To the Hilt

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There's less horseplay in the 35th thriller by former jockey Francis, but as much suspense and pain as ever. Alexander Kinloch is a painter who lives in rural Scotland, and somebody thinks he knows where the jewel-encrusted, solid gold-handled sword of Bonnie Prince Charlie is hiding. It wouldn't be a Francis book without lots of beatings and torture, but you'll also find out how to run a brewery, paint a landscape and yes, hide a racehorse, in this thoroughly enjoyable outing from the Cigar of fiction.

Book Description

From the acclaimed master of mystery and suspense comes the story of a self-imposed outcast who must refresh his detection skills in order to save himself and his family.

Customer Reviews:

Francis author.......2007-02-14

Dick Francis, like George Szell, provides guaranteed quality. He writes literature that always has a plot where I can rarely put the book down until I've done. He has cost me many hours sleep, and I wish him eternal life but only if he'll continue to write.

Excellent character development, OK story.......2006-12-20

This was my first Dick Francis and will definitely will not be the last. I did enjoy the development of all characters, the main one; Alexander, in particular. This is what got me going to the end of the book.

Without revealing anything of the plot I would say that the story; however, lacks and drags at certain points. Also, some of the actions of the main characters do not make much sense and it is obvious that they are stretched to give the whole story some sort of body and a few cliffhangers to keep the reader at it.

In summary, a cozy, fast and unassuming mystery that will keep you interested for a couple of days if you oversee the obvious licenses the author took with his story.

Highlands Mystery.......2006-04-20

Alexander Kinloch, thought odd by his family, just wants to live in his little cottage in the Scottish Highlands and paint pictures. When a gang of thieves arrive at Alex's remote home and mug him, shouting "Where is it?", he is reluctantly drawn into a mystery involving an insolvent brewery, a racehorse of questionable ownership, a golden goblet, and a sword which belonged to Bonnie Prince Charlie himself.

An honorable, non-horsey protagonist.......2004-08-14

Alexander Kinloch, the hero-narrator of Francis' 1996 thriller, is not a horseman. A painter, he enjoys a solitary life in a windswept hut on his aristocractic uncle's Scottish estate. But his solitude is disrupted first by news of his stepfather's heart attack and then by four thugs who attack him and ransack his hut.

Kinloch has never been close to his stepfather, Ivan, but quickly finds himself embroiled in his plight, up to his neck in bank officers and lawyers and entrusted with hiding a race horse and a jewel-encrusted trophy. All of which he accepts with stoic aplomb, despite the increasing risk to his own neck and the disruption of his life.

There's not much racing in this one, but Francis' hero does plenty of quick thinking and maneuvering and takes plenty of knocks as he defends the family's honor "to the hilt," ferreting out a murderer in the process.

Francis keeps things moving and invests his characters with complex and very British codes of honor. His fans will not be disappointed.

Always dependable, always enjoyable.......2004-03-21

Usually if one said that an author and his novels were dependable that would be synonymous with dull and boring. Not so with Dick Francis. He always manages to create stories and characters that grab the reader and hold on until the end.

In "To the Hilt," we have Alexander Kinloch, a painter whose specialty is golf and the places and people that involves. He lives in a bothy in the Scottish highlands where the solitude makes his work not only possible, but extraordinarily wonderful. However, the world intrudes in the shape of four burly men who beat the pulp out of him. They want to know where "it" is, and when they realize he has no idea what they mean they throw him down the mountain to his fate.

Over the next few weeks, he finds out what they were seeking and why. When Ivan, his step-father, has a heart attack, the authority to protect the older man's empire is given to him, a responsibility he is both willing and loath to accept. His step-sister, who resents his interference, begins intruding on his life and that of their parents. As she struggles to wrest power from him her father dies, leaving Alexander with total authority. Part of that responsibility is a string of race horses, bringing into the story the one absolute certainty of a Francis story.

However, he really shines in this tale when describing the artist's passion and obsession. Alexander meets an older woman, an antiquities expert, bent on "saving" a precious heirloom, and becomes haunted by her face, to the point that he feels compelled to paint her portrait. The reader gets the brush strokes and the feelings as the work forms under his hands. Even a non-artist has to say, "Yes, that's how it is." When she sees the finished work, she says, "You have made me immortal."

Anyone who likes mysteries will enjoy the clean writing in a Dick Francis novel. For the most part both story and characters are unambiguous. This is a quick read and totally enjoyable.

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From Montrose to Culloden: Bonnie Prince Charlie & Scotland's Romantic Age (Tales of a Scottish Grandfather Series)
Walter, Sir Scott
Manufacturer: Cumberland House Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1581821476

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Mediocre book and grating reading

Overview of a Sad Life

Heroic exploits, tragic figure

Good general biography of Prince Charles Edward Stuart

Bonnie Prince Charlie
Carolly Erickson
Manufacturer: Robson Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

Mediocre book and grating reading.......2003-05-02

Far from being "as exciting as a novel," this pedestrian re-telling of what should be a fascinating story is bland and far from insightful. The author's evident unfamiliarity with even basic military and naval terminology leads one to wonder about the accuracy of other elements. (A ship-of-the-line is a "gunboat.") The Recorded Books version is read in a sneering, condescending delivery by an Englishman who whistles into the microphone every second sentence, producing a "nails on the blackboard" sensation which accentuates the discomfort.

Overview of a Sad Life.......2001-04-24

The eldest son of James, the Old Pretender, Bonnie Price Charlie was raised to believe that the throne of England and Scotland was his destiny. Born in Italy and used as a pawn of Louis XV against George II, Charles was seen as a promising young man. In his early twenties, he sailed to Scotland and was able to convince several Highland chiefs to support his cause. Numerous victories came swiftly because the English were unprepared for the various attacks. However, once the English determined that the threat was real, Prince Charles and his troops were quickly over run. He returned to France where he was asked to leave and again settled in Italy. With no ambitions left to him, he quickly dissapated into an alcoholic daze. He fathered one child by a Scottish woman and later married a German princess but that marriage quickly soured. His later years were redeemed somewhat as his daughter Charlotte came to his aid. He died, leaving his youngest brother Henry as the last Stuart pretender to the throne. Henry was a Cardinal and therefore fathered no children so with his death the Stuart dynasty came to an end.

I enjoyed the book and found it useful for someone with limited knowledge of this time period. Not very detailed with but a good overview of events.

Heroic exploits, tragic figure.......2000-12-15

One has to look at the vicissitudes of life in the great tragic figures of history, Cortes, Columbus, Napoleon, etc., to find precedents in the relatively obscure life of Charles Edward Stuart, "The Great Young Pretender," Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Although towards the latter part of his life he came to stoop very low, he had, as a young man, decades earlier, reached out very high unto the stars with unwavering courage and determination in his conquest of Scotland and England. His defeat at Culloden in 1746 precipitated tragically what can only be described as the genocide of the Scottish Highlanders.

What a life! The life of Bonnie Prince Charlie is a study of human nature at its extreme. Belatedly, devastatingly, he found out the cruel fact that despite his forceful, determined personality, he was not the master of his own destiny. Be that as it may, he came to be vindicated.

This is a magnificent book of a great, albeit obscure, tragic figure of history.

Miguel A. Faria, Jr., M.D. is Editor-in-Chief of the Medical Sentinel of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), and author of Vandals at the Gates of Medicine (1995) and Medical Warrior: Fighting Corporate Socialized Medicine (1997).

Good general biography of Prince Charles Edward Stuart.......1998-02-06

This was a good summary of a lot of secondary source material on Bonnie Prince Charlie, condensed into a fairly short biography. It's an enjoyable leisurely read, but don't look for depth, great detail, or anything like original thought about Prince Charlie and what he meant in the context of Scottish, English, European, or Catholic history in the 18th century. This is not a good text for anyone already familiar with the Jacobites and looking for any new scholarship on the subject.

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Perfect appetizer for a Highland visit
All the information you need, in an attractive package

The Flight of Bonnie Prince Charlie
Hugh Douglas
Manufacturer: Sutton Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

The flight of Bonnie Prince Charlie was one of history's greatest manhunts. It created Scotland's most treasured legend during 1746, when Charles Edward, heir to the Stuart throne, was ruthlessly hunted down after the Battle of Culloden. This book tells the story of his flight.

Customer Reviews:

Perfect appetizer for a Highland visit.......2003-06-13

One of the things I love about traveling is getting a good sense of the history of a place I'm visiting. I bought "Flight of Bonnie Prince Charlie" in anticipation of a trip to Scotland, and it was perfect for that purpose. Although it provides an excellent history, it seems designed for the visitor; it's equal parts travel and history.

This book gives a day-by-day description of the Prince's 5 months in hiding from the British before he was able to escape to France. He trekked hundreds of miles on foot, in disguise (once, famously, as a ladies' maid!), sometimes passing within earshot of the soldiers hunting him. The book is liberally illustrated with modern photographs of the particular glens and mountains Charlie passed by, as well as reproductions of painted portraits, etc. of the main participants.

Even better, each part of Charlie's escape is accompanied by a detailed map showing where he was on almost a night-by-night basis. In the appendix there are even driving directions and a list of relevant places for tourists to visit.

If you don't know the story behind Charlie's daring escape, you could not start at a better place.

All the information you need, in an attractive package.......2000-10-24

The authors manage to tell the story of Prince Charles Edward Stuart's flight from the disaster that was the Battle of Culloden in vivid detail without including so much detail as to become tedious. Coupled with the inclusion of wonderful photography and maps, this book leaves the reader with a full grasp of what the pleasant Prince and his various protectors, guides and benefactors went through during his five months as a fugitive in the Scottish countryside.

The authors also gave great detail, without undue romanticism, of young Flora MacDonald's role in the Prince's escape.

Customer Reviews:

TO REGAIN A THRONE.......2003-10-22

Mr. McLaren weaves a fine tale about the "Young Pretender" Charles Edward Stuart a.k.a. Bonnie Prince Charlie. This books starts with his coming of age in Rome and his father's (the "Old Pretender") early failure to regain the throne for the Stuart Dynasty and his settling into a comfortable court in exile. This biography gives good insight into his reasoning and struggles with the Scottish army through out the campaign of the "Forty-Five" Jacobite rebellion and subsequent defeat at Culloden. The story does not end there. We follow Prince Charles through his 3-month journey through Scotland and escape back to the continent. His trials to continue the Jacobite cause and eventual settling down into a court of exile like his father. A good story told from a more Jacobite view, but nice to see that some attention is paid to his life after Culloden.

On the Trail of Bonnie Prince Charlie (On the Trail of)

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On the Trail of Bonnie Prince Charlie (On the Trail of)
David R Ross
Manufacturer: Luath Press Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Gentle Lochiel: The Cameron Chief and Bonnie Prince Charlie (Scots' Lives)

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The Gentle Lochiel: The Cameron Chief and Bonnie Prince Charlie (Scots' Lives)
John S. Gibson
Manufacturer: National Museums of Scotland
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

For devotees of Scottish history, the story of Donald Cameron (Lochiel), "the most amiable and accomplished of Highland heroes" (Sir Walter Scott).

'45: Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Untold Story of the Jacobite Rising

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Excellent account but biased outlook
A British civil war

'45: Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Untold Story of the Jacobite Rising
Christopher Duffy
Manufacturer: Cassell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0304355259

Book Description

The '45 Rising has been romanticised over the centuries in many books and films, and still arouses strong emotions in Scotland, but this is the first comprehensive history ever. It is based on original research in all available archives, including Swedish, French and German records. These make nonsense of the many popular histories based on self-serving accounts written by a few of the key participants. But it is no dry academic analysis. Christopher Duffy, the world's greatest authority on 18th century warfare, writes a vivid narrative that overturns many accepted 'facts' about The '45. His text is supported by numerous maps and a comprehensive guide to the key sites that can be visited today.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent account but biased outlook.......2006-08-25

Overall, I found Christopher Duffy's book on the Jacobite Rising of 1745 to be an excellent accounting of the events. The author reflects on his massive knowledge of 18th century warfare as he writes. He joined Stuart Reid in downplaying Lord George Murray while upgrading Prince Charles' abilities and leadership skills. The book reads like a revisionist point of view due to that stance. The author also considered all the options available to Prince Charles and his allies and discussed their options with clarity. The author's military aspects of the book proves to be superbly written, analysized and research. Its a thick book so military narrative proves to be detailed. The author also gives plenty of background material on Jacobites conspiracies prior to 1745 for a better understanding of the situation. The reader will get a clear and understandable perceptive of the military affair of the Jacobite revolt of 1745. In this aspects, the book is one of the best ever written.

Where I have a bone to pick with Mr. Duffy lies in his political assessment and his pro-Jacobite leaning reflecting that. While he's never openly biased regarding military matters, he seem to be very biased politically toward Charles and his Jacobite revolt. In choosing to called the British government troops and generals "Hanoverians" is pretty cheap and historically inaccurate. George II is second king of the new dynasty. His right to British kingdom is beyond doubt much like Henry V stood clear of his father, Henry IV who took the throne from Ricahrd II. Catholic House of Stuart have no true claims anymore and Jacobite forces were rebels forces fighting against a legal British government and her troops. Mr. Duffy also forgot (which seem bit weird to point this out) at what ease Prince Charles' grandfather, King James II was driven out from his throne during the Glorious Revolution of 1688. That itself should remind the author that Britain will never tolerate a Catholic ruler. Even if the Jacobite won London, chased George II out, it would only be matter of time before the nation aroused itself against a Catholic prince and then there will be another "Glorious Revolution". Outcome of the the 1745 revolt was doomed to began with. It was only matter of time. What surprised me a little is why someone like Christopher Duffy don't seem to understand that.

The book reflects strongly on the military aspects of the campaign but poorly on the political aspects due to the author's lack of perception. Considering that the author is considered to be one of the foremost historians of this period and an Englishman, I found his lack of perception puzzling. Still, the book come highly recommended because its more of a military history book and that is where the book remains strong. The political aspects appears to be reflect the author's personal opinion and thankfully, it not reflected too often in the book. "Hanoverian" term remains one of the consistence reminder of author's biased.

A well read individual on this subject should benefit greatly from reading this book. (I leaned toward 4 Stars instead of 3 due to military narrative of the book.)

A British civil war.......2006-07-09

Christopher Duffy has written a thorough and readable history of the Jacobite rising of 1745-6. He explains the historical context for the rebellion and in great detail describes the events and the battles which took place. In doing so he exposes many of the myths which have developed over time about Bonnie Prince Charlie, his army and his cause. Duffy shows that the Jacobites were made up of people from all over the British Isles not just Highlanders; that this was not straightforwardly a fight between England and Scotland, for many Scots supported the Hanoverians and many English supported the Stuarts. The rebellion was thus a British civil war, a conflict between dynasties.

One of the best aspects of the book is the analysis of how nearly the Jacobites succeeded. Duffy shows that the rising was not some hopelessly romantic, doomed from the start attempt to restore a lost cause. The Jacobites reached as far as Derby in the English Midlands and if they had pressed on to London, as Prince Charles wanted, they might have won. Duffy shows that there was little in their way, and that the outcome although far from certain, offered a realistic chance of success. The decision to retreat from Derby was therefore truly momentous for from that moment the rising was bound to fail eventually.

In his account it is clear where Duffy's sympathies lie, though he never ceases to be objective. It is obvious that he considers the Jacobite cause, of restoring the Stuarts, to be essentially just and that the George II, the Elector of Hanover was the real usurper. It is certainly true that "young pretender" had a better hereditary claim to the throne than the man who was sitting on it. In general Bonnie Prince Charlie comes out well from Duffy's account. He is shown to be an able military leader who inspired his forces and very nearly won a kingdom.

Duffy's book is well illustrated and has many useful maps. There are a number of typographical errors, but nothing that gets in the way of understanding the text. This is probably the best account of the '45 available, written by a military historian who really understands the period.

Bonnie Prince Charlie: Charles Edward Stuart

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Bonnie Prince Charlie: Charles Edward Stuart
Frank McLynn
Manufacturer: Random House UK
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The '45: Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Untold Story of the Jacobite Rising

ASIN: 0712605665
Release Date: 2003-07-28

Book Description

Who was this man Charles Edward Stuart who became known to legend as Bonnie Prince Charlie? Frank McLynn pursues this fascinating question in his highly acclaimed study of the "Young Pretender," whose unsuccessful challenge to the Hanoverian throne was followed by the crushing defeat at Culloden in 1746. The prince was to play out the rest of his career dogged by a sense of failure and betrayal. Yet Frank McLynn argues powerfully that failure was far from inevitable, and history in 1745 came closer to taking a quite different turn.

Bonnie Prince Charlie: A Tale of Fontenoy & Culloden (Works of G. A. Henty)

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Ronald Leslie's story: a story of bravery

Bonnie Prince Charlie: A Tale of Fontenoy & Culloden (Works of G. A. Henty)
G. A. Henty
Manufacturer: Preston-Speed Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Customer Reviews:

Ronald Leslie's story: a story of bravery.......2001-03-27

As Henty points out in his preface it is perhaps better that Prince Charles' attempt to win back his father's throne failed. For if the end of the battle had been different at Culloden it "might have been followed in time by another revolution, another expulsion of the Stuarts..." The hero in this story is Ronald Leslie, who as a young child is smuggled out of France, and from out of the clutches of the king of France. For Ronald's father, a young soldier, had married the daughter of Marquis de Recambours. The Marquis is a noble who objected strongly to his daughter's association with a common soldier, and in fact was not even told of what had taken place. When the Marquis learned what his daughter had done, she was shut up in a convent and Colonel Leslie was put in a dungeon. Ronald grows up in the household of Andrew and Janet Anderson, whose brother had escaped with Ronald out of France. Suspicions are aroused against Ronald when he warns a Jacobite leader of the police who are coming to get him. But Ronald manages to keep out of farther trouble, with Andrew's help. Time goes on, and before long Ron and Malcolm are off to find out if Ron's father is still alive, and to see about rescuing him and his wife. But danger threatens, and after dueling with Duke of Chateaurouge Ronald must fly. So it is that the two become mixed up in Prince Charles fight for the throne of James the second. This is an exciting story, and also an excellent history lesson about Britain's history.

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