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In 1758, Lord John Grey is back in London during a lull in the Seven Years War against the French. He is a major and his older brother Hal a colonel in His Majesty's army. When not on the battlefield, they keep up their social obligations as noblemen and dine at the exclusive Beefsteak Club. In fact, Hal and Grey wait in the Beefsteak Club at this very moment where they will meet their mother's husband-to-be, General Sir George Stanley. The brothers have painful memories of their father the Duke of Pardloe who committed suicide fifteen years ago when accused of treason. Now they wonder what their new stepfather will be like. Fortunately, General Stanley turns out to be a warm and sincere older man. He brings along his own stepson Mr. Percy Wainwright who is very handsome. Grey and Wainwright realize that they have seen each other before in the Lavender House, an exclusive brothel for gay men. For the rest of the scene, Grey and Wainwright flirt in front of the oblivious Hal and General Stanley. They have to be careful, though: in their world, homosexuality is punishable with death by hanging. But Grey likes to live dangerously. He is delighted when he finds out that General Stanley plans to purchase a commission for young Wainwright in His Majesty's army; Wainwright decides to choose Hal's and Grey's very own regiment. But bigger things are afoot. In the midst of the wedding preparations for Grey's mother Benedicta the Dowager Countess of Melton, some pages resurface from a stolen journal written by his late father. One page gets dropped off at Hal's office; the other is mailed to the countess. Grey and his family are horrified at the realization that someone means to blacken the family name once more with accusations of treason – this time right before Benedicta's wedding. It turns out that Grey as a child had found his father's dead body. Now he remembers details that convince him that someone murdered his father and made it look like a suicide. He wants to investigate further, but Hal tells him not to. Of course, he's going to do it anyway. But first he must sort out a conspiracy for Hal involving some of soldiers accused of being "sodomites" and, yes, traitors. Since the Duke of Pardloe was accused of being a Jacobite (a supporter of a Scottish contender for the British throne), this necessitates the inevitable visit to the country manor where Scottish prisoner-of-war Jamie Fraser is out on parole, working as a groom. Jamie is the star of Gabaldon's best-selling Outlander books, a traditional romance series. Homophobic Jamie knows that Grey is obsessed with him. They have an increasingly improbable encounter while Grey pretends to probe for insights into the Jacobites. There is also that pesky Seven Years War to fight: one chapter gives us an extended glimpse of the combat. Can Wainwright and Grey manage to be discreet while in the field? An inevitable scandal erupts, putting Grey in a harrowing position. Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade is a fun historical mystery that contains one or two tastefully restrained sex scenes. The author's greatest strengths are her vivid dialogue and extensive research. Fans of British and historical novels will enjoy this novel as much as I did here at ObsidianBookshelf.com.
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