What is Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade about?

We enter the world of another Lord John book on Monday. It’s almost time to start Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade.

This is the second full novel in the Lord John series of books by Diana Gabaldon. This one brings more of John’s family into the story. While we had briefly met Hal, we get to see Hal through John’s eyes and learn more about him. This is important for the later Outlander books.

When is Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade set?

We pick up this story in 1758, as Britain continues to fight on Prussia’s side in the Rhineland. However, this books brings us back to England for a while.

There are mentions of Culloden in 1743. We get to learn more about John’s father, who died by suicide before Culloden. John’s father had been accused of being a Jacobite agent, and he was found dead with a piston in his hand.

What is the mystery for John to solve in the Lord John Grey novel?

The Lord John books have seen John have to figure out a mystery of sorts. They’ve involved murder and mythological creatures, so of course, we would expect another murder mystery to solve in Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade.

Well, this one isn’t quite that. Instead, it’s mysteries of his father’s death. Someone is taunting the entire Grey family with secrets from the grave. Hal doesn’t want to pursue the mystery, and he doesn’t want John to either. Of course, John can’t just sit back and do nothing. It’s probably a good thing as well, as it turns out that the rest of the family has secrets.

This is a novel with Jamie Fraser in it. John needs to speak to someone who is impartial and could help with some thoughts, and Jamie is the one he trusts to do that. However, we see a different side to Jamie through John’s eyes compared to through his own or through Claire’s eyes, and I find it interesting how he treats John throughout this novel.

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