Spawn of the Devil
By Christopher Nicole
Helier L’Eree is eight years old when his prostitute mother is convicted of being a witch and is burned at the stake.
Sent to the other side of his home island of Garnesey to live with the Reverend Grimalle and apprenticed to a grave-digger,
Helier begins a new life that seems destined to keep him far from the dark arts his mother was accused of practising.
But eventually, feeling lost in his new life, Helier returns to his childhood home and comes across Marguerite le Gron, the very attractive daughter of the man responsible for his mother’s death.
Spurred by the desire to seek revenge as well as his lusty thoughts, he abducts her and flees the Channel Islands.
Landing on the French coast without a stitch to call their own, Helier and Marguerite are found by none other than the powerful and secretive Cardinal Richelieu, who takes him back to his home.
Helier, whose great height and size show great promise, is taken into Richelieu’s service and trained to be a soldier – only for the Cardinal to blackmail him into being an assassin.
The target is Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden…and if Helier fails in his mission, Richelieu has promised that Marguerite will be stretched upon the rack in retribution.
To get to Gustavus, Helier travels across Europe, taking service with and fighting for whichever side moves him closer to his goal.
Along the way, he takes as mistress a young woman named Jeanne, who is less than thrilled when Helier rescues Richilde Bethlen, Princess von Hohengraffen, during the sack of Magdeburg.
The princess is stunningly beautiful, but hides a dark, occult secret…
Spawn of the Devil is the first in the Helier L’Eree Trilogy and is a gripping historical tale, filled with mystery and suspense.
Praise for Christopher Nicole
“Told with smooth authenticity” – Publishers Weekly
“His action-packed war story will appeal to squadrons of readers” – Library Journal
Christopher Nicole was born and brought up in British Guyana and the West Indies. His output of books has been prolific and many of his novels are historical with a Caribbean background.
