Flashman’s affair with the celebrated adventuress Lola Montez brings him into conflict with the young Otto von Bismarck. Several years later Bismarck abducts him and forces him to impersonate a Danish prince whose marriage is expected to influence the politics of the fictional German duchy of Strackenz. Flashman must learn court ceremonial, survive conspirators and conceal the substitution from the prince’s bride.
The plot unfolds during the European upheavals of 1848 and draws on the Schleswig-Holstein crisis, Bavarian court scandal and the revolutionary instability of the German states. Flashman attempts to escape every faction while Lola, Bismarck and rival dynastic interests use him for incompatible purposes. His resemblance to the missing prince turns cowardice and improvised deception into instruments of high diplomacy.
Christopher Nicole
49 books
G. A. Henty
80 books
Henry Treece
35 books
Louis L’Amour
97 books