Our favourite medieval detective is back for his final adventure! The Devil’s Ransom is the sixth and final book in the Harwood Mysteries and sees Xan take on his most challenging mystery yet. This is a novel we’ve been waiting for since reading Murder at Penwood Manor, which ended with a rather large cliffhanger: Uncle William’s kidnapping. Readers of this series will thoroughly enjoy the grand finale (and if you haven’t yet checked out the first five books, you should!).
The Devil’s Ransom overview
As The Devil’s Ransom opens, Xan is planning both his wedding and his uncle’s rescue. When Lucy drops in on her way to Italy with her brother, she is soon involved with the planned ransom trip. Lucy, Xan, Christina and their companions set off for Xelb by ship. However, danger stocks them from the beginning of their trip.
In Xelb, they encounter the hostility of the local Muslims but also the hospitality of the local Christians. When the ransom money is stolen from them, Xan attempts a daring rescue of his uncle… and fails again. His one chance now to help Uncle William is to confront the evil lurking in the hills around Xelb. Skeptical at first of the stories he hear, Xan must soon uncover his biggest mystery yet—and face the spiritual realities of his world.
My thoughts on The Devil’s Ransom
We’ve been a huge fan of The Harwood Mysteries since meeting Xan in Shadow in the Dark. In that book, Xan is a ten-year-old orphan who is unsure of his identity and his place in the world. Throughout the series, we’ve seen Xan grow in his faith, his friendships, and his purpose. In this final novel, Xan steps into adulthood as a married man with a career as a merchant. His faith continues to direct his steps and define his world.
Once again, Kolenc delivers an action-packed novel set solidly in a specific historical period. Xan and his friends meet a young man seeking to be a Templar Knight, who tells them more about the Crusades and the events outside of England during this time. We see how difficult travel is, as they endure weeks on board a ship versus days of overland travel by foot. The friends also encounter people with beliefs and ideas different than their own, and must consider how to live in peace with those people.
As a teenager reading any book I could find, I noticed that many books with a romance in them ended at the wedding. It was as if the story and adventure finished when the characters got married. While Christina and Xan’s relationship has been developing since their meeting in The Haunted Cathedral, I appreciated the fact that Kolenc placed their wedding at the beginning of this novel. Xan continues to have adventures, but now has Christina at his side, encouraging and guiding him. Their relationship continues to grow as they learn how to live together and consider each other in all that they do.
Like the other books in The Harwood Mysteries, The Devil’s Ransom begins with an introduction to historical fiction and a map, and concludes with some historical notes and a glossary. Themes in this novel are a bit more mature than the previous novel, but Xan has faced plenty of danger in the past and overcome it and does so once again.
More about the Author
Antony Barone Kolenc retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps after 21 years of military service. He is a law professor who teaches courses on constitutional and military law and has been published in numerous journals and magazines. He speaks at legal, writing, and home education events and writes Catholic YA novels. The Devil’s Ransom is the final novel in the Harwood Mysteries. He and his wife have raised five children and have three grandchildren.
Shadow in the Dark is available from Loyola Press, Amazon, and your favourite Catholic bookstore.
Drop by the Harwood Mysteries website for free curriculum companions for each of these novels. Children can dive further into the literary or faith elements of each story, or form a book club around this series.
Ultimately, this is a tale about the struggle between good and evil. While I do not want to give anything away about what unfolds in the chapters ahead, I leave you with this assurance from Sacred Scripture: If God can be for us, who could be against us? (Romans 8:31) The answer is at the heart of this novel. I hope you enjoy it—hold on for a thrilling ride! ~ Kolenc
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