The Running Wolf by Helen Steadman
A tale of swords, smuggling, and sedition...published by Impress Books December 2020.
When a smuggler from Solingen in Germany finds himself imprisoned in Morpeth Gaol in the winter of 1703, why does Queen Anne's powerful right-hand man, the Earl of Nottingham, take such a keen interest? At the end of the turbulent 17th century, the ties that bind men are fraying, turning neighbour against neighbour, friend against friend, and brother against brother.
Beneath a seething layer of religious intolerance, community suspicion, and political intrigue, The Running Wolf takes us deep into the heart of rebel country in the run-up to the 1715 Jacobite uprising. Hermann Mohll is a master sword maker from the German city of blades, who risks his life by breaking his guild oaths and settling in England. While trying to save his family and neighbours from poverty, he is caught smuggling swords and finds himself in an English prison facing charges of high treason.
Determined to hold his tongue and his nerve, Mohll finds himself at the mercy of the corrupt keeper, Robert Tipstaff. The keeper fancies he can persuade the truth out of his prisoner and make him face the ultimate justice: hanging, drawing, and quartering. But in this tangled web of secrets and lies, just who is telling the truth?
Author Bio
Dr Helen Steadman is a historical novelist. Her first novel, Widdershins and its sequel, Sunwise were inspired by the Newcastle witch trials. Her third novel, The Running Wolf was inspired by a group of Lutheran swordmakers who defected from Germany to England in 1687.
Despite the Newcastle witch trials being the largest mass execution of witches on a single day in England, they are not widely known about. Helen is particularly interested in revealing hidden histories and she is a thorough researcher who goes to great lengths in pursuit of historical accuracy. To get under the skin of the cunning women in Widdershins and Sunwise, Helen trained in herbalism and learned how to identify, grow and harvest plants and then made herbal medicines from bark, seeds, flowers and berries.
Review
Once again, Helen Steadman has created a piece of historical fiction that is ripened with meticulous research and a flair of imagination that when combined gives the reader a unique journey through the past. I knew nothing about this period in history and that is what I love about reading historical fiction as it allows you to learn about a group of individuals and their stories. I love it when you have to , in this case, pause the audiobook to travel down a Google and wiki rabbit hole as you have become so interested in finding out all you can. I'm sure it mirrors the research Helen must do in a way, although maybe not Wikipedia! Helen has compiled a blog post on her website which details some of the secondary source research she undertook before moving on to primary sources.
https://helensteadman.com/2020/12/31/the-shotley-bridge-swordmakers-review-of-the-existing-literature/
As a historian, it makes fascinating reading. Not just her blog posts but her books in general.
Numerous themes are running through ‘The Running Wolf’ that are still relevant today and that is what makes Helen’s books so engaging and enjoyable. In this one, we have the exploration of the diaspora community deciding whether to assimilate into their area or keep hold of their old culture and ways. I loved how it was Liesl who helped to bridge the gap between the communities by wanting to learn English and become friends with the local children. Also, we see how economic migration sees the Germans come to England as they should be able to earn higher amounts for their goods there. These are issues that still force people to make these decisions every day.
As an audiobook, this novel works extremely well as it swaps from Herr Mohl’s backstory to his time in Morpeth jail. At first, I was disappointed that we didn't have the same narrator as in ‘Sunwise’ and ‘Widdershins’ but I soon came to enjoy the narrator and their calming voice. I would have enjoyed diving into the story with a female perspective as well as it would have allowed the author to examine some of the above themes from a different angle. However, that is just my opinion and only because the author has made me want to know more about the story which is only a good response to their work!
This was a great way to pass some time over the festive period and from on now any book Helen writes is going to be an automatic read for me!
