| Lord John and the Haunted Soldier | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Diana Gabaldon |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Lord John Grey series (novella 3) |
| Genre(s) | Historical novella |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Media type | |
| Preceded by | Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (novel) |
| Followed by | Lord John and the Scottish Prisoner (novel) |
Lord John and the Haunted Soldier was written by Diana Gabaldon. It was initially published in Germany, but made its English language debut in the Lord John and the Hand of Devils collection. Historically taking place during the Seven Years War, non-fictional historic events and characters frequently make appearances throughout the Lord John series of novels and novellas. Fictional characters from several of Gabaldon's other novels also appear, or are referenced and non critical plot lines concerning events in the Outlander series may overlap.
Major Lord John William Grey - The amateur sleuth is the youngest son of the first Duke of Pardloe, artillery officer in the 46th Regiment of Foot during the Seven Years War, veteran of the battles at Falkirk and Culloden Muirs during the Jacobite rising of 1745, and former governor of Ardsmuir Prison, Scotland. He is seriously injured when a cannon he is commanding bursts during the Battle of Krefeld.
Tom Byrd - Younger brother of Grey family footman Jack Byrd, he is Lord John's young and inexperienced valet, fiercely loyal to Grey following the events in Lord John and the Private Matter.
Col. Harold Grey, 2nd Duke of Pardloe - The older son of Gerald Grey, Hal raised and leads the 46th Regiment while refusing to use the title of Duke until his younger brother clears the family name of all suspicions. His longstanding and mutual animosity with Nathaniel Twelvetrees often results in Twelvetrees attempting to discredit Lord John.
Edgar DeVayne - The second son of Benedicta Grey and older half brother of the Grey brothers, he is the owner of a black powder mill implicated during the inquiry.
Col. "Handsome" Harry Quarry - Grey family friend. Once the ensign of Grey's father, Quarry is 15 years Grey's senior and as a result, sometimes protective of the younger man. Like his friend, he is the younger son of a nobleman, an officer in the 46th Regiment, a member of the Beefsteak Club, and a former governor of Ardsmuir Prison.
Capt. Reginald Jones - An English intelligence officer investigating the causes behind the nine cannon failures.
Herbert "Gormless" Gormley - a surviving member of the "Tom Pilchard" crew, he is the opposite of what his nickname implies.
Col. Nathaniel Twelvetrees - The older brother of a man killed by Harold Grey in a duel, Twelvetrees is a colonel in the Royal Artillery and heads the military inquiry into the failure of the cannon under Grey's command.
Capt. Marcus Fanshaw - Once a handsome man, Fanshaw was severely injured by an explosion in a powdermill, and wears a black scarf partially over his mangled facial features. He is obsessed with the fiance of Lt. Philip Lister, Ann Thackeray.
Capt. James Fraser - A central character of the Outlander series, Fraser is a Jacobite officer once held as an inmate at Ardsmuir Prison, and now paroled as a groom to Helwater, England. In spite of Grey's attempt to kill him upon their first meeting, and Fraser's frequent and un-diluted hostility towards Grey for various reasons (not the least of which is Grey's sexual preference), a strange and often strained friendship exists between the two.
In November 1758, following the events of June in Brotherhood of the Blade, the surviving members of the gun crew manning the cannon "Tom Pilchard" at Krefeld are brought before a board of inquiry, including Lord John Grey.
Grey, who commanded the cannon crew upon the abrupt death of Lt. Philip Lister, is both troubled and insulted by the questioning, and stalks out of the inquiry. He does see the remains of the burst cannon, and briefly presents a missing piece; shrapnel from the gun that had been removed from his chest by surgeons, but Grey refuses to surrender it. Eventually, this piece will be the only remaining evidence that the cannons were poorly manufactured. At least one piece of metal remains in Grey's chest, and this along with residual damage leave Grey with severe chest pains and uncontrolled shaking.
Harry Quarry warns Grey about Col. Twelvetrees willingness to use the cannon inquiry to goad John into action that will be used to discredit either him, his brother Hal, or both. He suggests Grey be seconded to the 65th or 78th regiments temporarily to stay out of Twelvetrees' way for a while, but Grey instead begins to investigate the cannon failures himself.
When Grey returns Lt. Lister's sword to the man's father, the elder Lister begs Grey's assistance in locating the missing fiance and child of his late son. While on these tasks, he discovers political intrigue surrounding his half-brother's government contract for supplying black powder to the military, and meets Captain Fenshaw and the other members of Edgar's consortium.
Grey writes on two occasions to his paroled charge, James Fraser; starkly honest confessions of his cares and worries that are never sent, but serve to help ground Grey's thoughts and emotions.
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