Border Reivers

The Border Reivers trilogy follows fifteen-year-old Mintie Henderson and the one-armed fighter Batty Coalhouse through the violent Anglo-Scottish marches of the 1540s. Beginning after the death of James V, the novels place personal revenge inside the lawless Debatable Lands, where raiding families, soldiers and hired killers exploit the weakness between two kingdoms.

As Henry VIII’s war against Scotland develops into the Rough Wooing, Mintie and Batty become entangled with royal policy, local feuds and repeated attempts to control the infant Mary, Queen of Scots. The trilogy combines frontier survival, irregular warfare and political intrigue with the harsh loyalties of communities that live beyond dependable law.