BACK FROM THE CRUSADES Count Herbert von Schonburg fought bravely for the Crusader cause against the Saracens in the lands of Palestine. But when the German lord returned to his castle upon word that his father had died, he found it captured by a neighbor -- and found himself thrust into a prison. But the daughter of the Countess who had imprisoned him -- Beatrix -- was a beauty who softened the Count's fierceness. They fell in love, and the Count was freed to take his rightful place to bring justice and peace back to his beautiful land by the Rhine. But a warlike Baron threatens that peace. When he is defeated and his castle burns, the Baron becomes a ruthless outlaw. For his land, his love, and his life -- the Count must battle this evil in the forest.

Author Biography

Robert Barr (1849 - 1912) was a Scottish-Canadian short story writer and novelist, born in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1881 Barr decided to "vamoose the ranch," as he stated, and relocated to London, to establish there the weekly English edition of the Detroit Free Press. In 1892 he founded the magazine The Idler, choosing Jerome K. Jerome as his collaborator (wanting, as Jerome said, "a popular name"). He retired from its co-editorship in 1895. In London of the 1890s Barr became a more prolific author-publishing a book a year-and was familiar with many of the best-selling authors of his day, including Bret Harte and Stephen Crane. Most of his literary output was of the crime genre, then quite in vogue.