What do you think?
Rate this book
Capitaine Inés Picaut #1
Into the Fire
(Previously titled and never released as The Nature of Fire)
February 2014: Police Capitaine Inés Picaut is called out to investigate a blaze in the old town of Orléans. This is the fourth in a series of increasingly brutal arson attacks, and at the centre of the conflagration lies a body. An Islamic extremist faction claims responsibility, but Inés and her team cannot trace its whereabouts, or any evidence of its existence. And a partly melted memory card found in the victim's throat is the only clue to his identity.
September 1429: Joan of Arc is in the process of turning the tide of The Hundred Years' War. English troops have Orléans under siege, and Tomas Rustbeard, the Duke of Bedford's most accomplished agent, finally has her in his sights. But he knows that killing 'The Maid' – the apparently illiterate peasant girl who nonetheless has an unmatched sense of military strategy and can ride a warhorse in battle – is not enough. He must destroy the legend that has already grown around her. And to do that, he must get close enough to discover who she really is.
More fires rage and the death toll mounts while Inés fights to discover what connects an expert in the analysis of war graves, the unquenchable ambitions of the Family which seeks to hold the city in its absolute power, and the discredited historical theories of her own late and much lamented father.
When Tomas risks everything to infiltrate the hotly defended inner circle of the Saviour of France, he finally discovers a secret that will prove as explosive nearly six hundred years later as it would do if revealed in his own time.
As each thread of Manda Scott's immaculately interwoven narrative unfolds, Inés and Tomas's quests become linked across the centuries. And in their pursuit of the truth, they find that love is as enduring as myth – but can lead to the greatest and most heart-breaking of sacrifices.
February 2014: Police Capitaine Inés Picaut is called out to investigate a blaze in the old town of Orléans. This is the fourth in a series of increasingly brutal arson attacks, and at the centre of the conflagration lies a body. An Islamic extremist faction claims responsibility, but Inés and her team cannot trace its whereabouts, or any evidence of its existence. And a partly melted memory card found in the victim's throat is the only clue to his identity.
September 1429: Joan of Arc is in the process of turning the tide of The Hundred Years' War. English troops have Orléans under siege, and Tomas Rustbeard, the Duke of Bedford's most accomplished agent, finally has her in his sights. But he knows that killing 'The Maid' – the apparently illiterate peasant girl who nonetheless has an unmatched sense of military strategy and can ride a warhorse in battle – is not enough. He must destroy the legend that has already grown around her. And to do that, he must get close enough to discover who she really is.
More fires rage and the death toll mounts while Inés fights to discover what connects an expert in the analysis of war graves, the unquenchable ambitions of the Family which seeks to hold the city in its absolute power, and the discredited historical theories of her own late and much lamented father.
When Tomas risks everything to infiltrate the hotly defended inner circle of the Saviour of France, he finally discovers a secret that will prove as explosive nearly six hundred years later as it would do if revealed in his own time.
As each thread of Manda Scott's immaculately interwoven narrative unfolds, Inés and Tomas's quests become linked across the centuries. And in their pursuit of the truth, they find that love is as enduring as myth – but can lead to the greatest and most heart-breaking of sacrifices.
479 pages, Hardcover
First published June 18, 2015
61 people are currently reading
1214 people want to read
About the author
Manda Scott
28 books725 followersManda Scott is an award-winning novelist, host of the international chart-topping Accidental Gods podcast and co-creator of the Thrutopia Masterclass.
Best known for the Boudica: Dreaming series, her previous novels have been short-listed for the Orange Prize, the Edgar, Wilbur Smith and Saltire Awards and won the McIllvanney Prize.
Her latest novel ANY HUMAN POWER is a 'seismic' Mytho-Political thriller which lays out a Thrutopian road map to a flourishing future we’d be proud to leave to the generations that come after us.
Welding the power of intergenerational connection to combat the sting of death and the vicious vengeance of a dying establishment, it opens the doors to a new way of being.
Dream Deeply. Rise up Strong. Change is Coming!
'Instantly immersive and compelling, rich and strange, human and humane, and most of all inspiring ... an extraordinary story.’
Lee Child
"One of our best, most challenging writers is back..." Ian Rankin
"If you don't believe a world where our democracy improves as fast as our devices is possible... Manda Scott will change your mind with this visionary novel." Audrey Tang, Digital Minister of Taiwan
"A light to guide us through a difficult time: Descrying the thin possible path between static social decay and populist rage is the defining problem of our time. Without lights like Manda Scott and this blessed book, we would surely fail." Glen Weil, co-author of Plurality.
Best known for the Boudica: Dreaming series, her previous novels have been short-listed for the Orange Prize, the Edgar, Wilbur Smith and Saltire Awards and won the McIllvanney Prize.
Her latest novel ANY HUMAN POWER is a 'seismic' Mytho-Political thriller which lays out a Thrutopian road map to a flourishing future we’d be proud to leave to the generations that come after us.
Welding the power of intergenerational connection to combat the sting of death and the vicious vengeance of a dying establishment, it opens the doors to a new way of being.
Dream Deeply. Rise up Strong. Change is Coming!
'Instantly immersive and compelling, rich and strange, human and humane, and most of all inspiring ... an extraordinary story.’
Lee Child
"One of our best, most challenging writers is back..." Ian Rankin
"If you don't believe a world where our democracy improves as fast as our devices is possible... Manda Scott will change your mind with this visionary novel." Audrey Tang, Digital Minister of Taiwan
"A light to guide us through a difficult time: Descrying the thin possible path between static social decay and populist rage is the defining problem of our time. Without lights like Manda Scott and this blessed book, we would surely fail." Glen Weil, co-author of Plurality.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
November 24, 2019
This book is written in an unusual style that I found difficult to engage with initially. The author uses the technique of alternating two separate narratives, one set in the past and one current day, but additionally the two genres are quite different in style. One is a historical account of Joan of Arc seen through the eyes of an English spy and the other is a modern day police hunt for a serial arsonist in Orleans. It's as if you are alternating reading two separate books (which a lot of us do) and I kept finding it really annoying initially to keep switching from the fast paced thriller back to the slower historical thread. I could appreciate that the writing is very skillful and the research diligent, but I kept questioning if we needed quite so much of the historical story (especially when we already know how that's going to end). Of course it's apparent that the historical narrative will be relevant to the thriller, but it's not until half way through you start to get an inkling of where this is all going.
This is my first time reading a book by Manda Scott, but I am aware that she mostly writes historical novels and having now finished the novel, I can appreciate that this is essentially a historical mystery and a very clever and masterful way of presenting an alternative theory on the origin of Joan of Arc. I also enjoyed the main character, Detective Ines Picaut and the powerful, almost mafia like Family that she has married into. So if you enjoy both historical mysteries and thrillers and are going to read this (and I do recommend it), take your time and give it a chance to develop - it will be worth it. 4.5★
This is my first time reading a book by Manda Scott, but I am aware that she mostly writes historical novels and having now finished the novel, I can appreciate that this is essentially a historical mystery and a very clever and masterful way of presenting an alternative theory on the origin of Joan of Arc. I also enjoyed the main character, Detective Ines Picaut and the powerful, almost mafia like Family that she has married into. So if you enjoy both historical mysteries and thrillers and are going to read this (and I do recommend it), take your time and give it a chance to develop - it will be worth it. 4.5★
July 26, 2024
Easy to read and engaging story jumping between the 15th and 21st centuries revolving around Joan of Arc. Whilst I particularly enjoyed the interesting and alternative historical content relating to The Maid, it was unfortunate that this side of the story was a bit too long as it lost its bite.
May 31, 2015
I have enjoyed Manda Scott’s books since her first novel and so was keen to read her latest. This novel uses a plot device which seems to be becoming very over-used, the dual timeline. In this case, we have one storyline running in 2014 and the other in 1429 and, although the author manages to make both relevant, I personally feel that many authors struggle to make both past and present work.
The story in the present of this book concerns Capitaine Ines Picaut, who is currently investigating a series of fires in Orleans, claimed by the group, ‘Jaish al Islam.’ When we meet Capitaine Picaut, she is present at the latest attack, at a fire in a hotel which – unlike earlier fires – has claimed a life. The victim turns out to be Dr Iain Holloway, who worked on the forensic analysis of war graves, including the identification of victims. It soon appears that he was in hiding, moving from hotel to hotel to try to evade being caught – but by whom? Was this fire another terrorist outrage, or was Dr Holloway targeted and, if so, why?
Capitaine Picaut has separated from her husband, politician Luc Bressard. Now, Luc is standing as mayor of a city in turmoil and his privileged and powerful family are asking Ines to stand at his side. His opponent is the beautiful Christelle Vivier, whose right wing views are softened by her appearance and her resistance hero grandfather. Against this background of a city in flames and engulfed by political argument, is the storyline involving the Maid of Orleans – Joan of Arc. Tod Rustbeard, the Duke of Bedford’s man, goes undercover in the Miad’s camp to try to destroy the girl from Lorraine, sent by God to aid the French.
As past collides with the present, Ines Picaut has to solve the mystery of why her city is in flames and what part Joan of Arc has to play in the current problems Orleans face. Ines Picaut’s own father, an academic, lost his career due to his research into the Maid of Orleans life and now she has to ask whether she can survive a case that threatens to engulf her. This was an enjoyable read, but I was not as gripped as I had hoped. I found the storyline in the present more interesting that that in the past, but it certainly evoked a lot of questions and would be an ideal choice for reading groups, with much to explore and discuss.
The story in the present of this book concerns Capitaine Ines Picaut, who is currently investigating a series of fires in Orleans, claimed by the group, ‘Jaish al Islam.’ When we meet Capitaine Picaut, she is present at the latest attack, at a fire in a hotel which – unlike earlier fires – has claimed a life. The victim turns out to be Dr Iain Holloway, who worked on the forensic analysis of war graves, including the identification of victims. It soon appears that he was in hiding, moving from hotel to hotel to try to evade being caught – but by whom? Was this fire another terrorist outrage, or was Dr Holloway targeted and, if so, why?
Capitaine Picaut has separated from her husband, politician Luc Bressard. Now, Luc is standing as mayor of a city in turmoil and his privileged and powerful family are asking Ines to stand at his side. His opponent is the beautiful Christelle Vivier, whose right wing views are softened by her appearance and her resistance hero grandfather. Against this background of a city in flames and engulfed by political argument, is the storyline involving the Maid of Orleans – Joan of Arc. Tod Rustbeard, the Duke of Bedford’s man, goes undercover in the Miad’s camp to try to destroy the girl from Lorraine, sent by God to aid the French.
As past collides with the present, Ines Picaut has to solve the mystery of why her city is in flames and what part Joan of Arc has to play in the current problems Orleans face. Ines Picaut’s own father, an academic, lost his career due to his research into the Maid of Orleans life and now she has to ask whether she can survive a case that threatens to engulf her. This was an enjoyable read, but I was not as gripped as I had hoped. I found the storyline in the present more interesting that that in the past, but it certainly evoked a lot of questions and would be an ideal choice for reading groups, with much to explore and discuss.
July 2, 2015
Manda Scott’s latest novel, Into The Fire is an interesting version of historical crime fiction: there is historical fiction, there is crime fiction, but they aren’t set in the same time. I found this notion intriguing, especially since the storyline set in the past dealt with Joan of Arc. Of course I knew about Joan of Arc, most European children get taught her story in school, but never much more than your basic facts—miraculous peasant girl turned saviour of the French against the English, who was then burned for her trouble. Yet of the surrounding circumstances – who was fighting who and why – I was largely ignorant. So the chance to learn more about that era and about Joan's story was one I couldn't pass up and that is leaving aside the modern-day thriller aspect.
Reading historical fiction, especially when it tells the tale of a historical figure, can be a weird experience. We all know what happened to Joan of Arc. We know there is no happy ending to be had there. And yet I found myself desperately hoping that Joan would escape, that she wouldn't be caught, that she might even win at trial. That speaks to Scott's skill in making her characters come alive and making the reader feel what they feel. Because Joan's story isn't told through her viewpoint, it's told by Tod Rustbeard a.k.a. Tomas Rustbeard a.k.a. Father Tomas and it is his desire for her survival that the reader feels. As his various identities might suggest, Tomas is a secret agent and a skilled one. He's a sympathetic narrator and Scott conveys the emotions accompanying his shifting allegiances quite vividly.
The Joan, or Jehanne as she is called here – whenever she isn’t just the Maid – the reader gets to know through Tomas’ narrative isn’t an ignorant, divinely inspired farm girl. Jehanne is capable and self-assured, a skilled and schooled warrior. She was a fabulous character and one it is impossible not to root for. The connection between Jehanne and Tomas was compelling as was his inclusion in her inner circle of Marguerite de Valois, her fiancé Jean de Belleville, Huguet Robèrge, and Queen Yolande of Aragon. This trusted circle was composed of interesting characters in their own right, especially Marguerite and Yolande and the story Scott weaves with them was completely riveting.
The past timeline is mirrored in the present when Jehanne’s patriotism is hijacked to serve modern-day politics. Like the Marianne, Jeanne d’Arc is a national symbol of France and those in possession of her narrative have a huge symbolic advantage. In order to raise Jehanne’s spectre, someone is setting fires in Orléans and it is Inès Picaut who must find and stop them. I loved Picaut, whose character echoes Jehanne’s capable nature and strong will. She holds her own in a world that is still quite masculine and does so wonderfully. The in-house politicking she has to engage in to get Maître Ducat, the prosecutor, on side was great, but I found the larger political shenanigans that weave through the story even more compelling. The setting of the elections and the media framing both parties employ was eerie, since we’ve seen so much of this in real life – quite recently too – and the sense that the people of Orleans get to choose between a right wing and an extreme right wing candidate, with not even a moderate choice, is something that seems frighteningly plausible in this day and age.
Picaut’s team is fantastic, with all of the entangled relationships that often accompany these sort of high pressure, close-working teams. I liked all of them, but my favourite had to be Patrice. His flashy presence and his frightful drive and competence were a delight. Not to mention the sparks between him and Picaut. The other characters in this timeline were interesting too and especially Cheb Yasine resonated with me in the way that he and his family were rounded up as the usual suspects due to their descent and religion. It’s a theme that feels incredibly topical given currents events.
The two stories work as satisfying stories in their own right, but taken together are so much more. Scott manages to switch between two in such a way that you’ll always be wanting to know more about the timeline you’re leaving, which makes for difficulties in putting the book down. I found myself just reading on until I returned to it, by which time the other timeline had become equally gripping, so I found myself reading on again; it is a hard loop to escape. I’m hard put to name a favourite between the storyline set in the past and the one set in the present. Both are wonderful, though in the end I do think Picaut’s storyline won out, just because there I didn’t know how it would end!
Into the Fire is a fantastic read and certainly one of my favourites so far this year. Manda Scott delivers a fascinating interpretation of the mysteries surrounding Joan of Arc and combines it with a pulse-pounding police procedural. My one regret is, that with the story of Joan of Arc told in this book, we’ll probably not see more of Inès Picaut and her team, as I’d love to spend more time with them. If you are a fan of historical fiction and crime thrillers, then Manda Scott’s Into the Fire is your must-read for the summer.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
Reading historical fiction, especially when it tells the tale of a historical figure, can be a weird experience. We all know what happened to Joan of Arc. We know there is no happy ending to be had there. And yet I found myself desperately hoping that Joan would escape, that she wouldn't be caught, that she might even win at trial. That speaks to Scott's skill in making her characters come alive and making the reader feel what they feel. Because Joan's story isn't told through her viewpoint, it's told by Tod Rustbeard a.k.a. Tomas Rustbeard a.k.a. Father Tomas and it is his desire for her survival that the reader feels. As his various identities might suggest, Tomas is a secret agent and a skilled one. He's a sympathetic narrator and Scott conveys the emotions accompanying his shifting allegiances quite vividly.
The Joan, or Jehanne as she is called here – whenever she isn’t just the Maid – the reader gets to know through Tomas’ narrative isn’t an ignorant, divinely inspired farm girl. Jehanne is capable and self-assured, a skilled and schooled warrior. She was a fabulous character and one it is impossible not to root for. The connection between Jehanne and Tomas was compelling as was his inclusion in her inner circle of Marguerite de Valois, her fiancé Jean de Belleville, Huguet Robèrge, and Queen Yolande of Aragon. This trusted circle was composed of interesting characters in their own right, especially Marguerite and Yolande and the story Scott weaves with them was completely riveting.
The past timeline is mirrored in the present when Jehanne’s patriotism is hijacked to serve modern-day politics. Like the Marianne, Jeanne d’Arc is a national symbol of France and those in possession of her narrative have a huge symbolic advantage. In order to raise Jehanne’s spectre, someone is setting fires in Orléans and it is Inès Picaut who must find and stop them. I loved Picaut, whose character echoes Jehanne’s capable nature and strong will. She holds her own in a world that is still quite masculine and does so wonderfully. The in-house politicking she has to engage in to get Maître Ducat, the prosecutor, on side was great, but I found the larger political shenanigans that weave through the story even more compelling. The setting of the elections and the media framing both parties employ was eerie, since we’ve seen so much of this in real life – quite recently too – and the sense that the people of Orleans get to choose between a right wing and an extreme right wing candidate, with not even a moderate choice, is something that seems frighteningly plausible in this day and age.
Picaut’s team is fantastic, with all of the entangled relationships that often accompany these sort of high pressure, close-working teams. I liked all of them, but my favourite had to be Patrice. His flashy presence and his frightful drive and competence were a delight. Not to mention the sparks between him and Picaut. The other characters in this timeline were interesting too and especially Cheb Yasine resonated with me in the way that he and his family were rounded up as the usual suspects due to their descent and religion. It’s a theme that feels incredibly topical given currents events.
The two stories work as satisfying stories in their own right, but taken together are so much more. Scott manages to switch between two in such a way that you’ll always be wanting to know more about the timeline you’re leaving, which makes for difficulties in putting the book down. I found myself just reading on until I returned to it, by which time the other timeline had become equally gripping, so I found myself reading on again; it is a hard loop to escape. I’m hard put to name a favourite between the storyline set in the past and the one set in the present. Both are wonderful, though in the end I do think Picaut’s storyline won out, just because there I didn’t know how it would end!
Into the Fire is a fantastic read and certainly one of my favourites so far this year. Manda Scott delivers a fascinating interpretation of the mysteries surrounding Joan of Arc and combines it with a pulse-pounding police procedural. My one regret is, that with the story of Joan of Arc told in this book, we’ll probably not see more of Inès Picaut and her team, as I’d love to spend more time with them. If you are a fan of historical fiction and crime thrillers, then Manda Scott’s Into the Fire is your must-read for the summer.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
May 11, 2019
This took a drastic turn for the terrible after a reasonable first third. There was some acceptable writing but the plotting was so hammy, so unbelievable and convenient that I lost heart from the mid-point. I can see the comparisons with Dan Brown now and I’m sad because I feel like Manda Scott is a better writer than that. Ah well. I might contemplate the second in the series but not for a good long while.
September 19, 2016
Well, this one is a bit of a SLOW-BURNER. 200 pages in and I'm going to just leave it because It doesn't look like it's getting anywhere. What is the point of advertising a book to be a Dan Brown sort of thriller and page-turner if it isn't so? How long does it take to set the stage? Do I really want to read another 400 pages if It's not even enjoyable?
Sorry, but I might just throw this book INTO THE FIRE, that'll be more exciting than trying to get through.
Sorry, but I might just throw this book INTO THE FIRE, that'll be more exciting than trying to get through.
November 21, 2019
"And now I know how Joan of Arc felt..." This review is for the Audible audiobook.
This is a book about Joan of Arc, i.e. Jeanne d'Arc. But the narrator can't pronounce French names, including Jeanne. He keeps saying something like Gee-enn. This is idiotic and annoying. Just say "Joan" in English, or better yet, hire someone who can say "Jeanne" if you know that's going to come up a few thousand times. Beyond that, the story is a so-so DaVinci Code wannabe.
This is a book about Joan of Arc, i.e. Jeanne d'Arc. But the narrator can't pronounce French names, including Jeanne. He keeps saying something like Gee-enn. This is idiotic and annoying. Just say "Joan" in English, or better yet, hire someone who can say "Jeanne" if you know that's going to come up a few thousand times. Beyond that, the story is a so-so DaVinci Code wannabe.
October 18, 2020
Oh gosh, sorry but this was a car crash. Uninteresting, boring, full of cliches, disjointed - I've slept twice reading this book.
The two story lines to me didn't have a strong link and it was like reading 2 books. Also the characters were badly drawn and the plot was weak.
I don't have anything good to say, again really sorry.
The two story lines to me didn't have a strong link and it was like reading 2 books. Also the characters were badly drawn and the plot was weak.
I don't have anything good to say, again really sorry.
July 10, 2015
Manda Scott brings us an enthralling dual time story set in France of 2014 and 1428. In the modern day French city of Orleans there is terrorism as fires are set with an extremist group claiming responsibility. After the first suspicious death of these attacks Capitaine Ines Picault is under pressure of time to find those responsible. In the parallel 1428 narrative the story of Joan of Arc (also known as the Maid of Orleans) is being told and the two become tantalisingly entwined.
The author writes a fast paced thriller that is entertaining and an enjoyable read for the current day story. There are plenty of twists and all the action of a good police investigation with a backdrop of politics as an election is soon to be fought. Ines Picault is a likeable, serious and determined lady who is less than happy when the press try to label her the current Maid of Orleans as she hunts down the fire starters. Then as the investigation unfolds she is shocked to discover that maybe the Maid of the past is a clue to solving her current day case…
Joan of Arc is a current day Roman Catholic Saint in France and famous the world over. A young peasant girl who united the defeated French, touched by God, and leading the French to great victories over the invading English only to burnt at the stake for heresy.
But what if this is not the whole story? Manda Scott in the 1428 narrative gives us her alternative fascinating version of Joan of Arc. An excellent and compelling version it is to as we follow Joan fighting the English and those who plot to bring her down. The author links the two excellent narratives as she leads us to the finale of both accounts and leaves us with questions as to what is myth and what is true. Both narratives were enjoyably and skilfully interwoven by the author leaving me happy to recommend this book to you. (received ARC)
September 4, 2019
After reading the totally brilliant A Treachery of Spies I read the first in the series of Ines Picaut books which , while it employed the same historical/ contemporary split as the first was very different.
In this book Ines was much more central and we learnt about her personal life a lot more than in Spies, which makes sense as this is the 1st book, and the historical element is Joan of Arc.
While it interesting, and the writing excellent, I didn't find this as gripping as Spies. I think because the Joan of Arc side of the story felt a little contrived, and also I really didn't connect with Ines and some of issues.
Having said that it was still a great read
In this book Ines was much more central and we learnt about her personal life a lot more than in Spies, which makes sense as this is the 1st book, and the historical element is Joan of Arc.
While it interesting, and the writing excellent, I didn't find this as gripping as Spies. I think because the Joan of Arc side of the story felt a little contrived, and also I really didn't connect with Ines and some of issues.
Having said that it was still a great read
July 25, 2015
I have always been fascinated by the figure of Joan of Arc, so this book intrigued me even before I began reading it. The story opens in contemporary France with a series of fires – and a death; but chapters shift frequently to the 15th century and the career of the Maid of Orleans. Both story lines are gripping, so that whenever I reached the end of a modern-day chapter and turned the page to find that in the next chapter Scott was taking me back in time, I growled with vexation only to find myself just as vexed at the end of that chapter when she took me back to the modern world. Writers. They love to torture their readers with suspense. Scott is a pro at this.
It’s refreshing to see a woman as the central figure of a police procedural. In this instance it is Capitaine Ines Picaut who has to solve a series of crimes that appear to have a political subtext. The Capitaine reminds me a bit of Jane Tennison in “Prime Suspect”, although Picaut is a good deal younger. Nor did Tennison have a blue-haired wunderkind at her elbow to manipulate computers and data bases. As much as I enjoyed this modern story – and I liked it A LOT – I was even more captivated by the medieval mystery surrounding the enigma that is Joan of Arc. Scott has obviously devoted a great deal of thought and research into the stories that have come down to us about the Maid. My own familiarity with Joan and the role she played in the Hundred Years War is pretty superficial, but that didn’t detract from my appreciation of the novel. Just the opposite: This book has inspired me to learn more about Joan and then form my own theories about her identity and background. Scott includes a book list for further reading, and as soon as I have the time I’ll be doing some research of my own.
It’s refreshing to see a woman as the central figure of a police procedural. In this instance it is Capitaine Ines Picaut who has to solve a series of crimes that appear to have a political subtext. The Capitaine reminds me a bit of Jane Tennison in “Prime Suspect”, although Picaut is a good deal younger. Nor did Tennison have a blue-haired wunderkind at her elbow to manipulate computers and data bases. As much as I enjoyed this modern story – and I liked it A LOT – I was even more captivated by the medieval mystery surrounding the enigma that is Joan of Arc. Scott has obviously devoted a great deal of thought and research into the stories that have come down to us about the Maid. My own familiarity with Joan and the role she played in the Hundred Years War is pretty superficial, but that didn’t detract from my appreciation of the novel. Just the opposite: This book has inspired me to learn more about Joan and then form my own theories about her identity and background. Scott includes a book list for further reading, and as soon as I have the time I’ll be doing some research of my own.
January 3, 2018
I have been looking forward to this novel ever since I heard it was on the way a year or two ago. I don't know of any other writer who gets into the heart of his or her characters as Manda Scott does. Into the Fire (as my early proof is called) is quite simply a wonder and one of the finest novels I've read. It combines the riveting story of two driven investigators, one in the mid 15th century and the other in the present day, both in France. At the novel's heart, though, is an extraordinary young woman - the Maid, Joan of Arc - while, in the background, fire threatens both past and present worlds. The writing is beautiful and evocative. Every page is a pleasure. Just glorious!
June 24, 2016
My husband works in a central lending library of a large city and will often bring home books for me in the hopes I'll enjoy them.
I've never heard of Manda Scott before so went into this novel with no expectations. It's part historical fiction, part modern day police procedural. I'll be honest, although I found the medieval side of the story quite entertaining I wasn't so keen on the police procedural. On top of that I struggled to find empathy with any of the characters.
So, although well written and giving me inspiration to find out more about the Maid of Orleans I wouldn't say I particularly enjoyed this novel.
I've never heard of Manda Scott before so went into this novel with no expectations. It's part historical fiction, part modern day police procedural. I'll be honest, although I found the medieval side of the story quite entertaining I wasn't so keen on the police procedural. On top of that I struggled to find empathy with any of the characters.
So, although well written and giving me inspiration to find out more about the Maid of Orleans I wouldn't say I particularly enjoyed this novel.
July 24, 2015
Too many nights sat up until 3am reading this novel, thinkng I'd just read the next chapter...and the next..... Loved the way the two timelines came together without being obvious from way back in the novel like so many of these type of stories do. Interesting idea on the Joan of Arc story to to tie in with the osteologist's report included at the back. Cracking book!
July 9, 2017
A big disappointment after reading the author's Roman novels. Simply a pedestrian thriller and police procedural involving investigating arson, a dead body, and, switching back and forth in time, was Joan of Arc who she purported to be? Did all these positive reviewers read the same book I did?
January 19, 2020
Simply stunning. Not a word wasted, not a detail missed. From a hard hitting detective in the present day to a spy turned traitor in war ravaged Fourteenth century France, this is a story that has you gripped from page one.
There are some tenuous links, some things that feel rather forced together, but on the whole you barely notice them beneath the beautiful prose and engaging characters. I've already read the sequel to this - A Treachery Of Spies - and that may have been the best book I read in 2019.
I do hope there will be more Picaut in the future
There are some tenuous links, some things that feel rather forced together, but on the whole you barely notice them beneath the beautiful prose and engaging characters. I've already read the sequel to this - A Treachery Of Spies - and that may have been the best book I read in 2019.
I do hope there will be more Picaut in the future
June 8, 2022
4 stars - Dutch paperback
Notes in notebook:
An ingenious plot, alternating between 2014 and the Hundred Years War, full of suspence in both time frames. Very clear in witch of the lime lines you are at that moment.
Lots of info about La Pucelle, really bringing her to life, and also the lives of the people who had to fight those dreadful, brutal battles. Indeed, cruel times, but then, I suppose not much has changed over the centuries. We the human race, never seem to learn.
Notes in notebook:
An ingenious plot, alternating between 2014 and the Hundred Years War, full of suspence in both time frames. Very clear in witch of the lime lines you are at that moment.
Lots of info about La Pucelle, really bringing her to life, and also the lives of the people who had to fight those dreadful, brutal battles. Indeed, cruel times, but then, I suppose not much has changed over the centuries. We the human race, never seem to learn.
June 23, 2015
I have been wanting to read Manda Scott's books for a while now and I have her Boudica series on my tbr list so it wasn't a difficult choice to want to read this. Joan of Arc is a woman that has always interested me although I don't know that much about her except maybe the highlights of her life and death.
The story and plot of the book appealed to me with the two different time frames running through it to modern-day France and the last few months of Joan of Arc's life in the 15th century. In the Medieval parts of the story, I felt totally thrown into the brutality and mercilessness of those times. It is hard to imagine how a young girl was leading an army especially when women were thought of as little more than cattle, but she was ordering battle hardened soldiers to do her will in the name of God.
I liked the character of Tomas Rustbeard, a spy, and an ally of Bedford of the English side sent to infiltrate the ranks of Joan and bring about her downfall. Spending time with Joan changes Rustbeard for the better and makes him question his allegiance. Through the story, you are getting a what if things didn't happen quite the way history recorded them as happening and adding mystery to the tale. Joan is written as strong as well as vulnerable and very human too and not just some fearless heroine.
In the modern sections of the book is Ines Picaut a female police inspector who with her team is responsible in trying to solve a series of fires that have been lit in the French city of Orleans. A mysterious Islamic group has been taking the credit for the string of fires, which up until now have taken no casualties until the body of a man shows up at the latest one and it becomes far more than a hunt for arsonists, but murderers. Joan of Arc is somehow involved too and someone is trying to keep something hidden. (Being vague to limit spoilers) Picaut just wants to stop the fires and find the killer/s and get through her divorce with her soon to be ex-husband of the very powerful and politically aspiring Bressard family.
The story moves along at a good pace. It never really feels like there is any excess fat to the story and the action, intrigue keep you turning the pages. It had me almost from the start and it was a hard book to put down when real life intruded.
The story and plot of the book appealed to me with the two different time frames running through it to modern-day France and the last few months of Joan of Arc's life in the 15th century. In the Medieval parts of the story, I felt totally thrown into the brutality and mercilessness of those times. It is hard to imagine how a young girl was leading an army especially when women were thought of as little more than cattle, but she was ordering battle hardened soldiers to do her will in the name of God.
I liked the character of Tomas Rustbeard, a spy, and an ally of Bedford of the English side sent to infiltrate the ranks of Joan and bring about her downfall. Spending time with Joan changes Rustbeard for the better and makes him question his allegiance. Through the story, you are getting a what if things didn't happen quite the way history recorded them as happening and adding mystery to the tale. Joan is written as strong as well as vulnerable and very human too and not just some fearless heroine.
In the modern sections of the book is Ines Picaut a female police inspector who with her team is responsible in trying to solve a series of fires that have been lit in the French city of Orleans. A mysterious Islamic group has been taking the credit for the string of fires, which up until now have taken no casualties until the body of a man shows up at the latest one and it becomes far more than a hunt for arsonists, but murderers. Joan of Arc is somehow involved too and someone is trying to keep something hidden. (Being vague to limit spoilers) Picaut just wants to stop the fires and find the killer/s and get through her divorce with her soon to be ex-husband of the very powerful and politically aspiring Bressard family.
The story moves along at a good pace. It never really feels like there is any excess fat to the story and the action, intrigue keep you turning the pages. It had me almost from the start and it was a hard book to put down when real life intruded.
June 26, 2015
Imagine a thriller spanning 600 hundred years. Sounds incredible but that is exactly what Manda Scott has achieved just that with Into the Fire.
This is a unique recipe of two great crime novels rolled into one outstanding read that will keep the reader up all night. You have been warned.
The key characters are the Police Capitaine Ines Picaut from current time and from 1429 Joan of Arc trying to turn the tide in the war with the English.
The story opens in current time (2014) and Orleans is under attack by arsonists and on this occasion Capitaine Picaut is called to a hotel in the centre of the old town that has been hit and this time amid the flames lies the charred remains of a body of a male but his identity is unknown. All she has to go on are Islamic extremists claiming responsibility. Who is the dead man? Did he know his attackers? The post mortem later revealed a memory card lodged in his throat. As the investigations move forward to try and solve this crime, the arsonists strike again this time the CCTV cameras have footage. The chase is now on, but there is more to this story that a modern day crime.
In 1429 Joan of Arc (The Maid of Orléans) was in the process of fighting the English, and Tomas Rustbeard has been sent as an undercover operative to seek out and eventually kill ‘The Maid’ and the myth that surrounds her. This part of the story in woven skilfully by the author in to the modern day crime spree.
I have a bucket full of admiration for Manda Scott and the volume of research that has been undertaken to write this novel that spans 600 years. I will admit at first just holding the book I was not sure if it would stand up, but I was nothing but blown away by the storyline and style of writing.
The characters that appear in the pages of Into the Fire are not only strong and but believable as well as the outstanding storyline. Without doubt it will make it to my shortlist of books of 2015.
This is a book that should be on your reading list for this summer it has bags of Heroism and evil to match and keep the reader glued to every page as it weaves from 2014 back to 1429. A true masterclass in historical fiction writing.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
This is a unique recipe of two great crime novels rolled into one outstanding read that will keep the reader up all night. You have been warned.
The key characters are the Police Capitaine Ines Picaut from current time and from 1429 Joan of Arc trying to turn the tide in the war with the English.
The story opens in current time (2014) and Orleans is under attack by arsonists and on this occasion Capitaine Picaut is called to a hotel in the centre of the old town that has been hit and this time amid the flames lies the charred remains of a body of a male but his identity is unknown. All she has to go on are Islamic extremists claiming responsibility. Who is the dead man? Did he know his attackers? The post mortem later revealed a memory card lodged in his throat. As the investigations move forward to try and solve this crime, the arsonists strike again this time the CCTV cameras have footage. The chase is now on, but there is more to this story that a modern day crime.
In 1429 Joan of Arc (The Maid of Orléans) was in the process of fighting the English, and Tomas Rustbeard has been sent as an undercover operative to seek out and eventually kill ‘The Maid’ and the myth that surrounds her. This part of the story in woven skilfully by the author in to the modern day crime spree.
I have a bucket full of admiration for Manda Scott and the volume of research that has been undertaken to write this novel that spans 600 years. I will admit at first just holding the book I was not sure if it would stand up, but I was nothing but blown away by the storyline and style of writing.
The characters that appear in the pages of Into the Fire are not only strong and but believable as well as the outstanding storyline. Without doubt it will make it to my shortlist of books of 2015.
This is a book that should be on your reading list for this summer it has bags of Heroism and evil to match and keep the reader glued to every page as it weaves from 2014 back to 1429. A true masterclass in historical fiction writing.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
August 5, 2015
4 1/2 stars
Very good, though it took the first half before I was hooked and it became unputdownable. Manda Scott has applied her usual interesting approach to an old mystery - who was Jehanne d'Arc? As the modern day mirrors (to some extent) the past events around the sainted Jehanne, a police Capitaine races to prevent mayhem - but is it threatened by the extreme right or Islamic terrorists?
Manda Scott always has her own theory of the history, a new or lesser known slant on the widely held version. I like this revealing of the author as very much a thinking being. An interesting presentation of what would merely have been a historical novel - the modern day action is used to illumine the theory of the past and give it a perspective of 600 years rather than us merely experiencing it in the 'here and now' of the 15th century.
My only gripe is the personal connection of the main protagonist in the modern day with 'the Family', a mésalliance she is eager to sever. This seemed both an unlikely circumstance and an unnecessary one; a glamorising of the characters that whiffed of potboiler. Unworthy of such an outstandingly gifted and lyrical writer. For this reason alone, so much it bothered me - and so easily I could see how it could have been written without that circumstance - that I give it only 4 !/2 stars.
I didn't love this as much as the Boudica and Rome series' but it is pretty damn good!
Very good, though it took the first half before I was hooked and it became unputdownable. Manda Scott has applied her usual interesting approach to an old mystery - who was Jehanne d'Arc? As the modern day mirrors (to some extent) the past events around the sainted Jehanne, a police Capitaine races to prevent mayhem - but is it threatened by the extreme right or Islamic terrorists?
Manda Scott always has her own theory of the history, a new or lesser known slant on the widely held version. I like this revealing of the author as very much a thinking being. An interesting presentation of what would merely have been a historical novel - the modern day action is used to illumine the theory of the past and give it a perspective of 600 years rather than us merely experiencing it in the 'here and now' of the 15th century.
My only gripe is the personal connection of the main protagonist in the modern day with 'the Family', a mésalliance she is eager to sever. This seemed both an unlikely circumstance and an unnecessary one; a glamorising of the characters that whiffed of potboiler. Unworthy of such an outstandingly gifted and lyrical writer. For this reason alone, so much it bothered me - and so easily I could see how it could have been written without that circumstance - that I give it only 4 !/2 stars.
I didn't love this as much as the Boudica and Rome series' but it is pretty damn good!
August 5, 2015
When it comes to historical fiction, there are books that are well researched; there are books that feel authentic; and then there are books that are so real you're certain the author must have privileged access to a time machine. Into the Fire is one of those books, a stunning vision of medieval Europe, distilled through prose so fierce and sharp it takes your breath away. If Hilary Mantel and Bernard Cornwell teamed up to write a novel, this is how it would be: a book where stunning set-piece battles feel as dangerous as court politics, and words are every bit as lethal as swords.
And that's just the half of it. Wrapped in and around the historical story of Joan of Arc, you get a modern conspiracy that refracts the history into an against-the-clock thriller ripped from today's headlines. Manda Scott understands the power of history, and she weaves both narratives into a seamless tale of deceit, ambition, devotion, and the extremes men will go to for power. This is an extraordinary tale told with extraordinary skill and imagination; a novel that takes you right into history, and brings you out the other side gasping.
And that's just the half of it. Wrapped in and around the historical story of Joan of Arc, you get a modern conspiracy that refracts the history into an against-the-clock thriller ripped from today's headlines. Manda Scott understands the power of history, and she weaves both narratives into a seamless tale of deceit, ambition, devotion, and the extremes men will go to for power. This is an extraordinary tale told with extraordinary skill and imagination; a novel that takes you right into history, and brings you out the other side gasping.
October 15, 2019
A well-written story which flits back and forth between 15th century France and the story of Joan of Arc and modern day Orleans where a group of arsonists are causing havoc. The historic parts of the book are very well portrayed and the female detective in the modern mystery is engaging. For some reason however I didn't enjoy the book as much as I would have expected. I think it was most probably because the jumping back and forth affected the pacing of the book and accordingly the build up of tension. That said I would definitely read more of the author's books.
July 3, 2015
Brilliant. I stayed up until some ridiculous hour this morning as I couldn't stop reading. Two novels in one, and combining two of my favourite genres - thriller and historical. A modern political thriller set in Orleans, alternating with a brilliant take on the story of Jeanne d'Arc.
Now Manda Scott's Boudicca novels are on my reading list.
Now Manda Scott's Boudicca novels are on my reading list.
July 14, 2023
I read the second Inez Picault (treachery of spies) before this one and pleased I did as I feel it was much better. For me the Joan of Arc timeline didn’t work and I quickly tired of it. I felt there was no direct link to the current day story, I stopped reading the Joan of Arc element and just read the present day story and I didn’t suffer by it.
July 17, 2019
I tried to like it, I really did. But it was so incredibly slow and I found myself utterly uninterested in what happened to the main characters.
June 24, 2015
Into the Fire, by Manda Scott, retells the story of Joan of Arc from an original and compelling perspective. Two stories are told in parallel, one contemporary and one set in the time of The Maid’s most famous battles in the fifteenth century. Using this device the author is able to show how and why legends are created and, perhaps of even more interest, why they are protected so fiercely by those who benefit from them. As ever with half truths that morph into ‘accepted fact’, religion, politics and business interests play key roles.
The opening chapter is set in present day Orléans where Capitaine Ines Picault has been called to investigate the fourth in a series of arson attacks which have blighted the city over the previous three weeks. This conflagration represents an escalation in hostilities as the burning building contains the remains of a body.
A cursory study of the charred corpse indicates that the unknown male was dead before the fire started. A memory card is later found lodged in the victim’s oesophagus suggesting that the assault was not unexpected and that he had information which he wished to pass on. As the police struggle to recover the encrypted digital data, and to assemble the victim’s last known movements, the arsonists strike again. This time CCTV footage is captured which had previously been so carefully avoided. Picault suspects a false trail.
Interspersed with the chapters which progress this contemporary tale are those which detail the rise and exploits of Jehanne d’Arc, nicknamed The Maid of Orléans. Although her story is familiar and has been appropriated by many; from the suffragettes through LGBT Christians, the Traditionalist Youth Network in the USA (her virginity is a big selling point here) to opposing French political parties; this is a fictionalised, personal account by a fighter sent by the enemy English to destroy her. The author has studied letters and transcripts from the time to provide accuracy but, for me, the most interesting facts were these:
In 2003, a Ukranian orthopaedic surgeon found within the tomb of a fifteenth century French king, the bones of a woman whom he said had died in her late 50s or early 60s and had been trained to ride a war horse from a very early age: a woman knight. He said, ‘This is Marguerite de Valois. And this was Joan of Arc.’ The French closed the tomb and threw him out of France.
During the trial of Joan of Arc, which lasted for many months, nobody asked how a nineteen year old peasant girl gained her strategic and tactical skills, how she learned to ride, to wield weapons, to couch a lance. That any girl should be capable of such skills was unthinkable at the time. Those in power preferred to promote her much vaunted purity and to claim that she was a gift from God. It is this story which has been perpetuated.
As the parallel tales unfold the similarities between rulers, nearly 600 years apart, become clear. The public can be swayed by a pretty story which strokes existing prejudices. They appear to find it easier to support perceived beauty, purity and righteousness than to challenge societal structures with which they are comfortable. Then as now those in power will ensure, by whatever means necessary, that inconvenient truths are ridiculed or censored.
The author is a fine storyteller and her writing flows beautifully, maintaining interest and building tension towards the meshing of the two endings. As Jehanne d’Arc faces the deadly wrath of her enemies, Ines Picault discovers that she has been played in a callous and potentially fatal game. As with any good thriller there are twists and turns aplenty.
I enjoyed reading this book. The suggestion of a modern day conspiracy to protect a myth convenient to church and state is all too believable. Taught history is only ever as accurate as the scribes of the day allow.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Bantam Press.
The opening chapter is set in present day Orléans where Capitaine Ines Picault has been called to investigate the fourth in a series of arson attacks which have blighted the city over the previous three weeks. This conflagration represents an escalation in hostilities as the burning building contains the remains of a body.
A cursory study of the charred corpse indicates that the unknown male was dead before the fire started. A memory card is later found lodged in the victim’s oesophagus suggesting that the assault was not unexpected and that he had information which he wished to pass on. As the police struggle to recover the encrypted digital data, and to assemble the victim’s last known movements, the arsonists strike again. This time CCTV footage is captured which had previously been so carefully avoided. Picault suspects a false trail.
Interspersed with the chapters which progress this contemporary tale are those which detail the rise and exploits of Jehanne d’Arc, nicknamed The Maid of Orléans. Although her story is familiar and has been appropriated by many; from the suffragettes through LGBT Christians, the Traditionalist Youth Network in the USA (her virginity is a big selling point here) to opposing French political parties; this is a fictionalised, personal account by a fighter sent by the enemy English to destroy her. The author has studied letters and transcripts from the time to provide accuracy but, for me, the most interesting facts were these:
In 2003, a Ukranian orthopaedic surgeon found within the tomb of a fifteenth century French king, the bones of a woman whom he said had died in her late 50s or early 60s and had been trained to ride a war horse from a very early age: a woman knight. He said, ‘This is Marguerite de Valois. And this was Joan of Arc.’ The French closed the tomb and threw him out of France.
During the trial of Joan of Arc, which lasted for many months, nobody asked how a nineteen year old peasant girl gained her strategic and tactical skills, how she learned to ride, to wield weapons, to couch a lance. That any girl should be capable of such skills was unthinkable at the time. Those in power preferred to promote her much vaunted purity and to claim that she was a gift from God. It is this story which has been perpetuated.
As the parallel tales unfold the similarities between rulers, nearly 600 years apart, become clear. The public can be swayed by a pretty story which strokes existing prejudices. They appear to find it easier to support perceived beauty, purity and righteousness than to challenge societal structures with which they are comfortable. Then as now those in power will ensure, by whatever means necessary, that inconvenient truths are ridiculed or censored.
The author is a fine storyteller and her writing flows beautifully, maintaining interest and building tension towards the meshing of the two endings. As Jehanne d’Arc faces the deadly wrath of her enemies, Ines Picault discovers that she has been played in a callous and potentially fatal game. As with any good thriller there are twists and turns aplenty.
I enjoyed reading this book. The suggestion of a modern day conspiracy to protect a myth convenient to church and state is all too believable. Taught history is only ever as accurate as the scribes of the day allow.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Bantam Press.
May 20, 2015
Manda Scott is an amazing writer who constantly subverts our expectations. As a historical novelist, she has a habit of showing us the familiar - from Boudicca to first-century Rome - from unexpected angles. In the process, her books reveal overlooked truths about the past. Her crime novels and thrillers, on the other hand, display an author entirely at home with the issues and technologies of the present, as well as a mistress of her craft.
Her new novel, Into The Fire, showcases both her talents and in the process overturns one of history’s sacred cows. There are two strands to the plot.
One, set in the present, concerns a hotly contested mayoral election in Orleans. Capitaine Inez Picaut is doubly involved in it - the election has generated a string of arson attacks and a murder; she and her team of detectives are tasked with solving the crimes and lowering the increasingly inflammatory political temperature of the city. But she’s also personally - and unwillingly - involved as the estranged wife of one of the mayoral candidates, whose wealthy family have their eyes on the longterm goal of the presidency of France.
The second strand is also set in France, and partly in Orleans, but nearly 600 years earlier. The viewpoint is that of Tomas, a hardbitten Anglo-French soldier in employ of the Duke of Bedford, England’s Regent of France. He’s infiltrated the French army loyal to the weakling Dauphin, which has recently been revitalised through the leadership of Joan of Arc. But Joan is no ordinary woman, and in the two years leading to her death, Tomas’s views begin to change.
Here, it turns out, is the heart of both stories. Joan of Arc, the peasant saint who was sent by God to save France from the English, is enshrined at the heart of France’s sense of itself as a nation. Her military skills - both as a fighting soldier and as a general - are unquestionable. So is her moral strength, her charisma and her intelligence. But who really was she? How could a peasant girl master the complex and sophisticated skills of a knight, usually the subject of at least ten years of intensive training? How on earth could she handle a warhorse in the heat of battle?
These are extraordinary questions, and hugely controversial in France. This brilliant novel’s answers are intriguing - and far more convincing than the generally accepted myth.
Into The Fire is Manda Scott’s best book yet, which is saying a great deal. It’s not just a crackingly good thriller and a ground-breaking historical novel. It also changes the way we think about a key episode in history. In the process, it shows - both in the past and the present - society’s uncomfortably ambivalent reactions to women who stick their heads above parapets, real and metaphorical. Perhaps things haven’t changed that much in 600 years.
Her new novel, Into The Fire, showcases both her talents and in the process overturns one of history’s sacred cows. There are two strands to the plot.
One, set in the present, concerns a hotly contested mayoral election in Orleans. Capitaine Inez Picaut is doubly involved in it - the election has generated a string of arson attacks and a murder; she and her team of detectives are tasked with solving the crimes and lowering the increasingly inflammatory political temperature of the city. But she’s also personally - and unwillingly - involved as the estranged wife of one of the mayoral candidates, whose wealthy family have their eyes on the longterm goal of the presidency of France.
The second strand is also set in France, and partly in Orleans, but nearly 600 years earlier. The viewpoint is that of Tomas, a hardbitten Anglo-French soldier in employ of the Duke of Bedford, England’s Regent of France. He’s infiltrated the French army loyal to the weakling Dauphin, which has recently been revitalised through the leadership of Joan of Arc. But Joan is no ordinary woman, and in the two years leading to her death, Tomas’s views begin to change.
Here, it turns out, is the heart of both stories. Joan of Arc, the peasant saint who was sent by God to save France from the English, is enshrined at the heart of France’s sense of itself as a nation. Her military skills - both as a fighting soldier and as a general - are unquestionable. So is her moral strength, her charisma and her intelligence. But who really was she? How could a peasant girl master the complex and sophisticated skills of a knight, usually the subject of at least ten years of intensive training? How on earth could she handle a warhorse in the heat of battle?
These are extraordinary questions, and hugely controversial in France. This brilliant novel’s answers are intriguing - and far more convincing than the generally accepted myth.
Into The Fire is Manda Scott’s best book yet, which is saying a great deal. It’s not just a crackingly good thriller and a ground-breaking historical novel. It also changes the way we think about a key episode in history. In the process, it shows - both in the past and the present - society’s uncomfortably ambivalent reactions to women who stick their heads above parapets, real and metaphorical. Perhaps things haven’t changed that much in 600 years.
April 28, 2019
Well this did not work for me. Especially since I loved her Boudicca novels, I am a bit sad. But this was just such an odd one. Oh well.
June 26, 2015
Imagine a thriller spanning 600 hundred years. Sounds incredible but that is exactly what Manda Scott has achieved just that with Into the Fire.
This is a unique recipe of two great crime novels rolled into one outstanding read that will keep the reader up all night. You have been warned.
The key characters are the Police Capitaine Ines Picaut from current time and from 1429 Joan of Arc trying to turn the tide in the war with the English.
The story opens in current time (2014) and Orleans is under attack by arsonists and on this occasion Capitaine Picaut is called to a hotel in the centre of the old town that has been hit and this time amid the flames lies the charred remains of a body of a male but his identity is unknown. All she has to go on are Islamic extremists claiming responsibility. Who is the dead man? Did he know his attackers? The post mortem later revealed a memory card lodged in his throat. As the investigations move forward to try and solve this crime, the arsonists strike again this time the CCTV cameras have footage. The chase is now on, but there is more to this story that a modern day crime.
In 1429 Joan of Arc (The Maid of Orléans) was in the process of fighting the English, and Tomas Rustbeard has been sent as an undercover operative to seek out and eventually kill ‘The Maid’ and the myth that surrounds her. This part of the story in woven skilfully by the author in to the modern day crime spree.
I have a bucket full of admiration for Manda Scott and the volume of research that has been undertaken to write this novel that spans 600 years. I will admit at first just holding the book I was not sure if it would stand up, but I was nothing but blown away by the storyline and style of writing.
The characters that appear in the pages of Into the Fire are not only strong and but believable as well as the outstanding storyline. Without doubt it will make it to my shortlist of books of 2015.
This is a book that should be on your reading list for this summer it has bags of Heroism and evil to match and keep the reader glued to every page as it weaves from 2014 back to 1429. A true masterclass in historical fiction writing.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
This is a unique recipe of two great crime novels rolled into one outstanding read that will keep the reader up all night. You have been warned.
The key characters are the Police Capitaine Ines Picaut from current time and from 1429 Joan of Arc trying to turn the tide in the war with the English.
The story opens in current time (2014) and Orleans is under attack by arsonists and on this occasion Capitaine Picaut is called to a hotel in the centre of the old town that has been hit and this time amid the flames lies the charred remains of a body of a male but his identity is unknown. All she has to go on are Islamic extremists claiming responsibility. Who is the dead man? Did he know his attackers? The post mortem later revealed a memory card lodged in his throat. As the investigations move forward to try and solve this crime, the arsonists strike again this time the CCTV cameras have footage. The chase is now on, but there is more to this story that a modern day crime.
In 1429 Joan of Arc (The Maid of Orléans) was in the process of fighting the English, and Tomas Rustbeard has been sent as an undercover operative to seek out and eventually kill ‘The Maid’ and the myth that surrounds her. This part of the story in woven skilfully by the author in to the modern day crime spree.
I have a bucket full of admiration for Manda Scott and the volume of research that has been undertaken to write this novel that spans 600 years. I will admit at first just holding the book I was not sure if it would stand up, but I was nothing but blown away by the storyline and style of writing.
The characters that appear in the pages of Into the Fire are not only strong and but believable as well as the outstanding storyline. Without doubt it will make it to my shortlist of books of 2015.
This is a book that should be on your reading list for this summer it has bags of Heroism and evil to match and keep the reader glued to every page as it weaves from 2014 back to 1429. A true masterclass in historical fiction writing.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
January 14, 2016
I have to say that to start with this book promised a lot.
What's not to like about Joan of Arc ? Eh ? Alright, alright, Jeannes D'Arc or the Maid as Scott refers to her throughout. I always knew her as Joan, as all I had in the 60's was a red picture history book for boys, which I won for something when I was about 7.
So, you're hoping for medieval warfare from one of the best historical writers around. And to an extent that's what you get. This book flips between the 15th century and the modern day, viewed in the medieval era by a certain Bob Rustbeard (yeah I know that's wrong) and Capt. Picaut of the French police.
You have two simultaneous plots going on then, the current one surrounding the death of some Dr Holloway or other and arsonic fires set in Orleans. The medieval story is the story of The Maid's military success up to her execution.
Bob Rustbeard seems to be some sort of English spy and Picaut (absolutely NOTHING like Capt. Picard of Star Trek, alas) is a French police officer that has links to the Orleans mafia through an unwanted husband.
It rumbles along for about 200 pages or more , with obviously some kind of ground breaking secret to be revealed at the end. I guessed the ending at this half-way point and from then on the novel became mundane and, dare I say it, plain dull.
I found myself despising Miss Smartarse Picaut and her crush on some blue-haired computer/forensic geek that seemed to know everything and could get data from a gravy swathed hard drive with no problem. The medieval bits held up well though, Scott does a good siege/battle scene, but with so many names being thrown into the fire (so to speak) me and my dementia couldn't cope. I ended skim reading to end, cos it was by then just boring.
The Maid got burned of course - well her stunt double did - and all is otherwise historically correct and you'd expect.
Total anti-climactic ending with Picaut saving everyone and a tedious old legend put to bed.
I'll stick to those Templar books that seem to be found on every charity job bookcase.
Yawn. Goodnight everybody.
What's not to like about Joan of Arc ? Eh ? Alright, alright, Jeannes D'Arc or the Maid as Scott refers to her throughout. I always knew her as Joan, as all I had in the 60's was a red picture history book for boys, which I won for something when I was about 7.
So, you're hoping for medieval warfare from one of the best historical writers around. And to an extent that's what you get. This book flips between the 15th century and the modern day, viewed in the medieval era by a certain Bob Rustbeard (yeah I know that's wrong) and Capt. Picaut of the French police.
You have two simultaneous plots going on then, the current one surrounding the death of some Dr Holloway or other and arsonic fires set in Orleans. The medieval story is the story of The Maid's military success up to her execution.
Bob Rustbeard seems to be some sort of English spy and Picaut (absolutely NOTHING like Capt. Picard of Star Trek, alas) is a French police officer that has links to the Orleans mafia through an unwanted husband.
It rumbles along for about 200 pages or more , with obviously some kind of ground breaking secret to be revealed at the end. I guessed the ending at this half-way point and from then on the novel became mundane and, dare I say it, plain dull.
I found myself despising Miss Smartarse Picaut and her crush on some blue-haired computer/forensic geek that seemed to know everything and could get data from a gravy swathed hard drive with no problem. The medieval bits held up well though, Scott does a good siege/battle scene, but with so many names being thrown into the fire (so to speak) me and my dementia couldn't cope. I ended skim reading to end, cos it was by then just boring.
The Maid got burned of course - well her stunt double did - and all is otherwise historically correct and you'd expect.
Total anti-climactic ending with Picaut saving everyone and a tedious old legend put to bed.
I'll stick to those Templar books that seem to be found on every charity job bookcase.
Yawn. Goodnight everybody.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews