The Unknown Ajax (Ace Books #84665)

"the weaver's brat" becomes the heir to Darracott Place to disgust of his relatives. His grandfather is determined to whip him into shape, but he may have met more than his match in Hugh Darracott. THE UNKNOWN AJAX by Georgette Heyer is a delightful romp in Regency England when Hugh meets the girl he is pledged to marry, but has never met. His sense of humor comes to the front when he decides to play the clod they all expect him to be. Just plain good reading with plenty of laughs, it is one of Heyer' best. Nash Black, author of QUALIFYING LAPS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

Hugo Darricott is a handsome and charming former military major whose father was disowned by his family when he married a common weaver instead of someone who befitted his station in life. But now Hugo will be welcome to the family because he is the new heir to his grandfather's title and estates. His cousins will train him to behave like a gentleman so that he'd marry Lord Darricott's granddaughter Anthea (they are cousins) just to ensure that he won't marry someone below his rank like his father had done. But his cousins and other family members dislike him, including Anthea. Hugo decides to play along the role of ignorant country bumpkin, and through his act he discovers many secrets, deceit and a possible crime. He also manages to woo the spirited and independent Anthea in the process. There are various twists throughout the novel. Georgette Heyer is one of the best historical writers I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The Unknown Ajax is more unique than the other books I have read because she adds a suspense subplot here (I know that Heyer jumped to the contemporary romantic suspense bandwagon later on in her career) and that the novel focuses more on the hero than on the romance between the two characters. Anthea is quite an interesting heroine as well. I wasn't thrilled with her conceit at first, but I like the fact that she couldn't help falling for Hugo in spite of thinking that he isn't educated enough for her. The secondary characters are all interesting and they somehow resembled characters in a mystery theater or film noir. But they are also wonderful and colorful and add great humor in the dialogue as well as the narrative. And as always, Georgette does a wonderful job with the historical accuracy. Regency England is seldom written so well by a romance author. A friend of mine tells me that she finds Heyer's writing style "challenging" because she uses a lot of exclamation points and emphasized words in italics. Heyer was an author during the early to mid twentieth century, which may explain her writing style. Jane Austen used lots of semi-colons and emphasized words a lot as well, but I was never put off by her writing style either. It is enjoyable to see how writers from other centuries write, which is better than many of today's popular authors. The Unknown Ajax is another enthralling offering by the gifted Georgette Heyer. As said earlier, this one is kind of different from her other efforts because a touch of romantic suspense is added into the mix and because it focuses more on the hero's point of view than on the heroine, but it is just as wonderful and readable as her other books. I have purchased several more of her novels and I look forward to giving them a whirl. In the meantime, I recommend this gem.

I have been a Heyer fan for the past 30 years. The Unknown Ajax remains one of my favorites of her books. It has the (dubious) honor of being the first book that kept me up until 2-3 a.m. in the morning when I was 14. (I was helped by the fact that my bedroom was far away from the rest of the house. ;-)) The next day my ribs hurt from laughing at the hilarious ending. As has been better said by others, Hugo Darracott comes to meet his unknown family in the very bleak moors. The surprise heir to the family house & lands, he is met by a great deal of suspicion and disdain by most of the family, and promptly plays an uneducated dolt. The eventual romance is quite satisfactory, particularly because the young woman, Anthea, is both intelligent and self-possessed, as are many of Heyer's heroines. I'm delighted to see it back in print. I wore my last elderly copy to shreds.

Georgette Heyer, the reigning monarch of romance fiction, has contributed another winner to the genre with "The Unknown Ajax."Lord Darricott calls his entire family together at his estate, Darricott Place, on the border between Kent and Sussex. His son, two daughters-in law, three grandsons and a granddaughter, are all present when he informs them that they are to prepare for a visit from his new heir within the week. Lord Darricott's son and former heir had been recently killed in a boating accident and Darricott has had the unfortunate duty of recognizing the grandson he has never met, who will inherit the title and all his worldly goods upon his own demise. Hugh Darricott, the new and recent heir, had been raised in the North country, far away from the family seat, and now, in his mid-thirties has left the military with the rank of major. Hugh's father was disowned by the family patriarch after marrying a common weaver, and never seen by the family since. Lord Darricott, who rules his clan with an iron fist, except for granddaughter Anthea, who fears him not at all, has made plans that Hugh is to be schooled in the ways of a gentleman by his cousins. He also plans for Hugh to eventually marry Anthea, to prevent him from making an unsuitable match like his father did. The family, forming all kinds of stereotypical ideas about this base born cousin, is prejudiced against him before he arrives on the scene. And he is the last man Anthea wishes to marry.Hugh arrives and, finding the group predisposed to dislike him, puts them on and plays the country bumpkin. He discovers each family member's weaknesses and strengths, their characters, and comes to know each of them, perhaps, better than they know each other. Hugh Darricott is much more intelligent and adept than the family gives him credit for and manages to uncover some family secrets, a ghost or two, and a crime in the making. He also finds the way to Anthea's heart, not to mention into his grandfather's and the rest of the group's good graces. As always Ms. Heyer's humor is delightful, as are her characters. Hugh Darricott makes a wonderful hero as he bumbles along, so sure of his own intelligence and common sense that he is not at all embarrassed to play the clown in order to become better acquainted with his family, without intimidating them. His courtship of Althea is funny, romantic and endearing. His solutions to the many problems that confront his relatives are unusual and creative. This is a wonderful story, beautifully told - one of Georgette Heyer's best. I highly recommend it.JANA

Lord Darracott's heir is dead - and now the martinet and generally gouty old man must call on the new heir, Hugh Darracott - the child of a mesalliance between his favourite son and a Weaver's daughter - thus the scene is set for one of Heyer's funniest and strongest romances.This is the story of the heir Hugh, generally disliked in advance by the entire Darracott family before he arrives, and the gradual way he insinuates himself into the household, without ever trying. His good-natured humour, but iron-will win him friends, respect and love. God, that sounds so wet doesn't it? That's the trouble with Heyer - you strip the plots back to the bare bones and the whole thing looks pathetic - yet it is her ability to characterise, overlay complex story lines and inject the whole with an ironic voice that gives her books such strength.The book is one of Heyer's best. All the action takes place at Darracott Hall which geographically is somewhere down on the border of Kent and Sussex, it has the requisite number of smugglers, dandy's, beau's and gouty grandfathers, along with a beautiful grand-daughter for a love interest. What sets this book above the norm is the wonderful hero - Hugh - or Hugo. He is a gem. The first time I read this book I have to admit I didn't much like it. I was defintiely put off by the accent which Hugh adopts at the start. He did seem a clumsy oaf and I never quite recovered. However as a confirmed fan of Heyer I have come back to it again and again and not only has it grown on me, it is one of the top five (alongside Talisman Ring, Corinthian, Cotillion, and Toll-Gate). It is witty, ironic and the hero is so capable but so humourous I can't help falling in love with him each time I read it.The story develops at an even pace. There are a number of threads to tie together. The grand-daughter love interest - Anthea has been told by her grandfather that she must marry Hugh - and naturally she is very resistant to this idea. There are also some mysterious goings on round the manor and these need to be sorted out - and the estate is going to wrack and ruin. If you find yourself a bit at sea for the first part of the book - new readers of Heyer often find this difficult, then bear with it - it is worth the effort and re-reading will only get better. But it this has an especially good and complex ending which is difficult to predict.