Bulletin Board

Dear Sir, I have just completed reading an old story of yours called "A Crowning Mercy" which I enjoyed, but I am curious to know why it does not appear in any of your book lists. I am slowly reading your Sharpe collection in the correct chronological order and I am now waiting for Sharpe's Escape. May I congratulate you on a brilliant series and ask what you thought of the Television adaptations. Once again many thanks for all of the pleasure your books have given me. Regards Peter Hudson

Me again. Noticed in your reading club The Iron Duke by Richard Holmes. Thought your readers might like to know he has another written with Hugh Bicheno, . Redcoats and Rebels. To accompany his equally great BBC television series. Professor Holmes also did War Walks books and TV series (BBC again) and that included a very good chapter about Waterloo. Regards Nigel James

Hi, I was reading your website and noticed how frustrated you were about the name of "Harlequin" being changed to "The Archer's Tale" in the U.S. I just wanted to try to ease your mind a little. I think "harlequin" must mean two fairly different things on the two sides of the Atlantic. Over here, it really is more associated with romance novels. More than romance readers picking your book by accident, I think more readers that would be interested in your book would not have picked it up in the first place (I would likely fall into the later category, as I was not previously familiar with your work). Anyway, I understand why you are upset and I know it will still bother you about the name change, but I hope this will take some of the sting out of it, knowing that it brought some people (for surely I am not the only one) to your work. Thanks, Allen Knight

Totally disagree with Isabelle about Gallows Thief! I enjoyed it a lot! And for my point of view Sandman isn't two dimensional at all. He is 100% British officer and gentleman, so help him God! David Shnayderman

Just finished Heretic, the 23rd book of yours I've read. Read many other authors in the same genre, but no one comes close. Very readable, very good stories. Happy to be able to compliment you on them. John Robertson

What are you doing reading this useless email when you could be writing more and more incredible stories. Thank you for The Grail Quest and your other works. I have my brother hooked on The Arthur Books and I won't share mine with him. I thought one more custormer would make you write more. Stop reading these fan letters and get back to work. Bruce Young

I'm glad to hear Sharpe is still a live concern and that we can expect to see more of his antics. Much as I love Sharpe, though, I do have to say that the Arthur series was by far your best work (in my opinion, of course!!). Thanx for all the hours of enjoyment! Joe Roberts

More tales of Rider Sandman PLEASE!!!! and of his friends too..Marius Geary

I was interested in the question and your answer about the pronunciation of "lieutenant". My dad served in the Royal Canadian Navy for 20 years, and he always pronounced it l'tenant. Neither "loo", like the Americans, nor "left", but an elision. He said that this was traditional in the navy - since I took everything he told me as gospel, and he was a confirmed anglophile, I assume that may have been the case in the Royal Navy as well. Jeanie Dubberley

I hope you DON'T write a sequel to Gallows Thief!! I have read all your published books, including the Susannah Kells' trio, and the above is the only one I didn't enjoy. I avoided it for quite a while, because I didn't see you in the Agatha Christie mode and it looked so morbid from the cover. However, in the end, the praise from other readers persuaded me to buy a copy... It is morbid, the plot is difficult to swallow and Sandman is two-dimensional. This got me thinking, because all your books are rather savage. But somehow you get away with it - I think because: a) the savagery is realistic - for example, the playing with bones and fortune telling from entrails in the Arthur series must be nearer the reality of the period than the Troubadour-Age, chivalric-tradition -inspired accounts which started off the modern Arthur legends. b) this is coupled with a certain wry, dry humour - which allows the books to be novels, not just social commentary on the awfulness of the period. c) je ne sais quoi. I've never seen such negative feedback as this on your website! Understandably so! So will understand if this doesn't appear! However, I can fully concur with your readers' appreciation of the other books. I agree that it would be better if you could write them in a couple of days, and it took a few weeks to read them... though I'm not sure how the finances would work for you in that situation! ...Looking forward to the next one! Isabelle Griffith