JOHN PENDRAGON

       John Hawkdale Pendragon is an agent with British Intelligence.
       The period of time is the 1850's during the reign of Queen Victoria
       The following is a quick backstory about Pendragon that was given.

       "John Hawkdale Pendragon was one of the few British officers who survived the Charge of the Light Brigade. The waste, the stupidity of it did nothing to dim his military enthusiasm, but his leg wound did; the surgeon told him he'd never ride again. No more the flashing sabre, no more the crash and thunder of the charge...
       "Pendragon confounded the surgeon, but he never again went to war.
       "He was still only twenty-six when he was invalided home to England, and he came back a hero; tall, handsome, with a slight limp, one of Cardigan's young lions, a member of a band of men whose courage had fired the imagination of the country. His entry into London society was assured; his beautiful Aunt Georgina's house in Park Lane gave him all the benefits and comforts of a gilded age of leisure.
       "It was not leisure that Pendragon wanted; as his leg healed and his health returned he ached for action and adventure.
       "Such was the young man discovered by the War Minister, Sidney Herbert. It was a critical time for both of them. One was disillusioned, listless with inactivity; the Minister was looking for someone to replace his principal secret agent who had just been found dead in a dockside warehouse - in the middle of an investigation into smuggling that threatened to turn into something much larger. A question, indeed, of the national security of a country insecure in Europe and fighting a war in the Crimea."

       The adventures begin with Pendragon's ordeal during that famous Charge and follow him during his return to England and recovery and then his entry into the clandestine world once his military career is abruptly ended. It also follows the relationships that Pendragon maintains with both high born people and commoners.

       The normal worries starting a new series include will it be boring, will it be believable, and will the main character be interesting. Oh, yes, there are lots more but those are high up there. In answer to these, no - yes - oh, yes. The Pendragon saga is not boring in the least. It is so realistic I feel like I have to scrape my boots every time he walks in the streets and alleyways where the horse carts are common. And Pendragon is a hoot to follow.
       One thing I loved about him is that when he is first asked to be an operative, he is eager and very gung-ho as well as being quite intelligent and possessing a good amount of common sense. What he is not is experienced so he makes some very understandable mistakes, some of which result in his being injured or shamed. Each time this happens, you can follow his sequence of thinking and learning and you get the idea he is not likely to make the same oops twice.
       The writing is exquisite. So well done and captivating. And the author was nice enough to not just rely on Pendragon; he gives us a pretty interesting array of other people that make reading these stories enjoyable.