"The Devil's Cup"

Alys Clare lives in the English countryside, where her novels are set. She went to school in Tonbridge and later studied archaeology at the University of Kent.

She applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, The Devil's Cup, and reported the following:

On page 69, Josse, his brother Yves and his son Geoffroi are on their way north from Kent to join King John and his army, reputed to be in East Anglia. Josse has been summoned by the King because they knew each other when they were young and Josse has always been faithful to the Crown, even when it’s on the head of someone as contrary, slippery and headstrong as John. Josse has been known to reflect that, despite John’s deep character flaws, he just can’t root out his affection for him. I’ve adopted Josse’s attitude, so that my version of King John presents a man who can be both ruthlessly cruel and totally unreasonable, yet also humorous, self-deprecating, wry and, to a very few, affectionate and loyal.

The page is representative of the book in that we have some of the main characters travelling through the land and intent on reaching their goal for a reason they consider very important; Josse has found an encampment where the standard flying is that of someone else loyal to the King, so it’s looking as if he’s going to be successful. As to whether a reader skimming through would read on, I can only say I hope so because there’s good stuff to come.

Learn more about The Devil's Cup at the publisher's website.

--Marshal Zeringue