The conclusion to Nigel Tranter’s MacGregor trilogy takes us to 1746, in the aftermath of Culloden. Bonnie Prince Charlie has a price on his head, and Rob Roy’s great-nephew Duncan is one of a loyal band that volunteers to escort the prince to safety. The loyalty of Duncan and others is tested, though, when they come across an enormous shipment of gold from France that is intended for the Jacobite cause. Will they keep the money safe for their prince, or will it be spent on the immediate needs of his followers?

Like the other books in this trilogy, it reads very quickly and contains moments of levity. The realities of wartime are easier to bear in this book—while there is talk of pillage and rapine, thankfully none of the female characters we follow in this book experience it directly. Instead, the focus is more on dividing loyalties, the corrupting power of gold, and the struggle between short-term needs and long-term desires. The trilogy as a whole is good. ( )