Hawkwood by James McGee

Hawkwood: A Regency Crime Thriller by James McGee --- 410 pages

I'm a fan of historical fiction and the Regency Period, and I also like police thrillers, and this book, first of a series, combines all three genres for a very satisfying read. McGee's Matthew Hawkwood is the proverbial worldweary cop with a personal code of honor well concealed beneath his hardbitten exterior.

Hawkwood is an extraordinary marksman, cashiered from the Duke of Wellington's Rifle Brigade, then recruited by the Duke's spymaster to work behind enemy lines with the Spanish guerrilleros resisting the French occupation of Spain. When he returns to England he is specially recommended to Chief Magistrate James Read for his elite force of Bow Street Runners, special investigative officers of the Bow Street Magistrate's Court (precurser to London's Metropolitan Police Force). Bow Street Runners were often brought in to investigate crimes when the usual recourses had failed.

Because of Hawkwood's military experience and his reputation as a ruthless and intrepid investigator, Read calls upon him to handle the most sensitive undercover assignments. In this initial outing (originally published in Great Britain under the title Rat-Catcher), Hawkwood is assigned to discover the highwaymen who waylaid and robbed a coach on the Kent Road, brutally killing both the coachman and one of the passengers, a naval courier.

It soon transpires that the courier and the documents he carried were the real target of the alleged highwaymen. It is 1811 and a critical moment in the long-running war between Great Britain and her allies and the forces of Napoleon. The British High Command are convinced that British naval superiority and control of the seas are the key to winning the war. Now it appears that Napoleon has a new secret weapon that he plans to deploy with devastating effect against the British Navy. Hawkwood is desperately tracking down the conspirators, but will he find them in time to prevent catastrophe?

With a story cleverly grounded in historical fact and speculation, an acton-packed plot, down to the wire suspense, and a gritty London Underworld setting, this is a great introduction to the series.

Rapscallion by James McGee

Rapscallion: A Regency Crime Thriller by James McGee --- 460 pages

As a fan of historical thrillers and the Regency Period, I'm always on the lookout for new authors that combine the two. McGee's Matthew Hawkwood is custom-made for fans of Horatio Hornblower, Richard Sharpe and Sebastian St. Cyr!

Matthew Hawkwood, a cashiered officer from Wellington's Rifle Brigade now works as a Bow Street Runner, an investigative officer working out of London's Bow Street Magistrate's Court (precurser to London's Metropolitan Police). Although most of Bow Street's remit involves civil crimes such as murder, body-snatching, highway robbery and fraud, Hawkwood's military experience and his reputation as a ruthless and determined investigator mean he is also called upon to handle undercover assignments involving conspiracies and national security.

In Rapscallion, third in the Hawkwood series, he is charged with discovering how French prisoners of war are escapng from the prison hulks --- and what happened to two military officers previously assigned to the task who vanished without a trace. Disguised as an American fighting for Napoleon, Hawkwood goes undercover as a prisoner on the prison hulk Rapacious anchored off Sheerness in Kent. To survive the grim conditions on shipboard, Hawkwood allies himself with a French privateer, Paul Lasseur. The two men discover that it is easy enough to arrange an escape, as long as they have money to pay their "fare." But then Hawkwood realizes the same smugglers' network that organizes prisoner escapes is also responsible for the missing naval officers as well as undermining the war effort, with the complicity of some of the most important and influential merchants and bankers in London. Conflicting loyalties, a well-constructed plot (wheels within wheels within wheels), nonstop action, historical accuracy and plenty of suspense make for a thrilling and intelligent read.

I recommend the entire series: Hawkwood (originally published under the title Ratcatcher), Resurrectionist, Rapscallion and Rebellion. James McGee is the pseudonym of Glen Moy, who was born in Kent but grew up as an Army brat in Gilbralter, Germany and Northern Ireland. Before establishing himself as a novelist, he worked in various trades, including banking, newspapers and bookselling. He now lives in Somerset, England.