“This could be the worthy Lord John Grey’s breakout novel, as readers are treated to large dollops of Outlander hero Jamie Fraser.”—Booklist A captivating return to the world Diana Gabaldon created in her Outlander and Lord John series, The Scottish Prisoner is a masterpiece of epic history, wicked deceit, and scores that can only be settled in blood. London, 1760. For Jamie Fraser, paroled …
London, 1760. For Jamie Fraser, paroled prisoner-of-war, life is coming apart at the seams. In the remote Lake District, where he’s close enough to the son he cannot claim as his own, Jamie’s quiet existence is interrupted first by dreams of his lost wife, then by the appearance of an erstwhile comrade still fighting to rally the Irish. But Jamie has sworn off politics, fighting, and war. Until Lord John Grey shows up with a summons that will take him away from everything he loves—again. Lord John is in possession of explosive documents that expose a damning case of corruption against a British officer. But they also hint at a more insidious danger. Soon Lord John and Jamie are unwilling companions on the road to Ireland, a country whose dark castles hold dreadful secrets, and whose bogs hide the bones of the dead.
Praise for The Scottish Prisoner
“Call it what you will—historical adventure, conspiracy thriller—it’s an engrossing story, masterfully paced, with exciting plot twists, swift reversals, and robust characterizations.”—The Globe and Mail
“As always, Gabaldon goes above and beyond. . . . If you love historical fiction, this book could be a good entrance point into the Outlander world.”—Bookreporter
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The best of the Lord John series. If you only read one, make it this one. Lots of Jamie Fraser and the backstory of how he and Lord John became friends in the Outlander series. Plus some endearing stories about Jamie’s son William. Recommend for Outlander fans who can’t wait for the next book.
Another awesome Lord John Grey/Outlander book by the divine Diana Gabaldon. Here we have both Lord John and Jamie (lots of). Life is good.
“It squeaked between his teeth like a live mouse”
Guess you’ll have to read the book to find out what “it” was 🙂
I’ve enjoyed the Lord John Grey novels, this one most of all as Grey and Jamie Fraser make a fine double act, and the latter features extensively in this tale.
if you’re invested in the Outlander series, this is absolutely worth a look – and if you know the story from TV only then this offers an exciting outing for Grey and Fraser set during Season Three but not at all referenced on screen.
Recommended.
All about Jamie and Lord John and the friendship they developed through mutual respect.
I’m ridiculously addicted to the Outlander series, have either read or listened to every book and side novel, have watched every episode and can’t wait for this Sunday’s Season 3 Episode 1!
Love everything Gabaldon has written! Owning the entire series has given me countless hours of rereading!
A very good book and page turner. The characters are well developed.
I am a fan of both the Outlander and Lord John Grey series so I was eager to grab up this book that is a crossover in a way as it is the 3.0 book in the Lord John Grey series and falls chronologically during the years in Voyager book three of the Outlander series. The plot is a continuation of the Lord John Grey plot threads, but it also alternates narration between John and Jamie.
The story continues a thread begun in A Custom of the Army novella from the Lord John Grey series and also fits chronologically during Voyager in the Outlander series. John and his brother, Hal the Duke of Pardloe, are planning to see Major Sniverly court-martialed for his thievery of army stores and lies about Carruthers, John’s friend’s character. In the process of going through Carruthers papers, they come across an odd poem about The Wild Hunt written in Erse. This odd clue leads to something much more complicated than the need to bring a thief to justice and it brings Jamie Fraser closely into Lord John’s company again. John isn’t easy about this after the way he left things with Fraser during their last encounter at Helwater.
Jamie finds himself blackmailed into assisting the Grey brothers with their quest even though he isn’t personally vested in their cause. Or that is until he reads the Wild Hunt poem and encounters an old friend from his Jacobite days that shares about another Jacobite plot afoot. His situation doesn’t set easy on him. Jamie’s honor, duty and loyalties are pulled in two directions. He navigates the intrigues and going on seeking to keep his oaths and promises hoping to keep his conscience clear. While he accompanies Lord John, Jamie’s thoughts drift to his wife and unknown child, his family at Lallybroch and his son at Helwater. In the end, he must figure out where his loyalties truly lay and make the decisions accordingly.
As I said, I was eager to get a book that filled in a bit of Jamie’s story during his time away from Claire at Helwater. I also like the dynamics of the enemy-friend thing going on between John and Jamie. The intrigue and twisting plot was definitely a plus to the strong character development. I love the mysteries that always accompany the Lord John stories. The story gets off to a slow start as it sets up for what is to come and seems to be checking in with all the key players like a reunion of sorts. Then it picks up speed and gets thrilling in spots.
This was the longest of the Lord John novels and had the most recurring characters moving through it. I have seen in a few places where it is said that the Lord John series can be read in any order. I’m going to say differently. As far as I’m concerned, the Lord John series really needs to be read in order. I read them in order and they do build on each other. This book is proof of that as there are mentions of several people and events from the earlier stories and there are plotlines that carry over through a few of them particularly the thing with the Twelvetrees family, the hostile situation between John and Jamie and even John’s friendship with Stephan. Now not to say that a person would be hopelessly lost if they grabbed this one up without reading all the other Lord John books, but they would miss out on a deeper experience.
As to other details about this book, I did enjoy the extra details in Hal and Minnie’s courtship and marriage. Their coming together deserves a story in its own right. I was also taken with the description of Jamie’s life at Helwater. It was so bittersweet reading it since he misses Claire so powerfully and struggles alone with his nightmares. The scenes with Jamie and little William were heartwarming and were Jamie’s bright spot. And as always, the historical backdrop was detailed, accurate and fascinating.
All in all, I found this engaging from cover to cover whether it was the time with favorite characters or the plot itself. Those who enjoy the Outlander world should definitely read this one.
Best author of historical fiction.
Loved how real the characters were. The tension and honesty was palpable. Great story , wonderful story teller.
This short book, in true Gabladon fashion, pursues historical informativeness in an unexpected setting. It isvery eell. Written, so well, it could make you uncomfortable to partake of the secret world it gives the reader entrance to.
Fantastic read!
A part of “The Highlander” and I’ve read them all – unfortunately – because now it’s ended – I am sad. One of the best novels I have read and I’m 84 years young with 3 Nooks and 1 Kindle.
Another background or side story about Jamie and Lord John.
Anything by Diana Gabaldon is so worth reading and re-reading
Great supplemental details to the Outlander series. The descriptions of how the prisoners lived was interesting…always sad that others felt that people in prison deserved to be treated worse than animals were. I know they had to “pay” for their crimes but the conditions were deplorable and if/when they were released they were supposed to lead exemplary lives with nothing to change the circumstances that landed them there in the first place.
This is a Lord John novel that tells how he and Jamie became friends. It introduces Lord John’s brother and his wife. Good compliment to the Outlander series.
Love it
Set after Claire returns to her time on the eve of Culloden.
Oh dear! Jamie as a young man in prison! Only Diana Gabaldon could make that absolutely outstanding. And she did!