Into the Valley of Death is the first in A.L. Berridge's Crimean War series. 1854 - The Allied armies prepare to besiege the Russian stronghold in the Crimea Harry Ryder is a maverick hero. Resentful of the army that destroyed his father and his own career, he has no time for incompetent commanders. He clashes with his superiors as fiercely as he fights the Russians. Four men, one woman and a game of cards will change everything and alter the course of a war. Something evil has crept into the ranks of the British Army's own officers, an unknown enemy who plans lure men to ruin on the battlefields. The only path to victory lies in uncovering the truth, but to find it and confront his own destiny Ryder must charge with the Light Brigade into the Valley of Death itself... From A.L. Berridge, Top Ten Bestselling author of Honour and the Sword, comes Into the Valley of Death; the first in a sensational new series set to the bloody backdrop of the Crimean war. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden, Into the Valley of Death is a masterpiece of exhilarating historical adventure. So begins a thrilling new series set in the midst of a brutal war that shifted the balance of power in Europe and set the stage for World War One. Praise for A.L. Berridge: 'Fast-moving, exciting historical fiction...bringing the Crimea back to life... It's pitch-perfect, breakneck writing' Conn Iggulden 'The novel opens at a cracking pace and accelerates... A. L. Berridge has done it again - quite simply superb.' The Historical Novel Society 'Explodes into life, drama and action on every page. This truly is an outstanding book.' Parmenion Books A.L. Berridge read English at Oxford, and taught for ten years before moving into television, where her production credits range from period drama and thrillers to long-running soaps. She has written two previous novels, Top Ten bestseller Honour and the Sword and In the Name of the King, which are both available from Penguin.**

It is 1636 - the height of the Thirty Years War, one of the bloodiest and most destructive conflicts Europe has ever seen. As the campaigning season begins, the Spanish armies swell out of the Artois region of the Netherlands - flooding into King Louis XIII's France. The sleepy border village of Dax-en-roi stands in their way. Facing the overwhelming might of the Spanish forces, the Chevalier de Roland rallies a valiant defence, but in vain - his household guard no match for the invaders. There is only one survivor as the Roland estate is razed to the ground, one soul who escapes the Spanish brutality: the lone heir to the Roland name, the son, a young boy by the name of André de Roland, the new Sieur of Dax . . . Upon this young nobleman's shoulders all hope lies. He alone must bear the honour of the Roland name and, with it, the fate of his people.

1640, and the pall of war hangs over France...The young Chevalier de Roland has scarcely set foot in the city before he crosses swords with a cruel nobleman to defend a young woman's honour. Too late he learns he has stumbled on a conspiracy within the King's own household to seize power by secret alliance with Spain. Accused of treason and forced to flee into hiding, André must fight on alone, staking both his life and his honour in the battle to save France.Blood and Steel is an epic swashbuckling pageturner that sweeps from the political intrigues of Cardinal Richelieu to the great battlefields of the Thirty Years War.