Elizabeth Chadwick’s glorious new adventure is published today by Sphere in hardback, ebook and audiobook, narrated by Jonathan Keeble. TEMPLAR SILKS marks an exciting return to the character of William Marshal, England’s greatest medieval knight, following him across continents, from England to Jerusalem, as from his deathbed he recalls a crucial journey to the Holy City, and the peril and heartbreak he found there.

William Marshal was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman who served five English kings, eulogised by Stephen Langton as the ‘best knight that ever lived’. Elizabeth Chadwick’s novels about him are widely praised, and her vivid depiction of this extraordinary man in books like THE GREATEST KNIGHT has made him one of her best-loved characters. Fulfilling a vow he had made while on crusade – the subject of this thrilling new novel – William Marshal was invested into the order of the Knights Templar on his deathbed in1219. He was buried in the Temple Church in London, where his tomb can still be seen.

Elizabeth Chadwick’s bestselling standalones THE GREATEST KNIGHT and THE SCARLET LION also feature this compelling historical figure, while characters around William feature in other novels – among them his father John Marshal in A PLACE BEYOND COURAGE and his daughter Mahelt (also called Maud) in TO DEFY A KING, which won the Romantic Novelists’ Association Historical Novel of the Year Award in 2011.

US rights to TEMPLAR SILKS have been sold to Shana Drehs of Sourcebooks, with German rights going to Blanvalet and Czech rights to Euromedia, with option publishers elsewhere including Portugal, Poland, Russia and Latvia. Her work is published in 24 languages and has sold more than a million copies in the UK alone.

A sacred promise. A perilous journey. A deadly entanglement.

Lying on his deathbed, William Marshal, regent of England, sends a trusted friend on a journey to bring him the silk Templar burial shrouds that he has kept hidden since returning from the Holy Land thirty years ago. It is time to fulfil his Templar vows and become one of their order for eternity.

While he waits, William vividly recalls his long-ago pilgrimage to Jerusalem with his brother Ancel, and their sacred mission to bear the cloak of their dead young lord to Christ's tomb in the church of the Holy Sepulchre. Their journey is fraught with uncertainty and danger, but it is in Jerusalem, the holiest and most dangerous of cities, that William becomes entangled with the mercurial Paschia de Riveri, concubine of the highest churchman in the land. He has travelled a long and risky road to save his soul, but now the greatest danger he faces is losing his heart.

Elizabeth Chadwick won a Betty Trask Award for THE WILD HUNT, her first novel, and has been shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Award several times, winning in 2011 for TO DEFY A KING. THE SCARLET LION was selected by Historical Novel Society founder Richard Lee as one of his 'Ten Landmark Historical Novels of the Last Decade'.

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Praise for TEMPLAR SILKS:

‘A great example of historical fiction done well… brilliantly written…the whole story sits together with ease with a real feeling of authenticity…This book feels like a fair representation of a man who is remembered as the backbone of early English history.’ — The Bookbag

‘Nobody in my opinion brings the medieval world to life in full colour like Elizabeth Chadwick…a gloriously exciting depiction of some of medieval Europe’s danger spots, where peril lay around almost every corner and in every town…Elizabeth Chadwick has such a gift in the way she surrounds her reader in the past.’ — For Winter Nights

Praise for Elizabeth Chadwick:

‘This is historical fiction at its best.’ — The Bookseller

‘An author who makes historical fiction come gloriously alive.’ —The Times

‘Picking up an Elizabeth Chadwick novel is like having a Bentley draw up at your door: you know you are in for a sumptuous ride.’ — Daily Telegraph

‘I rank Elizabeth Chadwick with such historical novelist stars as Dorothy Dunnett and Anya Seton.’ – Sharon Kay Penman

‘One of Elizabeth Chadwick’s strengths is her stunning grasp of historical detail…Her characters are beguiling and the story is intriguing and very enjoyable.’ — Barbara Erskine

Thomas Blackstone’s story continues in SCOURGE OF WOLVES, the compelling fifth novel in David Gilman’s acclaimed MASTER OF WAR series, published on 8 February in hardback by Head of Zeus, with audiobook by W.F. Howes Lamplight. The fast-paced historical fiction series has gone from strength to strength since the first instalment was published in 2013. The series has been praised by the Historical Novel Society as a ‘stunning work’… ‘historical fiction at its best’. The Daily Mail described its realistic depictions of medieval warfare as ‘gritty…sparing nothing’ and the fourth title in the series, VIPER’S BLOOD, has just been published in Germany by Rowohlt, hitting Number 6 in the German paperback bestseller list.

It is in the winter of 1361. After two decades of conflict, Edward III has finally agreed to a treaty with the captive French King, John II. In return for his freedom, John has ceded vast tracts of territory to the English. But for five long years mercenary bands and belligerent lords have fought over the carcass of his kingdom. They will not give up their hard-won spoils to honour a defeated king's promises.

If the English want their prize, they'll have to fight for it.

As he battles to enforce Edward's claim, Thomas Blackstone will see his name blackened, his men slaughtered, his family hunted. He will be betrayed and, once again, he'll face the might of the French army on the field. But this time there will be no English army at his back. He'll face the French alone.

The MASTER OF WAR series has sold in Germany, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Spain and Hungary. David’s riveting standalone novel THE LAST HORSEMAN, set during the Boer War, was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2017.

David Gilman has had many careers, including firefighter, soldier and photographer, before turning to writing full time. He is an award-winning author and screenwriter.

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Praise for the MASTER OF WAR series:

‘A gripping chronicle of pitched battle, treachery and cruelty.’ — Robert Fabbri, author of the Vespasian series.'

‘I'm totally bedazzled. I'd never thought that another writer could rival Bernard Cornwell when it came to dramatizing battles, but David is giving him a real run for his money. The battle scenes are so realistic it is almost like time-traveling, though definitely not for the faint of heart. Thomas is an incredibly appealing and sympathetic character. And the level of suspense is ratcheted up to a truly brutal level, for it is impossible for a reader to predict what will be coming next' — Sharon Penman.

‘His words strike like a bodkin point straight to the torso, the clangour of battle and the suspense of intrigue immersive and visceral, and all wrapped up in some of the most evocative prose that you will ever discover.’ — Ruadh Butler, author of the Invader series

‘Move over Bernard Cornwell!…Historical fiction at its best.’ — Historical Novel Society

‘Historical fiction has been made all the richer by Sir Thomas, his people and their adventures. Do please treat yourself if you haven't read MASTER OF WAR by David Gilman or any of the series that came afterwards.’ — Ani Johnson, The Bookbag

‘The bone-crunching intensity of this series shows no signs of abating.... an excellent series.’ — Parmenion Books

‘The author has clearly carried out extensive research on the period, and his detailed knowledge of weapons, military strategy and the dismal living conditions of the English army makes for gripping reading. I can thoroughly recommend to both individual readers and book groups with an interest in history, as well as fans of Bernard Cornwell. A superb read.’ — Ruth Ginarlis, Nudge Book