Marbeck and the Privateers

Martin Marbeck #3

by John Pilkington

Summer 1604: England is on edge, as a high-powered Spanish delegation arrives in London to start vital and long-awaited treaty talks. King James, a year into his reign, wants to be seen as The Peacemaker King, bringing an end to nearly twenty years of warfare with Spain which has left both countries exhausted and almost bankrupt. Yet there are those who profit from the war – and such people cannot be allowed to threaten the peace negotiations.

This puts extra strain on the king’s powerful minister, Lord Cecil, which is why Marbeck finds himself working for a new spymaster, charged with the role of protecting the Spanish party. But even Marbeck hasn’t foreseen that the task will pit him against corsairs of the high seas, double agents and corrupt noblemen who will stop at nothing to wreck the treaty, forcing him to face his biggest challenge yet…

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical

192 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2014

About the author

John Pilkington wrote radio plays back in the 1980s before stepping things up a notch and scribbling down television scripts for the BCC. He then went onto write historical mystery novels for children.


Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonstop action with amazing feats and conclusions required of intelligencer Marbeck as a portrait of his boss Cecil becomes sharply ruthless and unsympathetic during a period of negotiations with Spain that play their background part in the direction of events.
A very good historical series from Pilkington.

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[Charley Robson · Rating 4 out of 5]

While my least favourite of the series so far - it's not as good at holding its thematic through-line as the others, and there's a lot more to-ing and fro-ing that muddy the narrative and drag things out - Marbeck's third outing still a very solid piece of historical fiction, and a cut above many others in its stable. It's also far and away the darkest of the lot so far, touching on some truly dark themes in a very direct and upfront way. It handles them well, though, and there's nothing lurid, pointless or tasteless in any of it; it all serves the narrative, in its way.

My order for the fourth and final book in the series has just come in at the library, which I'm hoping will be a return to the strong form of the series' first entry, as it's got a nice firm ground in a particularly explosive incident...

[Ellie Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just gets better and better. As King James I has settled on the English throne, intelligencers like Marbeck are increasingly out of favour. This transition lent an edge to his adventures on the pirate-ridden shores of the West of England and a sense of being a one-man band more than ever. A really exciting read, with fascinating bits of history threaded through.

[Kate O`neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darn good read

Having read the other 2 books in this series, I was looking forward to this one - I was not disappointed.
The author expertly describes the atmosphere and characters, to the extent that I could "see " what the characters were doing.
Looking forward to the next book

[Tim Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read.

The third in the Marbeck series and set in 1604 is another interesting novel. A decent plot and some strong characters make it a worthwhile read. The only issue I had was that two of the villains are named Beck and Buck and I found that unnecessarily confusing. Apart from that, it was very enjoyable.

[Elaine Sorensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow to reach an apex

Like a four stranded plait this book took forever to tie the many strands of the story together. It finally came to a dramatic climax.

[Peter Barrass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realy enjoying theres books

[Mrs Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

I love these series by John Pilkington, he’s a great story-teller. Marbeck and Thomas the Falconer are both likeable fellows and believable characters. Research is good.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1604 Will there be a new peace with the Spanish after 20 years of war. Marbeck is sent to keep watch on the building holding the talks but soon events lead him elsewhere.
An entertaining thriller/mystery

[Joe Corso · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Addition To This Series

This series is an addictive reading experience. Once you start reading one of the Marbeck books you can’t put it down. Great writing by a very good author.

Joe Corso
Author of The Starlight Club series

[Judy Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read a novel by John Pilkington before this one, but I can certainly say that this will not be my last. This story of intrigue and espionage takes place in 1604, the year when King James has resolved that the war with Spain will be ended before both their countries fall completely into bankruptcy. The problem is that so many people have been making huge fortunes attacking and looting Spanish ships and even after the king’s decision to stop all such activities there are some who want to continue the practice. If the peace negotiations can be stopped, all will continue as it had been. Martin Marbeck, one of the Crown’s intelligencers, is given the job by spymaster Levinus Monk of keeping an eye on the Spanish ambassador to make sure no harm comes to him while the negotiations are going on. Marbeck can’t help but wonder how he is supposed to carry out his mission when he can’t even get close to the ambassador and hurdles are put in his way whichever way he turns. When Marbeck stumbles upon a group known as the Sea Locusts his investigations take him away from London and into very deep waters indeed.

This was a very well written adventure with spies and double agents and men placed in situations of power who were not necessarily working toward the same ends. The routes Marbeck took in his travels throughout London were described in such a precise way that I felt I was looking at an old map and plotting his destinations as he went along. Knowing who to trust was hard enough, but then you also had to work out what someone’s motivation was for what they were doing. A tangled web to be sure, which was nicely resolved at the end of this story while still leaving open the sure option for Marbeck to come back again with another adventure just as entertaining. I know there are several previous novels in this series, but it was not necessary for me to have read any of them prior to picking up this novel. The author doesn’t spend a lot of time backtracking, which I was thankful for, even though it is obvious that there is much history with these characters which has played out before. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author who has a real touch for presenting intriguing characters and a plot that kept me guessing as to what Marbeck would find at the end of his search.

I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.

[Alger Smythe-Hopkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is just no plot to this book. From pillar to post is how I read it: Our hero wakes in a strange bed, then (a few sword fights later) he pisses off every waterman on the Thames, then he meets a child prostitute, then another sword fight or four, then (Oh My!!) it all ends happily(?). All this is happening in a world that seems arranged mostly to pass by familiar London landmarks and (funny thing) be inhabited by hundreds of people who hate the hero, yet all help him agreeably in some small way towards a goal that is never really defined. I am pretty sure about 75% through the story moved into a revenge plot, but we are only told that. Actually we are told a lot of things, but most of them have nothing to do with a story. The only thing holding this book together is Marbeck, who is a terrible spy because anyone who doesn't already suspect him of being a spy he eventually tells that he is a spy.

The emotions are random, the injuries of a fight are forgotten by the next, and the twists and turns of this book threw me at every change.

BUT, it was very readable. The fact that I finished this pile of story sweepings in hopes that something would make sense argues for an above average writer. Well done Mr Pilkington, on that note anyway.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was solid but never really totally engorsing for me, so only three stars.