Showing results by author "David Donachie" in All Categories

Introducing George Markham, lately of the 65th Regiment of Foot, now Lieutenant of Marines on His Britannic Majesty’s frigate Hebe. Irishman, papist, reputed coward; he is a man with something to prove. As the winter of 1793 comes to the Mediterranean coast of France, so too does the chill wind of the Revolutionary terror. When the Hebe is sent to help the Bourbon city of Toulon, Markham will have to prove he is a worthy officer of Marines…or die in the attempt.

The French Revolution is turning in on itself even as the war with the English drags on. As the armies move towards Italy, George Markham and his Marines find themselves assigned to the sloop Sylphide under the impetuous Captain Germain. Set ashore in the midst of the French army, Markham is charged with escorting a group of loyalists on a secret mission and is soon wishing he was back in the thick of it at sea.

It’s 1784, and Nelson is sent to the Caribbean to enforce the hated Navigation Acts. While there, he marries Franny Nisbet. Ordered next to the Mediterranean, he engages in a string of spectacular naval battles. The ravages of war take their physical toll on Nelson, even as he gains the fame and honour he craves. At the same time, Emma, mistress of Charles Greville, sits as an artist’s model....

1793: the onset of Britain's conflict with Revolutionary France. Ex-captain turned privateer, Harry Ludlow finds himself on board the naval 74-gun Magnanime, with his brother James. In command is Oliver Carter, a captain with whom Harry has an unfortunate history. But when James is found standing over the body of a dead officer, old scores appear to be put aside…at least for the time being. Blinded by his own prejudice, Harry sets out to prove his brother’s innocence, but it is soon apparent that his feud with Carter is not the only dark secret aboard the Magnanime.

1794. In the wake of the Glorious First of June, 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. Meanwhile smugglers whose ship Pearce inadvertently stole, are on his tail. And it is not only John Pearce who has his fair share of trouble. The triumphant Channel Fleet returns, but the battle is already the subject of controversy –and Ralph Barclay is accused of holding back from the action.

New Orleans, 1795. The discovery of an abandoned Spanish merchant ship off the coast of America plunges the Ludlows into a far-reaching conspiracy fuelled by jealousy, ambition and nationalistic fervour. The Bucephalas lies trapped under the gaping muzzles of the 32-punder Spanish guns of New Orleans’ harbour 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.

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 the young and lovely 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 Betsey'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.

1796… The long-awaited return of the Bucephalas to the safety of Cinque Ports if 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 greatest danger.

1940. Dunkirk is over? Will Britain fight on or talk peace? Fugitive and Hitler admirer, Billy Houston, craves a Nazi-run Britain. Needing money and intent on burglary, it ends in murder. But he’s in luck, his victim has in his possession the entire anti-invasion plans for Southern Britain, this while Armistice talks are slated to take place on the Isle of Wight. A desperate Billy makes contact with Rudi Graebner, a German naval officer and spy embedded in the Spanish Embassy. The two have nothing in common - they instinctively take a dislike to each other and trust is at a premium.

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.

Privateersman Harry Ludlow and his partner and younger brother, James, find that murder and intrigue take up more of their time than the hunt for fat trading vessels. Arriving in the squalid, seething port of Genoa, they find it a tinderbox of tension, fed by the discovery of a hanged British sea captain and packs of English and French sailors at each other's throats.

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 Harry 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.

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.

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. 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.

1942: The time of Stalingrad. At home, Elisabeth von Trecheim must run the family estate, not knowing if her husband is alive or dead. Into her life steps a handsome English Prisoner of War, invoking troubling memories. Her husband, Hans, must survive a Russian prison camp; no food, raging epidemics, men dying like flies. He finds himself teaching a female Russian doctor horsemanship, which grows into something more intimate. With the war ending, Hans wants to go home, but Elisabeth must abandon it, fleeing West, aided by the Englishman.

Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts: Harry Ludlow wurde einst aus der Royal Navy geworfen. Nun zieht er zusammen mit seinem jüngeren Bruder James als Freibeuter über die Meere. Doch statt Jagd auf fette Beute zu machen, stolpern die Ludlows regelmäßig in tödliche Intrigen. Gerade als die Brüder sich an Bord eines britischen Kriegsschiffs befinden, geschieht dort ein Mord. James wird über der Leiche gefunden und verdächtigt. Kann Harry die Unschuld seines Bruders zu beweisen? Dies ist der spannende Auftakt der Reihe um Kaperkapitän Harry Ludlow und seine Gefährten.

Die französische Küste im Jahre 1795. Während die Feuer des Krieges sich auf dem Festland immer weiter ausbreiten, tobt auch auf See ein Kampf um die Vorherrschaft. Doch nicht alle kämpfen mit so fairen Mitteln wie der ehrenhafte Freibeuter Harry Ludlow und sein Bruder James: Als der skrupellose Kapitän Toner von der Royal Navy ihn unrechtmäßig zwingt, ihm die Hälfte seiner Crew zu überlassen, schwört Harry, seine Männer zu retten – und nimmt allen Widrigkeiten zum Trotz die Verfolgung von dessen Fregatte auf.

Der Ärmelkanal im Jahre 1796. Nach zwei Jahren auf hoher See und vielen geschlagenen Schlachten will Harry Ludlow, der "Detektiv der Meere", mit seiner stolzen Fregatte "Bucephalas" wieder im sicheren Heimathafen einlaufen. Doch bevor der erfahrene Kapitän die Cinque Ports erreichen kann, werden sie im Englischen Kanal in eine tödliche Falle gelockt: Als die Freibeuter inmitten des dichten Nebels das Donnern von Kanonen vernehmen, können sie nicht anders, als diesem Lockruf zu folgen. Doch was als Jagd nach einer letzten Beute beginnt, wird bald zu einem erbitterten Kampf auf Leben und Tod.

Der mitreißende dritte Teil der Serie um die Freibeuter-Brüder, die niemals zur Ruhe kommen. Während im Jahre 1794 die Schrecken der französischen Revolution ganz Europa in Brand zu stecken drohen, spitzt sich auch auf See die Situation zu: Im Ärmelkanal geraten der erfahrende Freibeuter Harry Ludlow und seine Mannschaft in den erbitterten Kampf zwischen rivalisierenden Schmugglern. Zwar gelingt es ihnen, sich in Sicherheit zu bringen, doch die ist trügerisch: Hinter der Fassade der idyllischen Hafenstadt Deal herrschen Korruption und Gewalt.

Der Golf von Mexiko im Jahre 1795. Als sie vor der Küste ein verlassenes spanisches Handelsschiff entdecken, wittern der Freibeuter Harry Ludlow und sein Bruder James leichte Beute. Doch was eine einfache Kaperung werden sollte, entpuppt sich schon bald als raffinierte Falle: Angeheizt von Machtgier und Patriotismus wird ihr Schiff, die stolze "Bucephalas", vor dem spanischen Fort von New Orleans festgesetzt. Schnell wird klar, dass der erfahrene Seemann keine Hilfe vom hiesigen Gouverneur zu erwarten hat.