The thrilling, unmissable conclusion to the Essex Dogs trilogy by the New York Times bestselling historian Dan Jones
1350. The Essex Dogs have scattered. In Winchelsea, Loveday struggles to keep his tavern afloat in the aftermath of the Black Death. Nowadays, the only battles he fights are the ones within his own mind.
In Windsor, Romford thrives as a squire at King Edward III’s court, his days as an archer fading into memory. But when an unpaid debt threatens everything he’s built, Romford must call upon the lessons he learned all those years ago: be cunning. Be ruthless. Be quick.
With England still reeling from the Death and a new threat from Spain on the rise, the kingdom’s future has never been more uncertain.
Each man had reasons for leaving the Essex Dogs behind. But a life like that isn’t so easily forgotten.
“Superb historical fiction, as fresh, vivid and vital as this morning’s headlines … proves once again that nothing really changes, be it a soldier’s life – or great storytelling.”—Lee Child
AN ENDLESS WAR. A BLOOD-SOAKED BATTLEFIELD. A BAND OF BROTHERS.
The epic sequel to Essex Dogs, continuing the New York Times bestselling historian’s trilogy of novels following the fortunes of ten ordinary soldiers during the Hundred Years War.
1347. Bruised and bloodied by an epic battle at Crécy, six soldiers known as the Essex Dogs pick through the wreckage of the fighting—and their own lives.
Now a new siege is beginning, and the Dogs are sent to attack the soaring walls of Calais. King Edward has vowed no Englishman will leave France ‘til this city falls. To get home, they must survive a merciless winter in a lawless camp deadlier than any battlefield.
Obsessed with tracking down the vanished Captain, Loveday struggles to control his own men. Romford is haunted by the reappearance of a horrific figure from his past. And Scotsman is spiraling into a pit of drink, violence, and self-pity.
The Dogs are being torn apart—but this war is far from over. It won’t be long before they lose more of their own.
From a vast siege camp built outside Calais’ walls, to the pirate ships patrolling the harbor, and into the dark corners of oligarchs’ houses, where the deals that shape—and end—lives are made, this captivating and darkly comic story brings the fourteenth century vividly to life.
The New York Times bestselling historian makes his historical fiction debut with an explosive novel set during the Hundred Years’ War.
July 1346. Ten men land on the beaches of Normandy. They call themselves the Essex Dogs: an unruly platoon of archers and men-at-arms led by a battle-scarred captain whose best days are behind him. The fight for the throne of the largest kingdom in Western Europe has begun.
Heading ever deeper into enemy territory toward Crécy, this band of brothers knows they are off to fight a battle that will forge nations, and shape the very fabric of human lives. But first they must survive a bloody war in which rules are abandoned and chivalry itself is slaughtered.
Rooted in historical accuracy and told through an unforgettable cast, Essex Dogs delivers the stark reality of medieval war on the ground – and shines a light on the fighters and ordinary people caught in the storm.