs later he'd say or think the same thing almost verbatim. And again it wasn't horrible but it did make me stop every time it happened to check if maybe I'd lost my spot somehow and was just rereading something I'd just read. Other than that though I really have no complaints.

Overall, this was definitely a solid action/thriller/mystery (whatever you want to label it) read. It honestly came across as more of a Western with a British twist to me and thoroughly enjoyed that. I would recommend for anyone that enjoys the Sebastian St. Cyr series or Hulick's Tale of the Kin series.

And as always thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for the eArc!