Articles: 'Best of Men' book competition and online chat with ReadersPlace

Exclusive to CompletelyNovel.com members

Win one of 10 copies of Claire Letemendia’s The Best of Men and discuss the book live online with the author on 10th December, 7pm!

A gripping, brilliantly researched novel of conspiracy, passion and treason, set during the English Civil War.

Claire Letemendia will be logging in from Toronto to talk about her book in the ReadersPlace chat room. If you are interested in this rich and rousy novel, then we’d love you to enter our competition to win one of ten copies of The Best of Men . Once you have read the book you can discuss it with the author and other readers live online on 10th December at 7pm GMT. The competition closes on 22 October.

You can find a sample of Claire’s book here.

About the Book

It is 1642, and Laurence Beaumont has just returned to England after six long years fighting – and avoiding fighting – in the European Wars. Having fled his homeland to escape the responsibilities of his noble birthright, he has been a lowly infantryman, a spy, and a cardsharp in a Dutch brothel. He has seen the worst inhumanities visited on men, women and children by enemy and neighbour alike, and he no longer has faith in God, in causes, or much in humankind itself.

Yet as the clashes between King Charles I and his mutinous Parliament come to a crisis and England is thrown into civil war, Beaumont is drawn back into the world of warfare and intrigue when he discovers coded letters outlining a plot to assassinate the king. Soon the conspirators – one of whom is among the most powerful men in the kingdom – are in hot pursuit, and he must find proof of their identities before they overtake him. Pressed into service by the Secretary of State’s ruthless spymaster, Beaumont finds himself threatened on all sides, facing the possibility of imprisonment, torture or worse if he makes a single wrong step. The ravishing Isabella Savage, a practised seductress, is interested in helping, but may only lead him deeper into the conspiracies within the king’s camp. And all the while, Beaumont is haunted by a prophecy and by the memory of a love betrayed.

About the Author

Claire Letemendia was born and raised in Oxford and lives in Toronto. After completing a doctorate in Political Theory and lecturing for some years, she chose to pursue a career as a writer and editor. Since childhood she has been fascinated by the English Civil War. This novel, ten years in the making, is her first.

Looking forward to chatting to you Claire!