Companions of Jehu

The Revolution may be over, but for a band of courageous aristocrats, the fight is only just beginning.

This group call themselves "e;The Companions of Jehu"e;.

They lead secret lives as highwaymen, using the money they steal to fund the royalist underground movement.

They're led by Roland, a hero with a mysterious past, whose fate becomes intertwined with Napoleon's right-hand man.

It's a romp that demonstrates Alexandre Dumas' unrivalled flair for historical fiction. "e;The Companions of Jehu"e; is the first book in "e;The Saint-Hermine Trilogy"e;, followed by "e;The Whites and the Blues"e;.

Dumas never finished the third part, "e;The Last Cavalier"e;.

Long thought lost, an incomplete version was discovered and finally published in 2005. Alexandre Dumas (1802 - 1870) was a hugely popular 19th Century French writer.

Born of mixed French and Haitian heritage, Dumas first rose to prominence in Paris as a playwright, but later gained international fame with his historical fiction.

Often co-authored with other writers, these stories wove together swashbuckling adventure, romance, and real events from France's past.

Among the best known are "e;The Three Musketeers"e;, and its sequels "e;Twenty Years After"e;, and "e;Le Vicomte de Bragelonne: Ten Years Later"e;.

Set across four decades, this trilogy follows the rise of the dashing D'Artagnan-from hot-headed soldier to trusted captain under Louis XIV. Dumas' other novels include "e;The Count of Monte Cristo"e; and "e;The Black Tulip"e;.

His works have been adapted into more than 200 movies, including The Man in the Iron Mask starring Leonardo DiCaprio.