Pre-order A Guide to the Wars of the Roses

A Guide to the Wars of the Roses is available for pre-order on Amazon, and will be published on 30th January 2025. So much has been written, and is still being written, about the Wars of the Roses – both in print and on the internet – that the interested student of history is in […]

A Guide to the Wars of the Roses

So much has been written, and is still being written, about the Wars of the Roses – both in print and on the internet – that the interested student of history is in grave danger of being utterly overwhelmed. The key players in the conflict are very interesting personalities but they have become so distorted […]

Eyes Like Blades

eye like blades, crime thriller novel

She saw everything… every little blood-stained pixel On a deserted railway platform in the early hours of Christmas Eve, Liv Fisher witnesses a fatal incident. Distressing enough for anyone, but Liv’s sapphire eyes record every detail. It’s her superpower… and her curse. Though she tries to thrust the grisly scene to the deep recesses of […]

Rebel Sword

Rebel Sword Cover

When Henry I dies in 1135, his nephew, Stephen seizes the throne. Most of the barons support him, despite the solemn oaths they swore to Henry’s only legitimate heir, the Empress Matilda. It seems her cause is lost until her half-brother, the powerful Robert, Earl of Gloucester, falls out with King Stephen and decides to support Matilda.

Crown of Fear

crown of fear, wars of the roses, derek birks, historical fiction

The final book in the Wars of the Roses England, August 1485. For almost thirty years, the Elder family has been ravaged by the feud between York and Lancaster. Now exiled John Elder, yearning for an end to the Elders’ troubles, throws his support behind a young, untried pretender, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. Henry’s […]

Land of Fire

Late Spring, 455 AD. After a brutal winter struggle against the High King Vortigern, outcast imperial officer Ambrosius Aurelianus has led his weary followers to south-west Britannia in search of his mother’s kinfolk. But Vortigern, thirsting for revenge is already forging a dangerous alliance against him. Taking refuge in a ruined Roman fort near the […]

New Dawn

New Dawn is set in post-Roman Britannia in Spring 455 AD, several months after the events described in the novel: Britannia: World’s End. After wintering at Villa Magna to recover from his bitter struggle against the British High King Vortigern, ex-Imperial Officer Dux Ambrosius Aurelianus leads his motley company westwards. He hopes to find a […]

Britannia: World’s End

Britannia worlds end

454 AD. Even after years of Roman rule, Britannia is a conflicted and largely untamed land. Disgraced Imperial Officer, Dux Ambrosius Aurelianus, flees to its shores seeking sanctuary in the land of his deceased mother. His years of loyal service to the emperor count for nothing now. He must carve out a new life beyond […]

Last of the Romans

454 AD Northern Italy. Dux Ambrosius Aurelianus has served the Roman Empire with distinction.  His bucellarii, a small band of irregular soldiers, have helped to bring a fragile peace to the beleaguered empire in the west. But, with the empire now at peace, his master, Flavius Aetius, decides to chain up his dogs of war. Ambrosius […]

Shadow of Doubt

Note: This story fits within the Wars of the Roses series set in the 1480s, between Book 7, Echoes of Treason and the final book, Crown of Fear, out in 2021. However, the story itself is self-contained and can be read without any knowledge of the series – nor are there any major spoilers for […]