With barbarians at the gate and enemies within, two men must fight for the soul of the great Roman Republic. History and adventure, brutality and courage combine to powerful effect, making The Pillars of Rome an outstanding opening to the Republic trilogy.In a dark cave lit by flickering torches, two young boys, Aulus and Lucius, appeal to the famed Roman oracle for a glimpse into their future. The Sybil draws a blood-red shape of an eagle with wings outstretched: an omen of death. As the boys flee from the cave in fear, they make an oath of loyalty until death.Thirty years on, Aulus is Rome's most successful general and faces his toughest battle. Barbarian rebels have captured his wife and are demanding the withdrawal of Roman legions from their land in return for her life. Meanwhile, Lucius has risen to high rank in the Senate, a position he uses and abuses. But when Lucius is suspected of arranging a murder, the very foundations of the Republic are threatened....

The final volume in the sweeping Conquest trilogyOver twenty years, the de Hauteville brothers have risen from penniless obscurity to become the most potent warrior family in Christendom: depended on by the Pope, feared by Byzantium, and respected by the Holy Roman Emperor. And now Roger, the youngest son, has finally come to Italy, where he also proves himself to be a great warrior and canny politician. It is he who will raise the family to the pinnacle of influence, not as vassals beholden to a greater power, but as rulers in their own right.But the path is not easy; brotherly love only goes so far and nothing has altered in the bubbling stew of Italian politics. There are enemies at Roger's back as well as before him, battles to fight and defeats to be reversed, treacheries both secret and transparent to circumvent. Yet the loyalty of blood that binds this family of warriors together is still present and it is that, above everything, which will in the end be...

1796: John Pearce is stuck with a difficult mission, a raw crew of Quota Men forced to enlist in the Royal Navy, four brand new midshipmen as well as Samuel Oliphant, companion cum spy, whom he finds a constant irritant. In his favour he commands HMS Hazard, a sound and speedy warship, a pair of competent officers and, of course, his trusty old friends the Pelicans.Their primary mission is to head for the Mediterranean Fleet and warn Admiral Sir John Jervis of impending danger he will face, fighting a combined French/Spanish fleet. But there is a serious distraction, the imminent arrival of a Spanish vessel from South America carrying silver, for which they Spaniards are waiting before declaring war. Stop that and they will lack the funds to truly engage as an enemy of Britannia, but it is a distraction from his main task and specific orders. Can John Pearce resist the lure of such a valuable capture and risk his ship in a dangerous battle to gain it, or will his duty come...

The second volume in the powerful Republic trilogyRome has lost its greatest warrior; Aulus Cornelius is dead. Although he is hailed as a hero, the stench of betrayal by cowardly governor Flaminus lingers heavy in the air. The death of their father has left Aulus's sons, Quintus and Titus, with new and grave responsibilities. While Titus swears vengeance against Flaminus and aims to be as great a general as his father, Quintus chooses to pursue politics—under the guidance of Lucius Falerius, now the most powerful senator in Rome.Despite his fortune, Lucius is still haunted by the prophecy that binds his fate to Aulus's. And as he trains his son, Marcellus, in the ways of wielding their immense power, he manipulates the Cornelius family in an attempt to achieve his own goals.Meanwhile, the young Aquila broods over his mother's deathbed revelation. With only memories and a mysterious eagle amulet left to him, Aquila joins a band of mercenaries....

The second volume in The Last Roman trilogy, set in the final years of the Roman EmpireSixth-century Constantinople: Flavius Belisarius is barely eighteen and already commander of the cavalry patrolling the Persian frontier. A brilliant soldier but a poor schemer, Flavius needs to be both in order to survive the febrile politics of the Eastern Roman Empire.When his friend Petrus Sabbatius uses trickery to elevate himself to the position of co-emperor, Flavius finds himself embroiled in an explosive venture of machinations and warfare. As the valiant leader sets out to reconquer the Western Empire from the hands of the Vandals and Ostrogoths, Flavius is unaware that his wife, joining him on the campaign, has been secretly charged to spy on him. The brave general must battle against the deadly Sassanids and protect the co-emperor from his own subjects – who are out for blood.

Edward Brazier is enlisted by Prime Minister William Pitt to assist his investigation into smuggling activity in Deal. However, with his love Betsy now locked into a loveless marriage with Tom Spafford, a useless drunk, and living asa prisoner, Brazier is distracted from his mission. Having foiled Spafford's plan to steal Betsy away to her family-owned plantation in the West Indies, Brazier finds himself taken captive. Only his ingenuity will help engineer his escape andhis cunning use of subterfuge will then allow him to infiltrate the smuggling gangs of Deal in a determined bid to unmask those in control. But with suspicion raised around him and his enemies banding together, can Braziersurvive long enough to bring those responsible to justice? Edward Brazier is enlisted by Prime Minister William Pitt to assist his investigation into smuggling activity in Deal. However, with his love Betsy now locked into a loveless marriage with Tom Spafford, a useless drunk, and living as a prisoner, Brazier is distracted from his mission. Having foiled Spafford’s plan to steal Betsy away to her family-owned plantation in the West Indies, Brazier finds himself taken captive. Only his ingenuity will help engineer his escape and his cunning use of subterfuge will then allow him to infiltrate the smuggling gangs of Deal in a determined bid to unmask those in control. But with suspicion raised around him and his enemies banding together, can Brazier survive long enough to bring those responsible to justice?

John Pearce discovers that Madrid plans to desert the British-led coalition and join the enemy. In company with Lord Langholm, he has taken a Spanish treasure ship. But a violent Atlantic westerly forces them into a deep bay overlooked by Spaniards, who have created a trap with cannon on the heights aimed at the narrow entrance.Pearce must take the lead, exposed to plunging fire, lucky the guns do not quite have the range. Then, having succeeded, he must get Langholm's frigate and the damaged Santa Leocadia through the same bottleneck. Only quick thinking and an act of sheer inspiration make it possible.His orders take him via Gibraltar, then on to Admiral Jervis, who hates him, to warn of Spanish duplicity. Finally, Jervis sends him to Bastia in Corsica, where the Viceroy, Sir Gilbert Elliot, is seeking to hold the island for Britannia in the face of Napoleon's successes in Italy.In night actions, outnumbered on land and sea, Pearce must fight the...

July 1940: A month after the evacuation of the defeated and battered Allied forces from Dunkirk, a German invasion of England threatens. In this thrilling historical "what-if," Prime Minister Winston Churchill has resigned without naming a successor and leaders of Parliament are calling for an armistice with Hitler. Meanwhile, the Deputy Director of Counter-Espionage at MI5, Adam Strachan, faces his own daunting task. During a botched burglary, the fugitive Billy Houston commits murder and discovers his victim was in possession of Britain's plans to thwart the German invasion. No patriot, Houston is determined to get the information to the right people and help bring about a Nazi-run Britain. Strachan soon finds himself pursuing Houston through England, from London's blacked-out streets and seedy narrow lanes to the thinly guarded Channel coast and the Isle of Wight, in a desperate bid to stop the missing defense plans from falling into German hands. The clock is ticking, and...

1935: Cal Jardine is a soldier of fortune. Forced to leave Hamburg where he has been helping Jews flee the Nazis, he is recruited by a secretive British committee to smuggle guns to Abyssinia, a country threatened by Italian invasion. But first Jardine must procure the weapons from Rumania, a country full of treacherous locals as well as German agents seeking his arrest. By sleight of hand, he contrives to steal the weapons he wanted to buy before escaping the country, leaving both the Rumanians and Germans floundering. Taken to the Horn of Africa, the arms are then transported over a harsh landscape, along an old slave trader's route full of danger, and into the hands of the Ethiopian Army.On his travels, Jardine acquires more baggage than he anticipated—including a beautiful but difficult American woman in search of her archaeologist mother, a determined reporter, and a daredevil French flyer—and avoids a painful death by sheer good fortune. But the...

The eighteenth volume in the popular John Pearce Adventures set on the high seasJohn Pearce faces a court martial, but will cowardly Toby Burns, chief witness, stand up to questioning? With the matter unresolved, HMS Hazard is put under the command of Horatio Nelson, with whom any cruise is bound to be eventful. Sure enough, battle is joined with two Spanish frigates, though success is short-lived and flight in the face of a superior foe becomes the only option.In London, the government denies prize money for the cargo of silver Pearce took off the Santa Leocadia, claiming it as property of the Crown. Pearce's prize agent seeks to fight this, only to be outmanoeuvred by the devious Henry Dundas. Worse, some very bad pennies from the past have come back to haunt the life of Emily Barclay and the thief-taker Walter Hodgson.From Elba, Pearce is sent on a mission to collect fleeing members of the Corsican government – an assignment which seems simple but...

The final installment in Donachie's sweeping series set in the pre-WWII European powder keg1938: As Hitler sets his sights on the Sudetenland, not everyone in Britain is willing to appease him. Convinced that the Führer's land hunger is insatiable, the head of the SIS recruits Cal Jardine to help him prove that Czechoslovakia is threatened with invasion. But before heading undercover to Prague, Jardine must first extricate himself from France, where his attempts to smuggle guns to Spain have been held up by a group of fanatical fascists. In their struggle to overthrow the French government, they are prepared to kill for the sake of procuring weapons.When Cal finally arrives in Czechoslovakia, working undercover for the SIS proves no less dangerous as jealousy and mutual suspicions within Secret Service ranks make it impossible for him to tell friend from foe.

1787. Captain Edward Brazier is wounded and in desperate need of medical attention, but those from whom he could seek help have no idea where he is – although neither do his enemies. With his beloved Betsey currently imprisoned by her brother Henry, who is considering committing her to an asylum to take her off his hands, time is running out for Brazier to rescue her and end the tyranny of the local smuggling ring of Deal once and for all.

The final volume in The Last Roman trilogy, set in the final years of the Roman EmpireSixth-century Byzantium: The emperor Justinian is determined to reunite the whole of the Roman Empire and his best general, Flavius Belisarius, is poised to invade Italy. Flavius and his men march north unopposed until the local senators of Naples refuse to surrender and a bloody assault ensues. Rome, hearing of the fate of Naples, yields the city to Flavius, but before long the Goths arrive and stage a brutal attack which Flavius's army only just survives.Besieged and mired in a cesspit of corruption, Byzantium's greatest general must navigate a world rife with deceit and brutality where only the most cutthroat survive.

1936: Soldier of fortune Cal Jardine travels to Barcelona to help with the athletic games rivalling the Berlin Olympics. But as the first shots of civil war ring out, friendship, love, and political conviction converge to persuade Jardine to once again embroil himself in a foreign war.Discovering that the British athletes attending the games are keen to enlist for the fight, Jardine agrees to train them into a professional force. With old army comrade Vince Castellano and his beautiful interpreter Florencia Gardiola by his side, Jardine leads the athletes through the street battles of Barcelona and on to the fighting in the Catalan countryside. But when murderous betrayal blights his previous fortune, Jardine will go to any lengths to seek suitable revenge . . .

1787. Captain Edward Brazier is on a mission: recently paid off from his frigate and comfortably off with prize money, he is headed to Deal to propose marriage to young widow Betsey Langridge. He must navigate the bustle of the town's narrow streets that are busy with legal, illicit and depraved business flowing from and around the ships at dock. But all does not go well; between Betsy's brother and guardian Henry Tulkington prohibiting the match, and Brazier marked out for trouble by a local smuggling gang, his plans are in disarray. And when it slowly emerges that there may have been a decades old injustice closer to home, Brazier is caught up in more than he'd bargained for.

Privateer Harry Ludlow finds himself aboard the navy's 74-gun Magnanime, with his younger brother James. In command is Oliver Carter, a captain with whom Harry has an unfortunate history. When James is found standing over the body of a dead officer, Harry's feud shifts into the background. But dark secrets start to surface on all sides.From Publishers WeeklyRoyal Navy officer-turned-privateer Harry Ludlow might get rich capturing French trade ships, an activity sanctioned under the wartime rules of 1793. In David Donachie's first book, The Devil's Own Luck: The Privateersmen Mysteries, Harry's brother James is accused of murder, and they find themselves in trouble with corrupt naval officers as the war rages around them. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Review"A must for armchair mariners. . . . It's superb stuff." -- Manchester Evening News

The first part of an epic trilogy that chronicles the private lives and dangerous times of England's greatest naval hero and his legendary mistress.Horatio Nelson and Emma Lyon are both determined to rise from obscurity and set about making their ways through the world with corresponding recklessness and precocious ambition. Nelson enters the Royal Navy at the age of twelve and is made post captain at the age of twenty – his reputation as a daring yet benevolent officer secured in the American War of Independence. Emma, luscious but penniless, cannily confronts her limited prospects to rise through the social ranks from teenaged bawd to nobleman's courtesan to celebrated artist's model. On a Making Tide is rich in historical detail, full of authentic sea action and offers a rare peek into London's demi-monde, where the lives of a beautiful courtesan and Britain's greatest naval hero collide.

1793. John Pearce and his Pelicans are homeward bound, determined to put the treacherous Captain Ralph Barclay in the dock. But first they must evacuate Toulon where the Republican Army and the threat of the guillotine wreak havoc. Pearce must keep his wits about him in order to survive.Barclay and his wife Emily are sharing the voyage home and Pearce must stay close to both – difficult given his loathing for the captain and his feelings for Emily. Then she discovers the incriminating evidence Pearce holds against her husband, papers that could destroy his career and potentially her security.Back on British soil following a gruelling voyage, the Pelicans hope their troubles are over, but with the important documents missing, their real concerns are just beginning. Emily holds the key, but do her loyalties lie with her husband or her conscience?

July, 1793. Since being press-ganged into service in King George’s Navy, John Pearce has endured a whirlwind few months, which have seen him survive wild storms and bitter battles with the enemy. He is finally free to follow his own wishes, but the same does not apply for the trio of Pearce’s closest friends, who call themselves the Pelicans.When they are shipped off to the Mediterranean, Pearce vows to liberate the men who have stuck by him through thick and thin. But with help being withheld by all higher powers, he is obliged to embark on a dangerous mission before he can free his friends: at stake, the whole British position in the Mediterranean.

Sixth-century Byzantium: Corruption is rife and the empire is in turmoil when Flavius Belisarius is expected to join his father's cohort to help protect the border of the Eastern Roman Empire.Flavius's father, Decimus, is the governor of Dorostorum city and has two goals: to keep out the Sklaveni barbarians across the Danube and to expose the deep roots of corruption. Seeking to prevent a barbarian raid, Decimus asks the powerful magnate Senuthius Vicinus for help. But when treachery leads to death in the Belisarius family, Decimus's reputation is damaged.With his life changed forever, Flavius swears vengeance on the man who betrayed his father and begins a journey from which there is no way back.

1794. Lieutenant John Pearce, recently returned from the Atlantic, is caught between the constant feuding of two senior admirals. One puts him in a position of maximum danger while another asks him to undertake a hazardous commission, one he must accept in order to protect his friends, the Pelicans. They are his Achilles heel and those in power know it.Meanwhile, Pearce is also trying to construct a perjury case against Captain Ralph Barclay, whose nephew Toby Burns has become a reluctant pawn in the game, the objective of which is to finally silence the man who could bring about Barclay’s ruin: John Pearce.Highly charged, packed with historical detail and loaded with action – The Admirals’ Game is a must-read for all nautical adventure fans.

London 1793: Young firebrand John Pearce is illegally press-ganged from the refuge of the Pelican tavern to a brutal life aboard HMS Brilliant, a frigate on its way to war. In his first few days Pearce discovers the Navy is a world in which he can prosper. But he is not alone; he is drawn to a group of men – fly Charlie Taverner; quiet Ben Walker; tired old Abel Scrivens; the bairn of the group, Rufus Dommet; the droll, tough Irish labourer, Michael O’Hagan; and the bumptious Gherson – pressed men like him, who eventually form an exclusive gun crew, the Pelicans, with Pearce their elected leader. During an action-packed two weeks, as HMS Brilliant chases a French privateer across the English channel, this disparate group of men form friendships that will last a lifetime.

Part naval swashbuckler, part mystery story, "The Dying Trade" tells the story of smuggling and death in the Mediterranean at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Harry Ludlow and his brother James find themselves in Genoa where Harry is commissioned to investigate a British officer's death..

With his fiery Irish blood and well-known reputation for trouble, Lieutenant George Markham leads his embattled Royal Marines against the French in Corsica. His mission: to seize the island. His problem: not just the French, but spies, traitors, and jealous rivals - including jealous husbands. As the bastard son of a Catholic father and a Protestant mother, Markham has a lot to prove. But as a scarred veteran of the war in America and against the French, Markham is battle-hardened in a way too many of his senior officers aren't - and his hardness wins over his men, men whom even their own officers regard as the scum of the earth.With the help of these men, Markham ventures across the island to persuade the veteran war hero Pasquali Paoli to unite the Corsicans behind him. But their loyalty remains torn by a heritage of vendettas, French bribery, and cross and double cross. Enemies abound, in both French blue and British red, and the only men Markham can rely on are the grim, taciturn Sergeant Rannoch and a man who owes Markham his life - Bellamy, the educated, black Marine.Brimming with violent action and an energetic, pulsating plot, Honour Redeemed is a worthy successor to A Shred of Honour in the gripping Markham of the Marines series.

1796. The long-awaited return of the Bucephalas to the safety of the Cinque Ports is interrupted by a disastrous engagement in the Channel. The looming shape of a merchantman becalmed in fog presents an almost irresistible allure. But for Harry Ludlow and his battle-weary crew, the pursuit of one last easy prize leads to a desperate fight. Yet, it is events closer to home that present the greater danger. As the Bucephalas seeks refuge in the Solent, the red flags fluttering from the topmasts signal that His Majesty's Navy has reached a state of full mutiny.

Faced with a ship in need of repair, enemy attacks and the threat of wily Admiral Hotham, John Pearce is sailing into danger.Meanwhile Ralph Barclay is on his way to the Mediterranean. Thinking his wife still with Pearce and that he can repair his marriage by rescuing her, he sails in pursuit, Hotham half-hoping he suffers the same fate as the admiral has in store for Pearce.Can John Pearce fight to first save himself and his charges from captivity and then to be free from the enemy? It is a battle that will require all of his wits.

Honour Be Damned finds the fiery British lieutenant in the waning days of the French Revolution. The revolution is turning in on itself - Robespierre has met the guillotine - but still the French fight on.After completing the siege of a French fortress in Corsica, Markham and his men are assigned to a sloop under the impetuous Captain Germain. Before long, Germain's foolhardy hunt for glory throws Markham and his 'Lobsters' into desperate ship-to-ship action. Fortunately, fighting hand to hand is what the battle-hardened Marines do best. Like Markham, Germain has been branded a coward, but in his zeal to restore his good name he sets Markham on another, more perilous venture.This time, Markham must go ashore to escort a group of French royalists on a secret mission. Dodging the French army patrols would be difficult enough, but it is particularly hazardous because he is shackled with a French count, a devious Catholic prelate, a young lady, and their contingent of servants. But what is the secret prize they are hunting for? Why have they embarked on this fool's errand? Markham must answer these questions as he untangles the deceit and subterfuge all around him. He must rely on the loyalty of his men and the ever-grudging assistance of Sergeant Rannoch to succeed in this most unusual and dangerous mission - one complicated by the unexpected arrival of a figure from Markham's past.

Revolution. Bloodshed. Glory1793. Returning triumphant from Corsica, Lieutenant John Pearce receives a mixed welcome. But with the siege of Toulon escalating in violence and the French Revolutionary Army preparing to attack, all thoughts of revenge must be put on hold as Pearce is entrusted with a dangerous mission. When their assignment goes awry, it is up to Pearce and his comrades to prevent the inevitable bloodshed, but challenging the Revolutionaries as well as their navy could be a fatal mistake...Set against the backdrop of the bloody French Revolution, A Flag of Truce brilliantly combines a gripping adventure with intricate historical detail, to explosive effect.

It wasn't quite the homecoming ex-privateer Harry Ludlow had anticipated. Having cheated death and made a handsome profit into the bargain, Harry and his brother James expected their return home to be quiet - until they become embroiled in a fierce contest between smugglers in the English Channel.

1795. As war spreads across the globe, Harry Ludlow joins the struggle for the richest trade in the world. When half his crew is illegally pressed into the Royal Navy by the vicious Captain Toner, Harry sets off in pursuit. Toner's ship reaches the West Indies with Harry close behind, and they sail into a maelstrom of piracy, corruption, and murder stirred up by a French privateer. Soon, the British officer in charge of the station calls upon each man to help as best he can. All the while, Harry's kidnapped crew fights for survival on a ship driven to the point of mutiny.

The second part of an epic trilogy that chronicles the private lives and dangerous times of England's greatest naval hero and his legendary mistress.It is 1784 and Nelson is sent to the Caribbean to enforce the hated Navigation Acts. While there, he marries Fanny Nisbet but it isn't long before he is ordered to the Mediterranean, where he engages in a string of spectacular naval battles: Cape St Vincent, Tenerife, and the Nile. The ravages of war take their physical toll on Nelson, even as he gains the fame and honour he desperately craves.At the same time, Emma, mistress of Charles Greville, sits as an artist's model, her pictures selling briskly. When Charles's uncle, Sir William Hamilton, joins them in Naples, Emma finds herself the object of Hamilton's desire, and when the mercurial Nelson pays them a visit, she is inexplicably drawn to the brash sea captain. Her eventual marriage to Hamilton seems the epitome of good fortune, opening all the doors of...

1795. The discovery of an abandoned Spanish merchant ship off the coast of America plunges the Ludlows into a far-reaching conspiracy fueled by jealousy, ambition and nationalistic fervor. The Bucephalas lies trapped under the gaping muzzles of the 32-pounder Spanish guns of New Orleans' harbor fort. It quickly becomes clear that the corridors of the governor's residence are just as busy with treachery, double-dealing, and murder as the back alleys of the sweltering city outside. Harry Ludlow must win freedom for his ship in a deadly game played out in the dark woods of the American hinterland.

1794. In the wake of the Glorious First of June, an equivocal success for the British naval fleet against the French Revolutionary forces, Lieutenant John Pearce has pressing matters to attend to. He must undertake an urgent commission from Lord Hood, track down Midshipman Toby Burns, and placate Emily Barclay who, estranged from her husband, is now under Pearce's protection. Meanwhile, smugglers whose ship Pearce inadvertently stole are on his tail, determined to get their money or kill him in revenge – possibly both.And it is not only John Pearce who has his fair share of trouble. The triumphant Channel Fleet returns, with Ralph Barclay limping from a musket ball in the thigh, Cornelius Gherson fuming at the jokes about his cowardice, and bully-boy Devenow sporting a wounded shoulder and a cauliflower ear. But the battle is already the subject of controversy – both the French and British claim victory, and Barclay is accused of holding back from the...

Free from jail, Lieutenant John Pearce is not free from the smugglers whose boat he stole - they want bloody revenge and are prepared to chase him to the ends of the earth to get it. Granted a commission by William Pitt, Pearce evades his pursuers by undertaking a dangerous mission. As high rebellious ambition turns to bloody disaster, Pearce must extricate himself from peril - along with old flame Amelie Labordiere - and rejoin Admiral Howe's fleet. The danger for the Pelicans is only just beginning, however, as Howe's collision with a French fleet climaxes in one of the greatest battles of the Revolutionary War: the Battle of the Glorious First of June.

Irishman, papist, reputed coward – Markham is a man with something to prove. The death of his commander – killed by a lucky French musket ball to the throat – provides him with a chance to lead his men to glory.But it's not that easy. Markham, a foot soldier by training, is no sailor, and he is suddenly left with a band of surly, disgruntled conscripts under his command. The salty marines aboard the frigate Hebe deride his ignorance and undermine his authority. The soldiers from Markham's old regiment who have been transferred to the Hebe blame him for the fact that they now must spend their days crammed on a ship. Worse, as the winter of 1793 comes, Markham and his troublemaking men must face the expansive terror of Revolutionary France. The fighting takes Markham the city of Toulon, where he makes the acquaintance of a French soldier named Napoleon Bonaparte. Bloody battles, lively seductions, fights with superiors, and run-ins with French spies to...

John Pearce is hiding in Gravelines with his mysterious companion, known to him as Oliphant. Although they find a crew willing to take them back to England, they learn on the journey that Pearce's old enemies, the Tolland brothers, are still active on the route, and may have been responsible for the murder of Catherine Carruthers.Back in England their problems continue: Pearce must seek to mend fences with Emily Barclay, in a relationship in which nothing is simple. And just as things may be looking up, it seems Henry Dundas has another role for him and Oliphant: a mission to North East Spain...

The Mediterranean is proving dangerous waters for John Pearce and his Pelicans. Having left his lover Emily, who is also the wife of his mortal enemy Ralph Barclay, in the Tuscan port of Leghorn, Pearce is detained in Naples. When he unknowingly delivers a letter promoting the shady and incompetent Admiral Hotham, Pearce finds himself entangled in a political plot that soon puts those closest to him at peril. When reunited with Emily, John Pearce faces a losing battle to keep her reputation intact. Although his Pelicans aid in the endeavour, Emily sees no future for her with Pearce and leaves while he is conveying private letters for Horatio Nelson to the British Ambassador, Sir William Hamilton. Learning of Emily's departure, Pearce sets off in pursuit and has to take on the superior force of Barbary Corsairs who have targeted the merchant ship Emily is travelling on, the Sandown Castle. Outgunned by a barbaric opponent, John Pearce's chances of survival - as well as those of Emily and Pearce's crew - are dubious. And even if they can win this fierce battle, another threat looms on the horizon as Pearce is not the only one chasing Emily; Ralph Barclay has learned of his wife's desertion and is on his way to recapture her.Review'A salty blend of seafaring adventure ... cunningly spliced battle scenes which reek of blood and brine' Literary Review 'A rollicking, highly charged read, full of eighteenth century atmosphere' Good Book Guide 'Very well-written by an author who knows his history, and with some exciting sea-battles ... this is a good read' Historical Novels Review 'A must for armchair mariners ... superb stuff ' Manchester Evening News 'Vivid and accurate shipboard action ... compulsively readable' Cambridge Evening News About the AuthorDAVID DONACHIE was born in Edinburgh in 1944 and has had a variety of jobs, including selling everything from business machines to soap. He has always had an abiding interest in the naval history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The author of a number of bestselling books, he know lives in Deal with his wife, the novelist Sarah Grazebrook and their two children.

Winter 1795. Lieutenant John Pearce, reckoning to have finally ditched his old enemy, Admiral Hotham, has found a new one in Henry Digby, previously a friend. Meanwhile, Pearce's pregnant and recently widowed lover is adamant they cannot be seen together for the sake of their unborn child as she seeks respectability in society.Aboard HMS Flirt as part of the squadron led by Horatio Nelson, Pearce and his Pelicans soon join them on a reconnaissance which results in the destruction of a key French battery – though the success is short-lived. In raids ashore, split loyalties and bloody sea fights, Pearce must show bravery and resource to ensure his survival and return to Emily. But the headstrong lieutenant is faced with immense danger, not only from the enemy but his own captain. Only luck and Pearce's fierce appetite for battle can save them from the perils ahead.

The concluding chapter in the epic trilogy that chronicles the private lives dangerous times of England's greatest naval hero and his legendary mistress.1799. Having evacuated the King and Queen of Naples ahead of Napoleon's advancing army, Nelson must now await developments in Sicily. In the meantime, he and Emma savour their passionate affair, and when Nelson travels back to Britain with the Hamiltons, he finds he is the toast of Europe. To the British elite, however, Nelson is a dangerous upstart, and his love for Emma is his weakness. With rising resentment, Nelson and Emma are forced to keep up appearances. As the war with Napoleon drags on, Nelson engages the Danish fleet at Copenhagen with stunning results. Finally he is given the chance he's been waiting for: off a little-known Spanish cape called Trafalgar, the moment has come to show the world his mettle.

Lieutenant John Pearce is considering his future. Lacking funds, an occupation if he leaves naval service, or the evidence of perjury he once held against Captain Ralph Barclay, the brute who pressed he and his friends into the navy, his prospects are not promising.Ralph Barclay meanwhile has problems of his own. His wife Emily is refusing to live under the same roof as him and she has the means to get her own way: the perjury evidence Pearce believes lost at sea. Barclay's slippery clerk, Gherson, has as much at stake as his employer and is prepared to go to any lengths to silence Emily and Pearce.So when a smiling stranger offers Pearce and his companions the illegal yet profitable opportunity to fetch a contraband-laden ship from a French port, is all as it seems? Are Pearce and his Pelicans sailing into prosperity – or danger?

1794. Fresh from battle in the Gulf of Ambracia with the villainous Turk Mehmet Pasha, Lieutenant John Pearce and his trusty Pelicans arrive in the Italian port of Brindisi, with captures in tow and his wounded superior, Henry Digby, in a convalescent state. Their landing in the harbour is met by crowds and local dignitaries who insist Digby is attended to by their best physician. Free from authority, Pearce travels to Naples to track down his lover, Emily Barclay.But upon finding her, Emily reveals astonishing news that will send her back to her brutish husband and Pearce's longstanding enemy, Captain Ralph Barclay, to avoid further scandal. As Pearce sets out for Leghorn to challenge Barclay and persuade him to desist in his pursuit, Barclay hatches his own scheme to thwart the headstrong lieutenant.Faced with bloody sea battles, conspiracies to defeat him and utter chicanery, John Pearce must confront his most dangerous feud yet as his enemies will stop at...