Coxton Court Book 1: The Story Of The Shield Maiden

This novella, intended as the first in a series of six, is another genre mash-up. As a fan of fantasy, English history and contemporary thrillers (with a light touch), as well as about communities that do things their own way, 'Coxton Court Book 1: The Story Of The Shield Maiden' is my attempt at an original series where all three play their part.

WPC Valeria Lafleur, an only child, cares deeply for her Mum, and moving to the town of Coxton becomes important to her initially for two reasons: firstly because her parent is on her own and not in great health, and secondly because she fears she won't be able to pay her own way if her suspension from the police turns into a sacking. She gets drawn into a local conflict, however, when a group known as the 'Dethroners' wreck a local market and openly challenge the town's self-appointed 'King', the latest male heir in the Hamilton line. Val's bravery leads to her being invited by the King and his 'Court' (comprising a 'Medic', a 'Cleric', an 'Entertainer' and a 'Towncrier') to fill the one role on the Court which is currently vacant, that of 'Shield Maiden'.

Val is understandably bemused by these bizarre characters and the situation she finds herself embroiled in, and initially declines - even though she comes to realise they are effectively part-timers it is clear how committed they are to the roles they play, and she is still determined to have her suspension from the forces overturned as she was simply trying to protect her colleague on the beat. However her initial declining of the role does not stop the Dethroners targeting her and their leader, the enigmatic Jamie Richardson, attempts not so much to scare Val off but to persuade her not to get involved until they have overthrown the King and the Court.

Val is aware this offer would help her prove her worth to the police in due course when the time came to restore law and order, by which stage the Dethroners would have achieved their mission anyway. However when she goes to collect the previous Shield Maiden's armour, shield and sword she is appalled at the physical and mental trauma her predecessor suffered, and further resolved to defeat the Dethroners. This leads to another attack at the supermarket and a final showdown: having taken the role of Shield Maiden will Val end up going the same way as the one before her, or even live to see tomorrow?

This novella has plenty of character humour - notably the constant bickering between Val and her still-formidable mother - and observations of life in a small town, and is based on my times (largely enjoyable) in communities such as Alcester. In some ways it's the flip-side of my debut work "The Idol", but instead of coming into conflict with a town dominated by its past and its limiting traditions the protagonist is of use to them, and helping them with their aims may be a new career for her. Val is an LGBT person of colour and is one of several minorities on the Court, apparently proving them to be more forward-thinking than she expected and influencing her attraction to the role of Shield Maiden.

So, if you like your books with a dash of originality, a good helping of laughs and some swashbuckling heroics amid contemporary Britain, and a sprinkling of Arthurian traditions for seasoning, then this is the novella for you!