What do you think?
Rate this book
A Temporal Detective Agency #2
Trouble With Swords
When Arthur’s sword Excalibur is stolen the Temporal Detective Agency is called in to protect not only Arthur and Merlin, but to stop a very clever and cruel person from destroying Camelot itself. To make things worse, this time the TDA has no idea who they’re fighting.
Marlene’s plan takes Tertia and Unita to Rome, Egypt and even to a meeting with Shakespeare, before confronting their enemy in the Coliseum.
But first, if the Agency is to succeed, Arthur must die.... and Merlin and her King have to agree. If they don’t, Camelot will be doomed and History itself could be changed.
That’s the trouble with swords!
Marlene’s plan takes Tertia and Unita to Rome, Egypt and even to a meeting with Shakespeare, before confronting their enemy in the Coliseum.
But first, if the Agency is to succeed, Arthur must die.... and Merlin and her King have to agree. If they don’t, Camelot will be doomed and History itself could be changed.
That’s the trouble with swords!
209 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 28, 2012
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Richard Hardie
4 books23 followersI live in Hampshire with my wife, son and cocker spaniel. My daughter and her husband live nearby.
Twice a year I go to the Gower with my beloved dog and we walk for miles along the glorious coastline. Amazingly, many plotlines arise during those trips and lots of plot logjams get freed up. It's a very cathartic time!
My day job is in complex IT sales, though if enough people buy the Temporal Detective Agency books I'll happily hang up my computer shoes and become a full-time author. You can help me!
Twice a year I go to the Gower with my beloved dog and we walk for miles along the glorious coastline. Amazingly, many plotlines arise during those trips and lots of plot logjams get freed up. It's a very cathartic time!
My day job is in complex IT sales, though if enough people buy the Temporal Detective Agency books I'll happily hang up my computer shoes and become a full-time author. You can help me!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 30, 2016
Trouble with Swords By Richard Hardie
This second book in the Temporal Detective Agency series builds on the very solid foundation of the first book. Tertia and her Agency cohorts have settled into their roles beautifully, there are romantic rumblings aplenty in Tertia’s heart as new boy David starts proving his worth and we get more time with Arthur and Merlin in this instalment plus some revelations and returns from some of the favourite Knight of the Round Table. Again it is really the women who push the story along with the boys adding a little bit of beef when brute force is needed!
The gift of humour that Richard Hardie utilises with a subtle hand on these stories, elevate them above the norm. I suspect that the rather nifty Cameo from Mr T Pratchett and family in the restaurant and the author bio are testament to a hulking great inspiration from the disc-world author and the obvious interest and joy in that clever comedic turn of phrase is clear.
The story cleverly weaves in some great Historical figures into the plot. Whilst history is bent a little, I am sure that these little titbits will be catalysts for some of the more questing young minds to do some research of their own.
A perfect read for youngsters nine and over I would say, although I got immense pleasure from returning to the TDA cave myself.
It is awfully good fun and the perfect length for a quick read on a winter night with a cup of Earl Grey and some Bickies. It is a huge shame though that Merl Grey is so hard to pick up in Sainsbury's these days!
This second book in the Temporal Detective Agency series builds on the very solid foundation of the first book. Tertia and her Agency cohorts have settled into their roles beautifully, there are romantic rumblings aplenty in Tertia’s heart as new boy David starts proving his worth and we get more time with Arthur and Merlin in this instalment plus some revelations and returns from some of the favourite Knight of the Round Table. Again it is really the women who push the story along with the boys adding a little bit of beef when brute force is needed!
The gift of humour that Richard Hardie utilises with a subtle hand on these stories, elevate them above the norm. I suspect that the rather nifty Cameo from Mr T Pratchett and family in the restaurant and the author bio are testament to a hulking great inspiration from the disc-world author and the obvious interest and joy in that clever comedic turn of phrase is clear.
The story cleverly weaves in some great Historical figures into the plot. Whilst history is bent a little, I am sure that these little titbits will be catalysts for some of the more questing young minds to do some research of their own.
A perfect read for youngsters nine and over I would say, although I got immense pleasure from returning to the TDA cave myself.
It is awfully good fun and the perfect length for a quick read on a winter night with a cup of Earl Grey and some Bickies. It is a huge shame though that Merl Grey is so hard to pick up in Sainsbury's these days!
November 21, 2016
The Trouble with Swords is the follow up book to Leap of Faith a story about the temporal detective agency run by time travelling wizards from King Arthur’s court in Camelot. This sequel contained many of the same loveable characters from the first book but added in a few new and interesting ones. I actually enjoyed this book more than the first one. The action wasn’t really based in one location as in the first book but wound its way through key times and places in history, namely Rome and Egypt and I really enjoyed the evocative descriptions of how these key events could have played out (if time travel had been involved). I found that the action and dialogue flowed a little better in this sequel culminating in a lovely little twist at the end which could account for a certain set of historical myths. I most definitely did not guess who the bad guy was. Altogether a great sequel to a highly recommended series.
November 21, 2016
Another great book from Richard Hardie! I enjoyed the first book in the series and was really happy to jump straight in to this one. I was pleased to find that the fun and humour was still there! I love the twists and turns throughout history, it makes it really fun to read as someone that studied history. The character development is strong and the new characters are fun too (especially a great cameo) I can't wait to read the next book. I would definitely recommend this to friends and family!
November 20, 2016
very enjoyable read and followed nicely from the first book in the series. it follows merlin's gang again and follows on from the first book as well. the mysteries are very interesting and kept me hooked all the way through with all the twists and turns. overall a very good read.
November 20, 2016
Trouble with swords by Richard Hardle is a teens ya read.
When Arthur’s sword Excalibur is stolen the Temporal Detective Agency is called in to protect not only Arthur and Merlin, but to stop a very clever and cruel person from destroying Camelot itself. To make things worse, this time the TDA has no idea who they’re fighting.
Marlene’s plan takes Tertia and Unita to Rome, Egypt and even to a meeting with Shakespeare, before confronting their enemy in the Coliseum.
But first, if the Agency is to succeed, Arthur must die.... and Merlin and her King have to agree. If they don’t, Camelot will be doomed and History itself could be changed.
Absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. Loved tertia. She was my favourite character. Cleverly written. Can't wait for next part. Highly recommended. 5*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from tbc on fb.
When Arthur’s sword Excalibur is stolen the Temporal Detective Agency is called in to protect not only Arthur and Merlin, but to stop a very clever and cruel person from destroying Camelot itself. To make things worse, this time the TDA has no idea who they’re fighting.
Marlene’s plan takes Tertia and Unita to Rome, Egypt and even to a meeting with Shakespeare, before confronting their enemy in the Coliseum.
But first, if the Agency is to succeed, Arthur must die.... and Merlin and her King have to agree. If they don’t, Camelot will be doomed and History itself could be changed.
Absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. Loved tertia. She was my favourite character. Cleverly written. Can't wait for next part. Highly recommended. 5*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from tbc on fb.
July 16, 2017
This was a fun romp all the way through but you have to be on your toes to catch all the references to traditional historical ‘facts as are known’ or to aspects of literature. If you don’t pay attention the action will drag you on to something new. I found Tertia was less solid a character than in Book 1 but this tale gives more depth to some of the other characters who are also in Book 1 of the series. I’d recommended for around the 9-12 age group.
The title sneaks in when you least expect it!
The title sneaks in when you least expect it!
April 29, 2021
Fun and entertaining
The many characters from history are brought together in this fun and entertaining time-traveling tale. How everything got linked together is fascinating and must have been fun to write.
The many characters from history are brought together in this fun and entertaining time-traveling tale. How everything got linked together is fascinating and must have been fun to write.
November 20, 2016
The Trouble With Swords: A Temporal Detective Agency Novel
We return to one of my favourite ever teenage female characters Tertia and her Camelot time-travelling detective agency.
I already like the characters and the original use of well-known characters such as Merlin and the knights of the round table.
Again there was a great start and great concept storyline. I enjoyed the historical setting and was happy to suspend belief. At some times it read like a pantomime.
I got the twist really early on and spent the last half of the book waiting for the reveal. But when it came to it there were further twists so I wasn't entirely in the know!
I recommend for teenagers and YA fans. Again, I really liked the chapter page artwork.
January 11, 2016
I love the Temporal Detective Agency novels. The first one - A Leap of Faith - was great, and again Richard Hardie has delivered a first class YA novel, with Trouble with Swords, which ticks all the boxes for teenage readers (and for those of us still young at heart). The adventures through the centuries continue, with Richard twisting history, making for great adventures - yet not loosing sight of the actual history. You know, I think these books would make for a great aid in learning history, and loving it (who wouldn't love Tertia and Unita?). An excellent read from beginning to end.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews