Pete Minall ~ Writer
Explore Pete Minall's Catalogue of English Historical Fiction
"The Trust" ~ A series of books
"The Trust" is a four-book series that sweeps across a thousand years of history, carrying a secret which affects both men and Kings.
They are full of adventurous men who would stop at nothing to achieve their aims, be that of war, greed or peace. Each book is full of historical figures who may not have been as history has subsequently painted them.
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Where there is treasure and a great secret, death, lies intrigue and murder may lurk.​
The Spy, The Dwarf and The Mongol – takes us from the Mongol encampment of Genghis Khan in 1197 to medieval England and the Court of King John, following the journey of an odd company of men with one common aim. A slice of life at the turn of the thirteenth century.
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Matthew and the Kilderkin – moves us to the England of 1647, where it's citizens are not only feeling the ravages and social upheaval of the English Civil War, but the Eastern Counties are terrified and in the grip of an outbreak of witchcraft, which led to the persecution and execution of many people. Chief amongst the investigator of cases of suspected witchery was the now infamous Matthew Hopkins, Witchfinder General. What happened in the last year of his life and how did he die?
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Doyle and Wells – Here we visit the Victorian world of manners, politeness, seances and Victorian innovation in the company of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H.G. Wells, two of the most revered authors in British literary history. They try and unravel a mystery which has crossed the centuries and fallen at their feet.
Can they recognise the clues which come into their possession through a very strange and curious incident. Their journey leads them from secret societies to stalwarts of British theatre, taking in scholars and places of learning along the way. When they find the mystery of which they seek, what will be revealed to them and what will they do next?
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Orlando's Quest – Finally we join the aged Cornishman, Orlando Porthtowan, a seemingly outrageous raconteur whose stories seem to get larger each time they are re-told to his young friends, Jo Waterbrook and her husband Adam . Orlando is collector of ephemera and old documents and when letters written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle come into his possession he tumbles headlong into a treasure hunt requiring all the guile of his literary hero Sherlock Holmes. Join the trio of treasure seekers on their quest.
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The Spy, The Dwarf and The Mongol
ISBN 979-8-224-61939-9
Paperback £14.99
e-book $2.99
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It is 1197, the Century is about to turn and Genghis Khan is a troubled man. Can he keep the Crusader War in the Holy Land away from his borders?
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A plan is needed. Men he can trust.
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He gathers together a small but dedicated group, who must quickly become conversant with the subtleties of political intrigue, murder, deception, codes and even Regicide if they are to succeed in their task.
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En-route to Europe, their number is swelled by a mysterious wandering friar, a trader from the East and a dwarf. This eclectic band of travellers becomes known as The Trust.
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The story takes them from deep within the heart of the Knights Templar stronghold at Acre to the walls of the Tower of London and from the vast expanse of the Mongolian steppes to the bleakness of the English Fens. Join them on their great adventure as they encounter Kings, peasants, itinerant relic salesmen and conspirators.
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Follow The Trust as it becomes entwined with heroes of myth and fable, encountering men who are honest and pure of mind and those with greed and murder in their very souls.
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This chapter in time ended with an act of audacity which had far reaching consequences. Indeed it just might make you question what you thought you knew about history.
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Matthew and the Kilderkin
ISBN 979-8-224-88029-4
Paperback £9.99
e-book $2.99
Matthew Hopkins and his assistant John Stearne are riding through the marshes towards King' Lynn in Norfolk to meet with a gaggle of people accused by the town of witchcraft. Their gathering of the evidence may decide the fate of the suspects. One of the accused, Thomas Dempster has a tale to tell the Witchfinder which may just save his life and start Hopkins on the road to fame and fortune, a welcome deviation from his current trade.
Luckily Matthew Hopkins has friends in high places who may help him.
This novel is set against the back-drop of fear and suspicion which the witch trials were engendering across the eastern counties at the end of the first English Civil War. We follow Hopkins on his journey which covers the last half year or so of his life. Matthew died in 1647 at the age of 27. But how and why?
Doyle and Wells
ISBN 979-8-224-00354-9
Paperback £9.99
e-book $2.99
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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H.G. Wells join forces to solve a riddle which may have far reaching consequences.
The two authors follow a trail which leads from an inexplicable beginning to a very tangible ending. Against the Victorian world of thrusting new inventions, seances and discoveries we enter the murky world of secret societies, spiritualism and belief. Along their journey they encounter other luminaries of the period including Sir Joseph Bell and Bram Stoker.
Can the minds which gave the world Sherlock Holmes and the Invisible Man be open enough to work together to unlock the evidence presented to them?
Orlando's Quest
ISBN 979-8-224-68743-5
Paperback £9.99
e-book $2.99
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Orlando Porthtowan is a charming old rogue with a passion for dealing in ephemera and old documents on his stall at a bustling Cornish market.
With a wealth of stories under his belt, he claims there's not much he hasn't seen or done!
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His passion for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle deepens when he comes into possession of some intriguing documents and on closer inspection he finds something written in the correspondence which could be the end of a mysterious thread.
If he tugs it hard enough maybe it might just start to unravel itself into a real life modern day Sherlock Holmes mystery.
He soon enlists the help of his two young historian friends, Adam and Jo Waterbrook, to join him on an extraordinary journey through the annals of history, spanning several centuries.
Together, they may unravel a mystery connecting the past to the present in the most unexpected of ways.
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...or is it just an old mans final wild goose chase?