Author: Peter Watt
ISBN: 9781760555351
Copy courtesy of the publisher
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read The Queen’s Tiger by Peter Watt.
Peter Watt is one of Australia’s best historical fiction authors. The Queen’s Tiger is the second book in the Colonial Series. I have actually read the first book, The Queen’s Colonial. It is not necessary to have read it to enjoy and follow the characters in this second book. The back of the book gives a guide to the characters. Explaining that Ian Steele bears a striking resemblance to Samuel Forbes.
They swap identities and lives. Ian was a blacksmith in Sydney dreaming of becoming a soldier and serving in Queen Victoria’s Army. While Samuel Forbes is from an aristocratic family, he doesn’t want to be in the army, but for him to inherit from his Grandfather’s estate he is required to serve 10 years in the Queen’s Army. Hence the swap of identities.
Ian is now known as Captain Samuel Forbes and has just finished fighting for Queen and Country in Persia and is then posted to India.
The book is set in Colonial India in 1957 where there is about to be a rebellion. The sepoys turn on the English .The rebellion arises from religious, political and The British east India Company meddling in India’s politics.
Army surgeon Peter Campbell and his wife Alice ( nee Forbes, Samuel’s sister) are in India on their honeymoon and are subsequently caught up in the chaos. We follow the rebellion through the eyes of Alice, Peter, and Ian. You feel like you are there witnessing the events.
Meanwhile back in England, Charles Forbes ( Samuel’s brother) suspects that Ian is an imposter. He thinks Ian is trying to swindle the Forbes family of Samuel’s inheritance. So the plot thickens as Charles plans to bring Ian down, expose Samuel and be able to inherit Samuel’s share himself.
There is plenty to keep you interested! Will Ian and Samuel’s deception be found out, will Ian even survive his time in the army. The book is full of action, romance and family betrayal.
Thoroughly recommend this book. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading The Queen’s Tiger. You can read their comments below, or contribute to the discussion by leaving your own feedback.
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.