Australian author Geoff Quaife uses his considerable talents as a scholar and historian in this first volume of the Luke Tremayne Adventure Series, creating a fast-paced tale of seventeenth-century intrigue. The story begins at a gallop in 1648 as Cromwell summons top agent Tremayne to notify him of his new mission to investigate the murder of Colonel Angus McGregor. The commander of Castle James in northern Tipperary, England’s most westerly garrison, McGregor is mysteriously killed far from his post—outside the gates of Dublin. In his possession are “remnants of a treasure trove that, if complete, could keep an army in the field forever.” Tremayne is charged with locating and securing that Spanish silver in order to hold Dublin Castle until the arrival of Cromwell.

Tremayne is a seventeenth-century James Bond, and we soon find him quaffing drink and seeking adventure in the arms of the attractive women who populate his world. Readers will enjoy guessing who will be the next conquest or femme fatale. Throughout his journeys, he’s often thwarted by a Royalist gentlewoman who calls herself Arabella McGregor, supposedly the sister of the slain commander. But who is she really? Eventually, he finds solace and even real love with a sexy herbalist named Red Kate. There’s some lack of character development amidst a compelling plot, and at times the background history is conveyed through dialogue rather than revealing it in the narrative (though both omissions highlight the narrative tension). The surprising twists and turns finally lead Tremayne into the Wicklow Mountains where he must compete with the priest of a secret Catholic refuge to find the hidden silver. Predictably, a final cliffhanger upends Tremayne’s balance but leaves him on the threshold of more adventures.

Return to USR Home