As a Primary School headteacher I suppose I ought to be the kind who reads lots of books, and who commands a great knowledge of litereary giants of the last 20 years or so! OOOPPS!! If that’s a pre-requisite I’m afraid I am sadly lacking and should tender my resignation now!! However, in the last 3 yeras I can put my hand up and say I have read three wonderful books, just the three!!, that have captivated me throughout and had me flicking back and forth to find out what might happen, much to the annoyance of my wife:- a seasoned reader who insists you must read every page in the order written and not jump on!! It’s lucky I have read them considering my record of reading but nevertheless the 3 Saxon series books have been excellent. I don’t know what it is about that era, maybe i have Saxon or Viking blood being from Yorkshire like, but the stories were so vivid, especially The Lords of the North with all the local links!! I congratulate you on the standard of detail and excitement you bring to the stories, something that so few books have in my eyes, and which has resulted in me only ‘properly’ reading 3 in the last 3 years!! One year between novels is a long time. I do hope the next one isn’t too long in coming! Meanwhile, maybe I could start writing a screenplay for the books…..it would be brilliant on TV!!! Mark Ford