The Gauntlet Runner

Private Jacob Murray, a twenty-six-year-old Pennsylvanian volunteer in the ranks of George Washington’s Virginia Provincial Militia, is scouting the dense, almost impassable Ohio Valley wilderness in May 1754. Together with his twin brother, Israel, and two Mingo warriors, Jacob searches for a party of French troops encroaching on British soil. Back at home, Murray’s wife, Maggie, and their four children carve out a meager existence until a group of French and Huron war parties raid their small farm. Taken captive, they are unsure if they will live to see their husband and father again. With word spreading that French-backed Huron raiding parties are decimating the Pennsylvania countryside and taking white captives, young Major Washington, Murray, and a French officer bent on revenge are destined to cross paths. As three hostile powers continue to vie for control of the coveted Ohio Valley, a war soon begins that will engulf them all. The Gauntlet Runner tells a tale of fractured lives, broken treaties, and the stark realities of the struggles faced by early American settlers as they risk their lives to cultivate the young, formidable nation.

Coming off the disaster on the Monongahela , Jacob Murray and his young friend Joshua return to Fort Cumberland under the command of George Washington. The defeated British army soon withdraws further east, leaving the frontier virtually undefended. With the frontier left unprotected, Delaware raiding parties begin striking the settlers in an effort to clear their lands of the English. Jacob and Joshua lead a company of militia deep into the French-held Pennsylvania frontier. They plan to build a fort that will not only give the local settlers peace of mind and added protection, but serve as a ‘home base’ from which they can continue the search for Jacob’s wife Maggie and Joshua’s best friend One-Ear. Though the raids seem to lessen with the presence of the well-constructed fort, the Delaware have not withdrawn completely. A rescue mission soon turns out disastrous when the men are ambushed and Jacob is taken prisoner by chief Tewea, the dangerous warrior nicknamed Captain Jacobs. Help often comes from unexpected sources, and the Murrays soon find themselves face to face with ghosts from the past and a mysterious band of sentinels that are keeping watch over the Pennsylvania forests. www.thegauntletrunner1754.com

A guard and a thief. What could go wrong? Aik has fallen hopelessly in love with his best friend. But Raven's a thief, which makes things … complicated. Oh, and Raven has just been kidnapped by a dragon. Now Aik is off on a quest of his own, to hunt down the foul beast and make them give back his … friend? Lover? Soulmate? The whole not-knowing thing just makes everything harder. Meanwhile, the world of Tharassas is falling apart, besieged by earthquakes, floods, and strange creatures no one has ever seen before. Aik's ex, Silya has gone back to Gullton to do try to save her people as the Hencha Queen, and Aik's stuck in a caravan with her mother and a damnable magical gauntlet that won't let him be. He has to find Raven, before it’s too late. Things were messy before … but now they're much, much worse.

With the events of the past year freshly engraved in his mind, Jacob Murray lies in wait, just a stone's throw from a French outpost in the midst of the western Pennsylvania wilderness. Having teamed up with the two young men who helped his wife escape her Huron captors, he waits for any sign of Maggie or the French merchant who purchased her. A straightforward plan for ambush soon goes awry and Jacob and Joshua are separated from Maggie and One-Ear; the latter pair heads towards Canada, the former for Fort Duquesne. While Maggie's efforts to escape and avoid French captivity lead to unexpected encounters with the native tribes of New York and Canada, including the great Ottawa leader Pontiac, Jacob himself is taken captive by the French. With Joshua's help, he is able to escape, but life as a deserter is very dangerous, especially when the British army is amassing nearby under the watchful eye of Major General Edward Braddock. Jacob and Maggie Murray long for their peaceful life on the homestead in Pennsylvania, but with two great countries and their native allies battling over the Ohio Valley, their wishes must remain ungranted...at least for now."...

The Gauntlet Runner tells a tale of fractured lives, broken treaties, and the stark realities of the struggles faced by early American settlers as they risk their lives to cultivate the young, formidable nation.

It is late autumn 1756, Jacob Murray and a band of rangers are locked in desperate pursuit of a Delaware raiding party that overran and massacred the garrison at Fort Stevens. Among the women and children taken prisoner is Jacob's wife, Maggie. Driven by guilt and anger, Jacob sets a furious pace that leads his men into dangerous unknown territory. Meanwhile the fate of the prisoners is made all the more tenuous when raiding party scouts report the death of Chief Tewea at Kittanning, and Maggie will soon be forced to reconsider everything she has ever thought about the 'savages' that have inflicted such havoc on her life. In a world at war where blood debts are constantly paid and incurred, decisions made can change the course of lives forever. For Maggie, Jacob and their son James, the pull of their blood will draw them into a winter none of them could foresee. The fourth book in the award-winning Gauntlet Runner series, Blood Lines once again transports readers to colonial America during the French and Indian War and offers a clear unsentimental glimpse into the history of the period through the eyes of its characters.

Jacob Murray finally has what he wanted...almost. He is still tired from a war that has dragged on close to seven years. He desperately wants to get home but he has his obligations. He finally has Maggie by his side, only as fate has it, heartbreak is always around the corner. The French are desperate as well. Hope is fading after losing their prized walled city. Now the unforgiving Canadian winter stands in their way. The river connecting them to France will sit frozen for the next six months, keeping them in their winter quarters until the spring thaw. Winter in 1760 Quebec City is wrought with death, disease and depleted food supplies. The victorious British garrison is burdened with repairing a bombed city, weakened defenses and a local population who despise their presence. The threat of a French counterattack looms, yet running out of fire wood is a far more serious fate. Trapped in a city with no hope, no food and an enemy bent on liberating it from British hands. Trapped by snow and ice in one of the most inhospitable places on earth and trapped by his responsibilities. Jacob prays for a quick end to the war so he can finally return home with his family. A traitor, the vengeful French army and personal tragedy complicates his efforts but Jacob Murray is determined to make his Last Run. WWW.THEGAUNTLETRUNNER1754.COM

Enemies come in many forms, and they are not always what you think. Jacob Murray has learned that lesson, but it haunts him once again. The tides of the war have finally changed and the British are beginning to gain ground over their French adversaries. The French sit within the walled city of Québec, waiting for their enemy. Jacob and Maggie are still apart, separated by thousands of miles of unfamiliar wilderness. Despite this adversity, they each seek a way to find what remains of their family. Faced with her own challenges, Maggie finds unlikely friendship and assistance from what she believed were her enemies. Following an opportunity to track down her son, she journeys to Québec City, where she finds a city preparing for a siege from the British army, who are determined to end the war. Jacob faces his own challenges, and finds he is often forced to fight not only his enemies, but also those who should be his allies. Blind Faith tells the story of deserters, a country controlled by the church, and the walled city that holds many secrets.

The British Merchant Navy dominated the world trade routes in the years leading up to the Second World War. The star players of the fleet were the cargo liners, faster and larger than the tramps and offering limited passenger accommodation. On the outbreak of war these cargo liners became crucial to the nation’s survival using their speed and expertise to evade Nazi warships, raiders and U-boats. Initially operating alone, but increasingly relying on Royal Navy protected convoys, these key elements of the Merchant Navy plied the oceans and seas despite mounting losses, throughout the war years. This superbly researched book describes numerous dramatic incidents. Some ended in disaster such as the New Zealand Shipping Company’s Turakina which was sunk after a running battle with the German raider Orion. Others were triumphs for example Operation Substance when six fast cargo liners succeeded against all the odds in reaching besieged Malta with vital supplies. The common denominations in all these historic voyages were the courage and skilled seamanship of the Merchant Navy crews. As Running The Gauntlet vividly illustrates, their contribution to victory, too long overlooked, cannot be overstated.