1635: A Parcel of Rogues

In seventeenth-century England, a small band of stranded Americans finds itself hunted across a kingdom that wants them dead. Oliver Cromwell—already notorious in the eyes of King Charles I—leads a ragged company of fugitives through England and into Scotland, pursued by mercenary cutthroats and the full weight of the English crown. What makes this chase genuinely gripping is the collision of personalities: hard-edged sharpshooter Julie Sims, her Scottish husband Alex Mackay, and the fiercely loyal Darryl McCarthy each bring modern sensibilities into a world governed by older, bloodier rules. The stakes are personal as much as political, and that tension keeps every chapter taut.

Flint and Dennis have always excelled at making history feel inhabited rather than costumed, and this installment sharpens that strength considerably. The authors move their characters through meticulously rendered landscapes—political, geographic, and moral—without ever letting the research slow the momentum. Dialogue crackles with period-appropriate texture while remaining utterly readable, and the shifting loyalties among the supporting cast reward close attention. Readers who have followed the Ring of Fire series will find this entry particularly satisfying for the way it deepens established characters rather than simply advancing a plot.