Falcon's Shadow

Sequel to Eight Pointed Cross, the second in the Siege of Malta trilogy is a richly detailed 16th-century Mediterranean epic chronicling the violent clash between the Ottoman Empire and the Knights of St John, perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom and James Clavell’s Shogun. The ghosts of war leave no footprints. When legendary Ottoman seaman Dragut Raïs attacked the Maltese islands in 1551, his army left Gozo a smoking ruin. Among the five thousand carried into slavery is Augustine Montesa, father of Domenicus and Katrina. Wounded and broken, Dom vows to find him—even if it means abandoning Angelica, his betrothed. Armed with only a gemstone to serve as ransom, he sets out on a journey that sees him forcibly recruited from the streets of Europe and thrown into the frontline. On Malta, Kat struggles to find work. When she finally stumbles upon a promising position, all is not as it seems. She must confront a terrible truth—one that may prove disastrous for Robert, the man she loves. Hundreds of leagues to the east in Istanbul, Demir, son of a wealthy Turkish bey, trains to become an imperial Ottoman horseman, enduring the cruelty of his father and half-brother. His life takes an unexpected turn when he encounters a young woman stolen from Malta, brought into the household as another of his father’s servants. The second Siege of Malta novel, Falcon’s Shadow sweeps from quarry pits to sprawling estates, from tumultuous seas to creaking gallows—from the dungeons beneath the bishop’s palace to the open decks of warships. At the Battle of Djerba, fates will collide, uniting lost kin only to tear them apart once more.