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Murdoch Mackinder Trilogy #2
The Command
France, 1914.
Murdoch Mackinder, Colonel in the Royal Western Dragoon Guards, prepares for active service.
But as Mackinder's career as a soldier and strategist, and his happy and successful marriage to his American wife Lee, both prosper, the ghosts of his past return to haunt him.
Margriet, the mother of his first son, flees her sadistic German husband, Paul von Reger, and throws herself on Murdoch's mercy. Mackinder's son, Ian, marries Margriet's daughter, to provide the protection of British nationality.
And a twist of fate brings Murdoch face to face with a friend, now turned bitter enemy, who has the excuse of war and a very personal reason for wishing to see Murdoch dead.
In ‘The Command’ Christopher Nicole continues the story, begun in ‘The Regiment’, of Murdoch Mackinder.
‘The Command’ follows the adventures of Mackinder as he rises to the rank of General and sees active service in the British Army, from France in 1914 to the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940.
In 'The Command', Christopher Nicole skilfully interweaves the story of a born leader and legendary hero with the history of an honoured regiment during its most testing and eventful years.
Christopher Nicole (born 1930) was brought up in British Guyana and the West Indies. He was a prolific historical writer, both under his own name and pennames.
Praise for Christopher Nicole:
‘…military saga covering the years from the Boer War through WW I. Bosoms still heave and legs still flash, but they're background colour in the story of Murdoch Mackinder and his career in the family regiment’ – Kirkus Review [on The Regiment]
‘Well-researched…Evocative descriptions of scenery and edifices, and exact period dialogue’ – Historical Novels Society
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher.
Murdoch Mackinder, Colonel in the Royal Western Dragoon Guards, prepares for active service.
But as Mackinder's career as a soldier and strategist, and his happy and successful marriage to his American wife Lee, both prosper, the ghosts of his past return to haunt him.
Margriet, the mother of his first son, flees her sadistic German husband, Paul von Reger, and throws herself on Murdoch's mercy. Mackinder's son, Ian, marries Margriet's daughter, to provide the protection of British nationality.
And a twist of fate brings Murdoch face to face with a friend, now turned bitter enemy, who has the excuse of war and a very personal reason for wishing to see Murdoch dead.
In ‘The Command’ Christopher Nicole continues the story, begun in ‘The Regiment’, of Murdoch Mackinder.
‘The Command’ follows the adventures of Mackinder as he rises to the rank of General and sees active service in the British Army, from France in 1914 to the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940.
In 'The Command', Christopher Nicole skilfully interweaves the story of a born leader and legendary hero with the history of an honoured regiment during its most testing and eventful years.
Christopher Nicole (born 1930) was brought up in British Guyana and the West Indies. He was a prolific historical writer, both under his own name and pennames.
Praise for Christopher Nicole:
‘…military saga covering the years from the Boer War through WW I. Bosoms still heave and legs still flash, but they're background colour in the story of Murdoch Mackinder and his career in the family regiment’ – Kirkus Review [on The Regiment]
‘Well-researched…Evocative descriptions of scenery and edifices, and exact period dialogue’ – Historical Novels Society
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher.
479 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 1989
100 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Nicole
216 books56 followersChristopher Robin Nicole was born on 7 December 1930 in Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana), where he was raised. He is the son of Jean Dorothy (Logan) and Jack Nicole, a police officer, both Scottish. He studied at Queen's College in Guyana and at Harrison College in Barbados. He was a fellow at the Canadian Bankers Association and a clerk for the Royal Bank of Canada in Georgetown and Nassau from 1947 to 1956. In 1957, he moved to Guernsey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom, where he currently lives, but he also has a domicile in Spain.
On 31 March 1951, he married his first wife, Jean Regina Amelia Barnett, with whom he had two sons, Bruce and Jack, and two daughters, Julie and Ursula, they divorced. On 8 May 1982 he married for the second time with fellow writer Diana Bachmann.
As a romantic and passionate of history, Nicole has been published since 1957, when he published a book about West Indian Cricket. He published his first novel in 1959 with his first stories set in his native Caribbean. Later he wrote many historical novels set mostly in tumultuous periods like World War I, World War II and the Cold War, and depict places in Europe, Asia and Africa. He also wrote classic romance novels. He specialized in Series and Sagas, and continues to write into the 21st century with no intention of retiring.
He signs his books as Christopher Nicole and uses several pseudonyms, some of them female. Pseudonyms used include: Peter Grange, Andrew York, Robin Cade, Mark Logan, Christina Nicholson, Alison York, Leslie Arlen, Robin Nicholson, C. R. Nicholson, Daniel Adams, Simon McKay, Caroline Gray and Alan Savage. He wrote disaster thrillers in collaboration with his wife, Diana Bachmann, under the penname Max Marlow. Under his different pseudonyms he has worked with many publishing houses: Jarrolds, Hutchinson, Simon & Schuster, Coward-McCann & Geoghegan, Jove, Michael Joseph, Mills & Boon, and Severn House.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christop... and
http://openlibrary.org/authors/OL1009...
On 31 March 1951, he married his first wife, Jean Regina Amelia Barnett, with whom he had two sons, Bruce and Jack, and two daughters, Julie and Ursula, they divorced. On 8 May 1982 he married for the second time with fellow writer Diana Bachmann.
As a romantic and passionate of history, Nicole has been published since 1957, when he published a book about West Indian Cricket. He published his first novel in 1959 with his first stories set in his native Caribbean. Later he wrote many historical novels set mostly in tumultuous periods like World War I, World War II and the Cold War, and depict places in Europe, Asia and Africa. He also wrote classic romance novels. He specialized in Series and Sagas, and continues to write into the 21st century with no intention of retiring.
He signs his books as Christopher Nicole and uses several pseudonyms, some of them female. Pseudonyms used include: Peter Grange, Andrew York, Robin Cade, Mark Logan, Christina Nicholson, Alison York, Leslie Arlen, Robin Nicholson, C. R. Nicholson, Daniel Adams, Simon McKay, Caroline Gray and Alan Savage. He wrote disaster thrillers in collaboration with his wife, Diana Bachmann, under the penname Max Marlow. Under his different pseudonyms he has worked with many publishing houses: Jarrolds, Hutchinson, Simon & Schuster, Coward-McCann & Geoghegan, Jove, Michael Joseph, Mills & Boon, and Severn House.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christop... and
http://openlibrary.org/authors/OL1009...
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 31, 2022
Another exceptional story. It is like a real memoir reading the books by Christopher Nocole. His research into the actual times and events are so professionally researched. you feel as part of it and sometimes I need to tell myself, that it is just a remarkable story.
Being born and raised during the war and living in the south part of Holland I can still remember lots of the details with regards to the evacuation of the Germans and the end of World War 2. The main character in the story, Murdoch is so well depicted, and I look forward reading the next book Commando and see what will happen to him and the family members.
Being born and raised during the war and living in the south part of Holland I can still remember lots of the details with regards to the evacuation of the Germans and the end of World War 2. The main character in the story, Murdoch is so well depicted, and I look forward reading the next book Commando and see what will happen to him and the family members.
July 10, 2025
I have read all three books in the Murdock Mackinder series and they are based on very well researched historical backgrounds of events in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The number of decorations awarded to the family group verges on the highly improbable but that is covered by the narrative
The number of decorations awarded to the family group verges on the highly improbable but that is covered by the narrative
March 3, 2020
A cat has nine lives they say
The family battles on who survives you will have to read the book to find out another good story and plenty of action.
The family battles on who survives you will have to read the book to find out another good story and plenty of action.
January 2, 2017
The second part of the trilogy of the epic exploits of Murdoch Mackinder. The Author writes with easy felicity though the plots tend to get somewhat fantastical at times. The hero is there in all the wars of the nation. He is in command of his Regiment in the trenches of World War 1. But his unit is pulled out and sent to Iraq to take part in the Relief of Kut, where again the Royal Western Dragoons are led by him in a charge. He is rapidly promoted and finds himself as the general in charge of the restive North West Frontier of India, immediately after the War, where he accosts and is temporarily bested by the female villain. Things get unbelievably hairy but a charge led by him again bests his opponent. I like the way the noble emotions are depicted especially the esprite de corps. The writing also never gets tedious. If one allows one imagination to flow, it's a book worth reading
July 2, 2016
Surprisingly good, although at times slightly unbelievable. Murdoch Machinery fights through the first world war and is then sent to India as he gets increasing promotion. Previous incidents reappear to test his reliability but somehow he magically comes through it all. The book ends with the outbreak of WW2 and Murdoch finding himself at Dunkirk wondering what command, if any, he'll be given at his age.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews