THE BARBED CROWN

Dietrich's creation Ethan Gage (The Emerald Storm, 2012, etc.) is no typical action hero.

Gage is an American who finds himself in the middle of key moments in 19th-century European history, and one whose loyalties shift. Gage is strictly in it for the adventure, never really doing anything heroic. The sixth adventure in the Gage series finds him recovering from the death of his wife, Astiza, which he blames on the rise of Napoleon. Seeking revenge, he enlists as a spy for the British, and his spirits are boosted considerably by his partner Catherine Marceau, a seductive French renegade whose past is a well-guarded secret. Eventually, Astiza is revealed to have survived, and Gage works as a double agent. Everyone knows how Napoleon’s career will wind up; less clear is whether Gage will survive his spy career and whether his marriage will survive the intrusions of Catherine.

Dietrich has the Gage series down to a formula, blending history with entertaining tall tales and a good deal of irreverence.