‘Charles Cordell, a former soldier, writes with a bravura confidence’ – A Best New Historical Novel, The Times

Readers are invited to follow the harrowing journey of soldiers and civilians caught in the chaotic English Civil War with the launch of Charles Cordell’s highly anticipated second novel, “The Keys of Hell and Death.”

Set in the West Country in July 1643, England’s bloody civil war has reached a bloody stalemate, with neither side able to secure a decisive advantage. But now the Royalists have spied an opportunity to seize the precious port of Bristol.

The book promises “heart-pounding action” and “heart-breaking loss” as  award-winning author David Gilman praises Cordell’s “knife edge sharp scholarly knowledge combined with the skill of a natural storyteller.” Renowned historian Ronald Hutton hails the novel’s unparalleled evocation of a Civil War soldier’s experience.

For further information on the content and critic reviews, please click here.

Don’t miss your chance to attend the exclusive launch event on June 4th at Topping & Co Bookshop in Bath, where Cordell will introduce his powerful new historical fiction. With a cover price of £8.99, “The Keys of Hell and Death” is available for pre-order now.

Click here for the Book Launch invitation and further information on how to attend.

The Vale of the Red Horse, Edgehill, 1642…

Charles Cordell’s gripping story of the English Civil War begins…

‘Stirring. A great read! You can almost hear the roar of cannon, and the thunder of hooves. Do not miss this evocative account of the start of the English Civil War.’

Ben Kane, author of The Forgotten Legion and Lionheart series

“Fast-paced and authentic … with characters that are colourful and believable. There are not enough tales like this.”

Michael Arnold, author of The Civil War Chronicles and the Highwayman series

“A fast-paced read that brilliantly captures the fear, confusion and luck of battle.”

Lieutenant General Richard Nugee CB, CVO, CBE

“As only a soldier could, Charles Cordell does not flinch from drawing attention to the sheer terror of battle… a gripping first book. I am certain there will be many more.”

Jeremy Ravenshaw Fowler, Adjutant General of the Sealed Knot Society

OUT IN PAPERBACK AND AS AN EBOOK

TUESDAY 12TH JULY

The Vale of the Red Horse, Edgehill, Warwickshire, October, 1642.

Bitter divisions that have grown unchecked in the kingdoms of the Stuart dynasty are about to engulf England in a bloody civil war. 30,000 men have gathered to determine the fate of nations and to pursue their own ideals and enmities through brutal and bloody combat. Many have never handled a weapon or strayed far from their native shire.

Among them are Anthony Sedley the Birmingham iron worker and Leveller, Robbie Needham, an embittered lead miner from Derbyshire who picks up a pike for his king, George Merrick, the young Oxford graduate whose prospects have been blighted by court corruption, Hywel Lloyd, a proud Welsh hill farmer, and William Bennet the struggling merchant who has staked everything to raise a company for the parliamentary cause. Then there are the half-brothers, Ralph and Francis Reeve, sons of a Suffolk farmer. Pious Francis has abandoned his studies at Cambridge to make England a New Jerusalem, cleansed of sin and filth. He despises his carefree brother and the father who seems to favour him. Caught cuckolding a London merchant, Ralph has forfeited his apprenticeship and indenture money. He dreams of restoring his honour and his fortune when he returns to London with the king’s victorious army. But first the brothers must face each other in the Vale of the Red Horse, the horse whose rider is War…

God’s vindictive wrath!

To read critic reviews, please click here.

Sebastian Beaumont

Will could never have predicted how much his life would change when he is knocked from his bicycle by a hit-and-run driver whilst returning home from his work as a psychotherapist. Diagnosed with concussion, he cancels upcoming client appointments and spends much of the following week in fitful sleep.

When he returns to his practice, something is very weird and very wrong. It seems that the cancelled sessions took place anyway and Will – or a form of Will – gave out some radical therapy that was completely out of character for him. What’s more, Will finds himself referring to events in his clients’ histories of which they themselves have no memory.

The resulting confusion and distress is merely the start of a bizarre unravelling for Will that threatens his livelihood, his marriage and even his sense of self as he finds himself caught up in a curious vortex of shifting realities, at the centre of which is Emma, the mysterious young woman determined to secure Will as her therapist and who seems to know a lot more about his shadowed past than she should.