A historical crime thriller set in seventeenth century England
It’s 1647: a time of bitter civil war in England.
Wayland, a blacksmith and ex-soldier, returns home from the army to find his wife savagely murdered, his son traumatised and struck dumb.
Witchcraft, religious hatred, the enmities of war: so many clues. Trapped in the brutal siege of Colchester, can he stay alive AND find the killer before he strikes again?
'Wayland’s Revenge': a historical crime thriller, out now in paperback, kindle and audio.
https://youtu.be/vmfqOqATluc
Excerpt
A man lay howling on the spikey stubble of a field. His arm was contorted. Blood streamed down his face. Three ravens strutted nearby, oblivious, slowing now and then to peck at the dry red earth. A young woman was walking slowly away, bent over in pain, towards a cottage beyond the field. A second man, Wayland, sat silent on the ground nearby. He too was wounded. The tattered strings of braid still hanging from their uniforms, the leather coats both men had cast aside would tell any observer that both men were – or had been – soldiers on the Parliamentary side. Both were injured and yet all conflict had ended since the King’s capture.
Professional Reviews
Excellent Historical Fiction
Historical fiction with mystery, thrills and romance. English civil war, religious strife, a serial killer, real heroes , witch hunters and their victims. Characters so real and scenes so well described it was if you were watching everything unfold. Well told story with focus on real historical details and not on excess sex or gore. I look forward to reading this authors next book. Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for making this book available to me.
Stay Alive Before the Killer Strikes Again
Captivating story listed as historical fiction, but seeped in truth. The Author is writing from the UK, where language and spelling might differ from your own.
The setting is 1647 in Forest Heath, England. The main character, Wayland returns from war to find his wife has been murdered and his son traumatized. This village blacksmith sets out to find the sadistic killer of his beloved Rebecca. Wayland enlists his son Jonathan and his baker friend Alun to help him. The three of them set out on a perilous journey. In the process Wayland discovers the truth behind the symbols cut into Rebecca’s dead body.
Author Lesley Lodge is a compelling writer. I quote, “Wayland was standing beside a lake, watching thick grey clouds swirl over the seething water. At first, he could hear only the waves slopping against the shoreline. Then a woman’s head broke through the surface of the lake, gasping, choking, panting. Wayland leapt forward, ran towards her, shouted to her to hold on, to wait for him. But her head sank down again. He could see only the black surging sea and some dirty white foam.”
The author carefully takes the reader from 1647 back to 1645. I quote, “The howling became louder, nearer. Agnes could make out individual screams now. For a moment she felt paralysed, rooted on to the earth, her hands still holding the strips of cloth. Then she dropped the cloth and she ran, holding her skirts up out of the mud. Other women soon overtook her; their urgency spurred her on. Tree branches whipped at her face and caught at her skirts. Neither she nor any of the other women wasted any breath screaming now. All that Agnes could hear was the sound of her own lungs heaving and that of her heart drumming.”
Then back to 1647 where for Wayland “a few more days passed uneventfully though, and the uneasy feeling began to leave him. Instead, he and Alun discussed again and again their hoped–for encounter with their suspect Carter and what it might mean in terms of opportunities to question the man further. One morning they were sorting through the charcoal stores, setting to one side the big lumps needed for the smithy furnace and to the other side the smaller pieces more suited for the bakery oven. Wayland suddenly picked up the bellows and threw them into the far corner of the smithy.
‘When?’ he shouted, ‘When will God grant me the truth? Will we never get any further with our search? Can we never find justice for the boy’s death? Or for Rebecca’s death? We will likely perish in this Godforsaken town, murdered by one side or the other. Or starve to death. All for no reason.’
I invite you to read Wayland’s Revenge.
A Tale of Revenge with Twists and Turns
I only bought this book three days ago and have already finished it! I am a big fan of historical fiction and this era in particular, the English civil war, fascinates me. In Wayland's Revenge we meet our eponymous hero Wayland as he returns from the civil war to find his wife dead, we then accompany him on a satisfying journey for answers and revenge. Would thoroughly recommend.
I love historical fiction that is historically true. Based on your reviewers, I believe that your book is historically true as well. I'm not familiar with England's history, but it is probably one of the most well recorded in the world, so I'm sure you had ample information for writing. My only regrets are that you did not provide the names of your reviewers and your excerpt is too short.
My great-great-grandfather, Nelson Hull, was a blacksmith during the American Civil War, 1860-65 in a Wisconsin regiment. I heard that he and five brothers all returned from the war unscathed. I believe I would have a great deal of difficulty making his story into anything dramatic. But I'm sure if I was living during that time as it would be.
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