Shadow of the Book

Born in 1826 as a "sickly babe," Francis Charles Drake survives a legacy of family scandal and Napoleonic ghosts to become the "Squarson" of West Lydford. Trading his family’s history of espionage for the Church and a strategic marriage into Stuckey’s Bank, Francis rules with both prayer and profit.

However, his granite respectability masks fresh secrets: a clandestine South African marriage and a hidden grandson. Spanning from Somerset to South Africa, this dynasty-defining tale follows a man balancing social debt against spiritual duty, ultimately forging a powerful military and ecclesiastical lineage from the shadows of his ancestors.