Cleverly woven strands tell of a precarious marriage; an Olympic equestrian team; and the rise of the Third Reich. We begin the fascinating THE VERSAILLES LEGACY in 1933. The terms of the punitive Versailles treaty have bankrupted Germany. Erich von Schellendorf, a cavalry lieutenant colonel, is a master of horsemanship posted to Konigsberg.

While we see Erich facing uneasy decisions over a request to pass information abroad on German rearming, it is his marriage which grabs our sympathy. Britt, a baroness, is of a nervous disposition and Erich treats her gently on his home leave, waiting for her to come to his room. The lady unwisely buys a big black stallion which is too strong for her. Erich tactfully buys Britt a fine Arab mare instead, claiming that he needs the spirited stallion for the national equestrian team. Britt, like many ordinary people in the depressed nation, believes Herr Hitler when he says he knows the way to unity and prosperity.

Twelve cavalry officers vie for the Olympic team. Germany could not afford to send a team to the previous Olympics, and it intends to win in the Games which it will host in three years' time. Erich is posted as quartermaster to Stuttgart, in reality to train the eventing team. He is introduced to the advantageous forward seat, recently invented by an Italian rider Federico Caprilli.

Erich's English family connections are used as blackmail. Fokker planes are being partially assembled in Germany, then taken to Russia and stored over the border. England and the League of Nations would like to know the contents of the papers which cross Erich's desk; meanwhile the Nazi party is on the march. Erich has strong reservations about the meteoric rise to power of Hitler but has to stay silent.

Solid details of horsemanship, like a spade bit being used on a strong-willed horse, provide interest for riders, because as Erich's loyalties become confused he throws himself into his team training. The 1936 cross-country was "the most difficult in the history of the Summer Games" when almost half the competitors did not finish the course.

Characters include a prostitute named Anna who is a fourth cousin to Russian royalty; a British intelligence agent named Trudell; and the German upper-class, reminiscent of 'The Remains of The Day'.

I was very impressed by the research which went into this book and the attention to details of all sorts. However the adult love story is what gives THE VERSAILLES LEGACY its heart. Lyn Alexander has written The Schellendorf Series