Synopsis
After twelve gloriously scandalous Flashman novels, the incomparable George MacDonald Fraser gives us a totally hilarious tale of derring-do from a different era.
It's the turn of the seventeenth century (sort of) in the wild Borderlands of Scotland. The irresistible Lady Godiva Dacre and her "chocolate-box pretty" companion Mistress Kylie Delishe find themselves caught between the dashing Bonny Gilderoy (think Johnny Depp on a horse in a tunic) and Archie Noble (Steve McQueen in Elizabethan garb). A casket of jewels, an accidental murder, and an estate at risk are the order of the day. Amidst preposterous alliances and ridiculous complications of the heart, our heroines discover a fiendish Spanish plot to overthrow the king. What ensues is an utterly uproarious thrill ride filled with lecherous mischief, diabolical intrigue, and a cast of supporting characters that only George Fraser could deliver.
The New York Times - Neil Genzlinger
The plot involves the lovely Lady Godiva Dacre; a pair of dashing suitors, Archie Noble and Gilderoy; other colorful characters with names like Trouserless Will and La Infamosa; and a plot to kidnap King James VI of Scotland and replace him with an impostor. But the story hardly matters here; the point is the way it is told, with an outlandish mix of exaggeration, direct address, historical fact, historical impossibilities, irrelevant asides and thick accents.