The Custom of the Army (Novella)

Diana Gabaldon, bestselling author of the acclaimed Outlander series, weaves an engrossing tale of war, history, and suspense in this original novella—now available as a standalone eBook—featuring returning hero Lord John Grey.

London, 1759. After a high society electric-eel party leads to a duel that ends badly, Lord John Grey feels the need to lie low for a while. Conveniently, before starting his new commission in His Majesty’s army, Lord John receives an urgent summons. An old friend from the military, Charlie Carruthers, is facing court-martial in Canada, and has called upon Lord John to serve as his character witness. Grey voyages to the New World—a land rife with savages (many of them on his own side) and cleft by war—where he soon finds that he must defend not only his friend’s life but his own.

Praise for Diana Gabaldon’s novels featuring Lord John Grey 

“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, on The Scottish Prisoner

“[A] thoroughly entertaining and wonderfully witty historical mystery set in the richly detailed, occasionally bawdy world of Georgian England.”—Booklist, on Lord John and the Private Matter

“From London’s literary salons and political intrigue to fearsome battle scenes in the Seven Years’ War, [Diana Gabaldon’s] writing is always vivid and often lyrical.”—The Washington Post, on Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade