Housecarl [Paperback]

Brings history to life as vividly as if you were watching a film...

…cleverly recalls a year in history when the land was awash with blood

…a great read…

A five-star read…

…a great read… there should be a film in it.

…fast paced, exciting and very absorbing… For people who like historical novels it is a must…

…extraordinary first novel… chilling descriptions of slaughter and carnage put the reader right at the heart of the savage conflict.

…accounts of the… battles in 1066… conjure up the atmosphere of the occasion and the brutality of the invading forces.

…the story is retold in graphic and sometimes gory detail… you can almost feel their passion and their pain.

It is 1066 and the storm clouds are gathering over England. Beyond the channel Duke William of Normandy prepares his great invasion. Far to the north Harald Hardraada, the warrior King of Norway, laya claim to the English throne. Caught between the two Harold Godwineson, the embattled English King, enlists the aid of his personal champion, Ranulf Redbeard to recruit man for his elite Housecarl regiment.

Laurence J. Brown is a partner in the law firm Morley, Brown & Co. and specialises in personal injuries. He lectures on the subject to other lawyers and barristers. He also talks on law and history to Women's Institutes, Probus clubs and church wives' groups. His interest in history decided him to write his first historical novel, Housecarl, which is on sale throughout the United Kingdom and now also the United States, Canada, Australia and South Africa. Several film companies are showing an interest in the film rights. He is working on a sequel, which he is hoping to have published later in 2004.

He shares Paul Mould's interest in the cinema and sees the best of the new releases but he naturally prefers historical epics. His writing style makes a book easy to read but hard to put down. His description of battles places the reader in the middle of the action, almost smelling the stench of sweat and blood.