Barbours/Brouchards

New York Times-bestselling author Taylor Caldwell's debut novel sweeps from 1837 to the eve of World War I, following two families who grow a small munitions factory into a global empire. In 1837, Joseph Barbour, an upper servant in an English village, immigrates with his family to America so he can make his fortune in the nascent artillery business. A man of vision, Joseph foresees a time when wars will not be won with courage and brave hearts but rather by the nations with superior firearms. Joseph and his family settle in a rural Pennsylvania village, but his wife, Hilda, is unhappy and longs to return to England. Their shy and sensitive younger son, Martin, is also homesick, but what troubles him most is the cruelty and violence he sees in his older brother, Ernest. Martin's fears come to fruition when Joseph forms a gunpowder firm with Armand Bouchard, who lives with his wife and three sons down the road from the Barbours. As the years pass, Ernest proves himself invaluable to Barbour & Bouchard. Ruthless and ambitious, he takes what he wants. But beautiful Amy Drumhill continues to elude him and becomes the catalyst in a war that will estrange the two brothers and leave Ernest haunted by the blood that will be forever on his hands. Dynasty of Death is a moving saga of two families, the epic struggle between two brothers, and the legacy their guns will leave the world as mighty enemy nations gear up for battle.

In the decade after World War I, Jules Bouchard prepares to leave controlling interest in his global munitions enterprise to his son Armand. But the inheritance comes with a warning: Armand's ruthless brothers, Emile and Christopher, will be gunning for him. It's not long before Christopher commits financial treachery in an effort to unseat his brother. Worse, he hatches a plot involving his sister, Celeste, whose innocence he had vowed to always protect. While Christopher's machinations and Armand's countermoves threaten to tear the family apart, hope emerges from a distant relative who seems to possess the noble character of his ancestors. But are his intentions as honorable as they seem?

In the final chapter of the saga that began with Dynasty of Death and The Eagles Gather, a global munitions empire must take sides in World War II. Peter Bouchard journeyed from afar to intervene in the power struggle between Armand and Christopher Bouchard. At stake was control of the family's vast conglomerate spanning the armament, airplane, and automobile industries. Now Peter and his wife, Celeste, have returned from Europe, where the winds of war are blowing once again. Peter warns that the coming conflict will be one of the darkest chapters in human history-but the Bouchards have always profited in dark times. Henri Bouchard has grown into a ruthless tycoon, but when he sees the threat to America, he throws himself into the war effort with single-minded determination. As he battles bureaucracy and rival powers within his own family, he finds himself drawn to Celeste, the woman he once loved. This, one of Taylor Caldwell's most subtle romances, awakens Henri's compassion even as it threatens his grip on the Bouchard dynasty.