A Certain Threat

The Merriman Chronicles, Book 1

By: Roger Burnage

Narrated by: Nigel Peever

The year 1792. With French revolutionary agents traveling freely but secretly between Ireland and England and war with France inevitable, the English government of Mr. Pitt is desperately anxious to uncover any plots between Irish rebels and the French.

Lieutenant James Merriman with his ship, the sloop Aphrodite, is ordered to the Irish Sea to assist the principal treasury agent Mr. Grahame in this work. Merriman is plunged headlong into the world of espionage and when Grahame is seriously wounded it falls to Merriman to carry on the investigation.

Young James Merriman must keep all his wits about him to foil these plans, especially when his adversary is revealed to be an exceptional French agent—Henri Moreau who hopes that by helping the Irish to throw off the English yoke, France will be able to use Irish ports from which to attack England.

©2012 Roger Burnage (P)2024 Robin Burnage

A swashbuckling adventure on the high seas!

Excellent story that flowed well and was easy to follow, with lots of action and drama. The narrator did an excellent job with this book as well.

An enjoyable listen

This is a promising start to a new series.
I have listened to the Aubrey Maturin series (21 books) thrice (I took Grammerly's advice on that word because I never use it). I am a big fan of this whole genre of historical novels. This series has the potential to be quite excellent.
From time to time, it starts to get a bit formulaic, but then it sucks you back in with some curious twists and turns. I look forward to the next book in the series.
There are books that when I see who is reading it, I am hard-pressed not to get it. I make no bones about my love for Nigel Peever's work. He's one of my three or four favorite voice actors.
If you love this genre, I think you will enjoy this book.

Enter British Naval and family culture 1793 style.

Any piece of literature should be judged by the flow of the story, character depth and immersion of the reader in the plot wanting more in the end.
This story hits all the spots.
Looking forward to more.

A Certain threat

A wonderful new story in the Merriman chronicles. I totally enjoyed it,especially the horse sound effects.lol Nigel Peever brings it all to life with his amazing narration.Every character sounds different and is beleivable. I was given this book free for an honest review.

an excellent surprise

I've been listening through the various Aubrey / Hornblower like series, and most of the lesser known ones aren't that great, but this one is well written, with distinct and likeable characters, and the first audio book i think I've heard that actually does background noises really well! definitely recommend.

Age of sail (with sound effects)

The author borrows heavily from the phraseology of Hornblower, Aubrey, and Kydd for those who love the age of sail. Although the characters don’t have the same depth ( no pun intended) this is an enjoyable enough tale. Listeners should be aware that the production is overlaid with sound effects so that the author’s prose and the reader’s narration must compete with clopping horse’s hooves, screeching gulls, and creaking hinges throughout the story. If no sounds seem appropriate, strains of music or unnecessary sounds such as a ticking clock are used. When a character has an unspoken thought, an echo-chamber effect is applied to the narrator’s voice. Whether this enhances or detracts from the production is a matter of opinion, but it’s certainly not for everyone.

Enhanced Historical Fiction

I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The first book in the series introduces the reader to the Merriman family and the nautical career of eldest son, James. He meets Helen Sinclair after her father heals his wounds from a previous battle. Along with a great nautical adventure and mystery, the narration went above and beyond the usual role. The sound effects were woven into the tale in a clever way with attention to every detail. I recommend this audiobook and look forward to the next installment.

the true to life narration made you feel like you were part of the story

the true to life narration made you feel like you were part of the story and gave the characters a real feel