In recent years Scotland has become a country with an abundance of excellent crime novelists and Douglas Skelton is one of the very best of them. This novel launches an excellent new historical series set in the early years of the eighteenth century as the Jacobites battle to take back the Crown from the unpopular George of Hanover.
The quality of the writing is pitch-perfect, bringing to life in vivid and evocative detail London and Edinburgh in a fabulous mix of historical facts and inventive fiction. The premise is full of plot and counter plot, and twists and turns at breakneck pace.
Jonas Flynt is an unforgettable character in a novel full of extraordinary characters and deft characterisation. It is impossible not to fall for such a loveable rogue. His story is totally engrossing and I am happy to be addicted to reading all of his adventures.

The Honourable Thief was such an enjoyable read. Introducing Jonas Flynt in the first book in a new series, the story follows Flynt as he races to solve a mystery in early modern Britain.

This is such an atmospheric read, my first by the author, and was impressed how gritty and realistic the book came across. Perfect for fans of Andrew Taylor and SJ Parris.

Ill definitely be checking out future books in the series.

Jonas Flynt is ordered to recover a missing document. Its contents could prove devastating in the wrong hands. One that could decide the fate of the nation. Set in the 18th century this was an exciting read, with twists and turns to challenge our hero who is an ex soldier.

It’s a well researched novel and drew me in, I look forward to reading more of the author’s work!

I love some political espionage and historical fiction set around interesting times. Queen Anne has died and the line of succession is brought into question. It is up to Jonas Flynt to determine what is really supposed to happen. The pacing was quick and the setting was masterfully described. I loved this book. I read it in one sitting and enjoyed every moment. Cannot wait for the next one!

Skelton uses this sympathy of Anne for her half-brother to create the plotline for the first in his series. Did Anne leave a will naming her half-brother as her successor - and what are the repercussions if such a document was to come to light. Enter the shadowy Colonel Nathaniel Charters and his Company of Rogues; and Charles Talbot, Duke of Shrewsbury and Lord High Treasurer, a life long Catholic who was in secret communication with James after Anne's death. Whose side either of them are on is open for question.

Skelton does well to convey the atmosphere of secrecy, betrayal and rebellion that permeated the lives of those not only in England but also Scotland, where politics was not just based upon party and family lines but religion as well.

I am looking forward to the next in this historical fiction crime series.

Anyone who enjoys a good historical mystery and likes an edgy, charismatic protagonist is going to enjoy reading this book !
A complex, suspenseful plot with tension so thick that it felt palpable.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Canelo for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a very well-researched, well-written interesting historical thriller with a compelling character at the centre of it and a cast of other characters who enrich the storyline.

I liked Jonas Flynt and, in this first novel of (I hope) many, we get a real idea of what his character is all about - his history, his motivations and his surprising ethical core.

Douglas Skelton's books have always been a must read for me, so I am glad that I had the opportunity to read this book and look forward to more in the future of the Company of Rogues.

A well constructed thriller by a talented author. This is my first book by this author, and it's a good one. I hope this sells well. I'm going to have to circle back to his earlier works.

Thanks very much for the free review copy for review!!

I recently discovered Douglas Skelton's thriller and I'm loving them. This one is a well plotted and compelling historical mystery that kept me hooked.
The well researched historical background is vivid and the solid mystery kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is an historical thriller full of deception , treachery , lies and twist and turns - where a badly damaged spy/adventurer needs to overcome the visions of past battles to find a rumoured will ......... a will that would cast doubt on the succession and stir a rebellion if it came to light .

The book started fairly slowly in the beginning but soon picked up pace - an enjoyable read

The Author is new to me but based on this offering I would definitely read more of his books in the future

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

Set in Jacobite Edinburgh and London this is a rousing tale of adventure, full of twists and turns. The main character, Jonas Flynt, is a man with a dark and violent past, and whose talents are highly sought. When rumours of a will naming a Stuart as King abound, Flynt is the man tasked with finding such a document….

Thanks to NetGalley and Camelot for the Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a great book. I loved the Jonas Flynt character. He comes across as someone who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty yet hasn’t forgotten his humanity, a subject that is often missing from stories of this period. This mixture of his character I assume is where the title comes from but the development of the story lays out not just how he got to where he was but also why he has this interesting personality mixture. I didn’t see the conclusion of the story coming at all and yet it felt like this was the ideal end to the story. I hope we’ll be hearing more from Jonas Flynt as this book lays out a nice foundation for (hopefully) more stories like this one.

1715 Did the late Queen Anne leave a Will naming her half-brother, Catholic James Stuart, her heir to the Kingdom. Colonel Charters assigns one of his Company of Rogues, Jonas Flynt, to find the document. But he is not the only one searching.
A well-written fast paced historical thriller and mystery with its cast of likeable and interesting characters. A good start to this new series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The date is 1714. Queen Anne has died at Kensington Palace in London, the last of the line of the Stuart rulers. The throne therefore passes to the German King William of the Hanoverian dynasty. There is a rumour around the court that the late Queen made a secret Will that gave the throne to her half brother James Stuart, Catholic, known as the old pretender, and who lives in exile in France.
Jonas Flynt, an ex soldier, a thief, killer and adventurer and a member of the Company of Rogues, is despatched by Colonel Charters to find this document, and returning it to London to prevent a rebellion. If the document falls into Jacobite hands, it will throw doubt on the Hanoverian succession. Jonas is a Scot, but left several years ago and hasn’t kept in touch with any of his old childhood friends, some of whom he last saw on the battlefield at Malplaquet. Jonas suffered flashbacks of the skirmishes and deaths he saw there, this can affect him badly, very realistically in some graphic details at times.
Once the action moved to Scotland, this novel became a real page turner, so much deception, treachery, and events that , although based on real life events still had the power to bring a lump to the throat and tears to the eyes, poor Charlie indeed.
Flynt has some family secrets revealed that add an extra impetus to his dealings with certain people, and there is a final twist to be revealed, a betrayal of a childhood friend is a hard cross to bear, it took me completely by surprise!.
I found this to be full of meticulous research, but found that slowed down the flow of narration.
There was much repetition at the beginning, it fleshed out the characters, but at times was confusing.
The use of Scottish dialect was judged well, and did add to the novel, but I found my attention being diverted to a dictionary several times, which broke my concentration.
The book really picked up for me about 25% in , when we were introduced to childhood friends, parents and those streets of Edinburgh, the interaction between young men and their older selves was really interesting and informative, the personal relationships and historical facts mixed well. I liked Tact, Diplomacy and Surprise very much!
A perfect book for fans of CJ Sansom, and SG Maclean, and the first in a planned series, I’m looking forward to further adventures with Jonas.
My thanks to Netgalley and Canelo the publishers, for my advance digital copy in exchange for my honest review. A five star read.

Douglas Skelton has written a cracker of a historical novel in An Honourable Thief. It is a fascinating blend of fact and fiction with a fantastic protagonist in Jonas Flynt, a well-defined and richly atmospheric sense of place and great style and pace throughout.

Set in the time of the Jacobite rebellion, the action moves between London and Edinburgh with a trip to the battlefields of Sherrifmuir. Our protagonist, Jonas Flynt, is scarred from the battles of his past and is now in hock to Colonel Nathaniel Chambers, a man with an extensive network of spies known as The Company of Rogues, which he purports to run on behalf of the Crown.

It is 1715 and Queen Anne has recently passed. Rumours abound of a letter she may have written naming her Catholic half-brother, The Old Pretender, James Francis Edward Stuart as her heir and therefore King. But there is no sign of this letter and Chambers charges Flynt to find it and bring it to him.

Of course Flynt is not by far the only one searching for a letter which could change the course of history and Skelton has laid in store for him a range of formidable enemies, not the least of whom is the delightful Madame de Fontaine, a worthy adversary.

In pursuit of the letter, Flynt has to face up to his past; a past he ran away from many years ago, leaving his family, friends and his lover, Cassie without a word. Now he must return to his birthplace, Edinburgh, and make amends as best he can.

Skelton’s writing is engaging and his characters leap from the page practically begging you to embrace them. They are richly drawn, vivid and easy to envisage in the mind’s eye. The action is taken at a rollicking pace and there are many revelations and twisty moments as Jonas tries to work his way through a quagmire of lies and betrayal in pursuit of his goal.

Verdict: There’s lots of intrigue, action and emotion in this historical novel which balances the personal and the historical rather beautifully to produce a rip-roaring novel that I’d be happy to gift to anyone this Christmas. This is the start of a new series and if the others are as good as this, I’ll happily sign up to read the lot!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review “An Honourable Thief.” All opinions and comments are my own.

This rousing “historical adventure thriller” finds ex-soldier Jonas Flynt caught between his Scottish family and friends and the necessity of fulfilling his (unwelcome) duty to the English court in “An Honourable Thief.” It becomes quite the page-turner, filled with derring-do and dark alleys, an alluring femme fatale, and plenty of crosses and double-crosses. Author Douglas Skelton, acknowledged for his many contemporary crime novels, obviously knows his way around “the mean streets,” whether it’s 21st century or 17th century Edinburgh.

Our premise: Did Queen Anne leave a will naming her Catholic half-brother, James as her successor? The Succession to the Crown Act says the Hanoverian Elector George Louis, conveniently Protestant, must come and take the throne. Can’t have a Catholic! Obviously, this document better not exist. And if it does exist, it’s got to be found and made to disappear. And that’s where Jonas comes in, for it becomes known that “a document” is supposedly in Scotland, being offered to the highest bidder.

Jonas Flynt is a fully-realized protagonist, definitely a man of action. You’ll learn much about him, including a lot of family drama. Ah, just to be clear - there are a couple of rather horrific scenes, when Jonas is having flashbacks to some battlefield memories. They are very graphic, so be advised.

And for the history buffs, there’s quite a bit of that going around, too, with real people and historical topics included. If you know anything about James Stuart, the “Old Pretender,” as he was popularly styled, that knowledge can only come in handy. And near the end readers are at the Battle of Sheriffmuir, where all that has gone before comes to a head for Jonas -- and others. Finally, there’s rather an interesting “twist,” if you can call it that. I thought it was kind of a late-down after everything else, but that’s just me. This is the first in a series, so Jonas has definitely got work to do, and there are characters he will be meeting up with again, no doubt; remember that femme fatale I mentioned. “An Honourable Thief” delivers on that premise of “adventure thriller,” and should keep your attention from the beginning.

The end of the book offers up author’s notes which talk about the history behind the story, and what’s known about “that will.” Let’s just say that the American colonies gained their independence from a Protestant king, not a Catholic one. But that’s a bit in the future, isn’t it.

‘An Honourable Thief’ is the start of a brand new series from Douglas Skelton and boy does it land with a bang! It's a compulsive page-turner of a historical thriller and I devoured it. The atmospheric settings of gritty London and Edinburgh in the 1700s lend themselves to an action-packed narrative where the protagonist stands tall and proud. Jonas Flynt is going to be a character that flies and success for this series would be well deserved!

Jonas Flynt is an ex-soldier and a member of the Company of Rogues set up by the spymaster, Nathaniel Charters. Flynt is tasked to locate and secure a document penned by the late Queen Anne. It's contents could change the course of history as she may have promised the throne to her half-brother James, the Old Pretender, rather than King George I. The trail takes Flynt from London to Edinburgh where he has to also face personal demons!

Gosh, I just loved this book! I'm such a nerd for historical fiction and I am so glad that Denzel Meyrick challenged Douglas to write a full historical fiction novel as it was brilliant. Packed full of rich details that meant the story felt authentic and fully set in its period. The inclusion of historical events being weaved into the story allowed the reader to learn about Scotland and it's history. The writing in this tale was excellent and meant you were able to imagine the setting and the characters with ease. Flynt was the standout for me - ex-soldier, suffering of PTSD, hiding behind walls but with a true sense of right and wrong! His background was well developed and I can't wait to see where his story takes us!

Let me know if you pick this one up!

Full teaser review to be published 23 September 2022 at https://wellreadpiratequeen.blogspot.com/2022/09/blog-post.html

I felt a little strange about the timing of this since I started it about an hour before learning of Queen Elizabeth II's passing … and it begins with the passing of Queen Anne. I kind of just let it sit and stew for a few days while I grieved and tried to wrap my head around things.

Of course, the two women were wildly different. QEII left a legacy that spanned almost a century … as well as a line of legitimate heirs. Anne's reign was far shorter (a mere ___ years) and there were no surviving children for easy succession. There was, however, a half-brother in Scotland and rumor of a secret will that would give him the throne. The brother, of course (well, "of course" if you're as much of a nerd about such things as I am), was James Francis Edward Stuart.

Jonas Flynt, a former soldier and current member of the clandestine Company of Rogues, was tasked with finding the will … assuming it even existed … and this is our story.

Oh, what a story it is!

Flynt is amazing. He's cynical and snarky and will fight for what and whom he believes in … and, if paid enough, even for what and whom he doesn't.

****************************************
‘Tell me, Flynt, you do not believe in kings or princes,’ said Charters. ‘You do not believe in nobles or politicians. Not the law nor the judiciary. Not God nor clergy. Is there anything in this world that you do believe in?’

Flynt thought for a moment before he answered. ‘I believe in Tact and Diplomacy, Colonel.’ He picked up his slender silver stick from where it rested against the arm of his chair. ‘And when that fails, Surprise.’
****************************************

Tact and Diplomacy are Flynt's pistols.

Surprise is the blade hidden in his cane.

I love this man.

All sorts of Bernard Cornwell vibes were going on when I was reading and that is never a bad thing. There's quite a lengthy backlog of Skelton books on Goodreads and I may venture into some of his other non-historical series at some point, but even if this is all I ever read I will still call myself a fan.

I'll begin saying I'm impressed by the fact I'm giving four stars to a book in... I don't know, a century probably. But Skelton really plucked them from me. Historical fiction is one of my favourite genre but I keep being disappointed by the latest books that I approached this one with my usual merciless lack of faith. The story and the storytelling looked promising from the very beginning but I wasn't keen to give a positive critique until I reached the end. I found myself so surprised at about 75% through because the book was keeping the wavelength.

First of the writing style — oh my goodness, what a delight. Skelton really put black on white everything I think a book should have. The form was fluid, totally readable, with various divergences between a "higher" English and a street version of it, with a beautiful characterisation of the Scottish speech as well when the storyline moved to the Highlands, but none of them being unpleasant, heavy or redundant.
Descriptions were always (I'll stress this — always) on point, carefully thought, maintaining a sense of modesty from the writer and at the same time giving a perfect picture of everything composing the scene.
The main character, albeit not my cup of tea in his entirety, was splendidly delineated, coherent until the very end; but I believe what made it so winning was the fact that the reader was constantly inside his mind — every sensation and every thought were there for the reader to acknowledge, definitely giving the right kick for that necessary bond between external participant and the protagonist of the story. Another relief sigh came from discovering Jonny's is the only point of view in the book (besides one or two cuts dedicated to Charters but that's a minor thing) — just one character but properly drawn makes all the difference between a good book and a failing one. The other characters of the book were credible, too. There's fogginess around some (as in Jonny's father) but I'm one of those who thinks the world is better with a little mystery. I could see Jonny's childhood friends transparently and anything from them came predictably and smoothly (again, coherence is key). Marginal figures in the story such as Blueskin and Dan were (unthinkably) my favourite such was the complexity Skelton gave them in a few descriptive lines about their behaviour/personality. Nothing is meaningless in a story and this is but a proof of the writer's skill in creating three-dimensional and bonding pawns for the reader. Wild, too, is an absolute gemstone — I do have a soft spot for the bad guys in a story because, let's face it, without them to steer the waters there wouldn't be any story to tell, but there only seem to be poor antagonist or very dimwitted criminals that there's hardly a challenge altogether. Here we have a complexity which one would expect and which was very likely to happen in a historical setting.
But more than anything (and I'd like to shout this lungs raging) Skelton managed to create a fantastic female character which doesn't make me feel like it was there just for a sexual component. She is truly intelligent and a rogue worth her salt. 10/10 for Ms la Fontaine.
Also the ending was written in a well studied fashion: it lets us with enough suspence, clearly announcing a sequel to the chapter, but without the protagonist making one of those absurd scene exiting that I so often see in vindicators tales.
5 stars would be given to these points alone.

The story overall had a lot of clichés and several parts that one can easily recognise being taken here and there from a movie or another universe (a quick example would be the encounter with Blueskin while Jonny was with Belle, which reminded of Megan Fox and Josh Brolin in "Jonah Hex") but that's normal enough for characters like Jonas Flynt. In fact, they add salt to the novel because the reader knows them so well.

Now, you might wonder — why 4 stars rather than 5?
I am stingy with my stars, I know full well, and I reserve them to books that truly enamour me. "A honourable thief" flanked that border but it didn't surpass it. Perhaps I expected more from the tête à tête with Moncrieff as well as a coming back to Colonel Charters at the end. The title, too, had a bit of the misleading. I imagined a team of scoundrels working shoulder to shoulder with Flynt or that an organisation would be founded at the end of the will mission but it didn't go that way at all.
Surely I expect a following chapter on the same line as this one and I can happily say I'll be waiting impatiently for it, hopefully with my beloved Christy, Blueskin and Wild.

Last but not least, I would like to give special thanks to NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange of a honest review. I'm glad I got to discover Douglas Skelton and his delightful world and impeccable writing.

This historical crime thriller is perfect for fans of Andrew Taylor, C J Sansom, S G Maclean and many other notable historical crime writers. Starting with the death of Queen Anne we see the machinations of the politicians protecting the throne from her exiled Catholic half brother James Stuart. Enter Jonas Flynt, a man with a dangerous past who is part of Colonel Charters Company of Rogues, he is commanded to search for a dangerous document which could bring chaos to the throne. With a fine cast of support characters, a pacy plot , solid historical details and some nice twists to boot, this will tick alot of historical readers boxes.