Holding for the Queen

South Africa, 1899. Captain Andrew Baird of the Royal Malverns, son of General "Fighting Jack" Windrush, returns to the fray.For the second time in his life, Andrew faces the Boers: the hard-riding riflemen of the veldt. And this time, the stakes are higher. While the Boers fight for independence, Britain wants a fair deal for the Uitlanders - the foreigners living in the Boer republics - or to annex their lands to the Empire. After the Boers invade the British colony of Natal, Andrew and the Royal Malverns are drawn into the initial battles, eventually finding themselves in Ladysmith. On the opposite side is Jacoba Fourie: a patriotic Boer who has a history with Andrew. But in war, anything can happen.A sweeping historical adventure set against the unforgiving landscape of South Africa, HOLDING FOR THE QUEEN is the fifth book in Malcolm Archibald's Son series of war novels. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland and educated at the University of Dundee, Malcolm Archibald writes in a variety of genres, from academic history to folklore, historical fiction to fantasy. He won the Dundee International Book Prize with 'Whales for the Wizard' in 2005.Happily married for 35 years, Malcolm has three grown children and lives in darkest Moray in northern Scotland, close by a 13th century abbey and with buzzards and deer more common than people.