Francis Crawford of Lymond is sent by the French King to the Island of Malta where the Knights Hospitallers are threatened by an invasion from the Turks. While there Francis is caught up in the politics of the Knights, in particular one Graham Malett who the reader will discover is not at all what he and his convent raised sister are what they appear to be on the surface. As Dunnett slowly peels back the layers of her story, the reader is taken from Malta to embattled Tripoli and then back again to Scotland as Francis intrigues to discover Graham's hidden agendas. To say much more would give away the whole plot, but be prepared for some memorable moments that will stick with you for long after the book is finished. The scene with the sheep (LOL), the nail biting suspense in Tripoli as they try to defuse the flame before Tripoli is blown to bits and of course the final climax during the sword fight between Lymond and his greatest enemy.

Throughout, Francis Crawford is a fascinating hero, and is as suave, debonair, flawed and fascinating as only a 16th Century version of James Bond could be. This is a complicated tale, and one that a reader has to pay close attention to, if you let your mind wander you may have to back track occasionally as I did. Dunnett is also very subtle (sometimes too much so!) and you do have to wait until the very end when all is revealed during a heart stopping sword fight in an Edinburgh cathedral, and a big surprise for Francis that will have you scrambling for the next book in the series, Pawn in Frankincense: Fourth in the Legendary Lymond Chronicles. ( )

Exciting and a "page turner" as usual!

Any book which begins "On the day that his grannie was killed by the English, Sir William Scott the Younger of Buccleuch was at Melrose Abbey, marrying his aunt" is pretty much guaranteed to be a success, and The Disorderly Knights does not disappoint. The beginning is a little slow, but it soon picks up pace, moving from Malta to north Africa to France to Scotland, all while Dunnett manages to juggle characters and plotlines with a dexterity that astounds. It all should descend to farce and melodrama, especially given some of Lymond's propensities and characteristics, but the astounding thing is that it doesn't.

The twist at the end is telegraphed perhaps a little soon, even if only subtly--Lymond is painted with so black a brush that you know it can't be true. It made for a great showdown, especially if you've been to St Giles and can imagine the environs.

I was sad that I had to say goodbye to some of my favourite characters, though. Oh, Scotts. ( )

You've got to like a hero who can say with perfect aplomb "My sang is quite marvelously froid." ( )

I had the unpleasant experience of buying this book at a used bookstore in L.A. only to fly up to Berkeley and realize that thirty pages were missing from the middle. People who return books they know are damaged to used bookstores? I don't like them very much.

Dorothy Dunnett, however, I increasingly love. "Knights," third in The Legendary Lymond Chronicles, started out a little slowly, but ended with an amazing bang. Also, you gotta appreciate any book that contains a whipping scene that's not only brutal and tragic, but also romantic.