David Donachie Books

1794: Stuck in the Mediterranean, headstrong lieutenant John Pearce must repair his battle-damaged ship, face a court-martial, and survive a battle against a bloodthirsty and piratical Turk.

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 first?

"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 and, having succeeded, he must find a way to 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 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 told the island for Britannia in the face of Napoleon's successes in Italy. In night actions, outnumbered on land and sea, he must fight the Francophile Corsicans, arming themselves for an insurrection. Will he succeed, or will John Pearce, HMS Hazard, and the Pelicans pay the ultimate price of failure?"--Publisher

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 savor their passionate affair, and when Nelson travels back to Britain with the Hamiltons, he finds he is the toast of Europe. Finally he is given the chance he's been waiting for: off a little-known Spanish cape, called Trafalgar, he will show the world what he is made of!

When John Pearce is sent on a mission to collect fleeing members of the Corsican government, he seeks the aid of a local clan chief, inadvertently putting himself, his crew, and his rescued charges in jeopardy.

It's 1784 and Nelson is sent to the Caribbean to enforce the hated Navigation Acts. While there, he marries Fanny Nisbet. Ordered next to the Mediterranean, 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 honor he desperately craves.

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.

1794. In the wake of the Glorious 1st of June, an equivocal success for the British naval fleet against Revolutionary France, John Pearce has pressing matters to which he must attend. He has an urgent commission from Lord Hood, he must track down Midshipman Toby Burns and placate Emily who, estranged from her husband, Pearce's enemy Captain Ralph Barclay, is now under his protection. Meanwhile, Pearce finds himself aboard HMS Agamemnon, and in series of actions and shore raids, impresses Horatio Nelson with his bold and brave maneuvers.

1794: Stationed in the Mediterranean, John Pearce finds himself entangled in a political plot and fighting against a superior force of Barbary corsairs.

Free from jail, 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. The court martial papers that threaten to also damn Pearce are at risk due to the calculating schemes of Ralph Barclay. But the danger is only just beginning, for Pearce must undertake a dangerous mission in support of a massive revolt in the Vendée region of France. As high rebellious ambition turns to bloody disaster, Pearce faces real peril, climaxing in one of the greatest battles of the French Revolutionary the Glorious First of June.

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.

'A salty blend of seafaring adventure and whodunit' Literary Review

1794. Lieutenant John Pearce is caught between a set of dangerous admirals including his old enemy Admiral Ralph Barclay seem weak. Encountering different kinds of danger with a feminine face and with the climax of the siege of Toulon, time is running out for Pearce and his friends.

London, 1793: Young firebrand John Pearce, on the run from the authorities, is illegally press-ganged from the Pelican Tavern into brutal life aboard HMS Brilliant, a frigate on its way to war. Shipboard life is hard, brutal, and dangerous--that anyone chooses it suggests that life ashore is even worse. But Pearce is not alone; he is drawn to a disparate group of men pressed alongside him who eventually form an exclusive gun crew, the Pelicans, with Pearce their elected leader. The Pelicans find solidarity in facing together the cruelty of their hard-nosed captain, Barclay, and the daily threat of bullying, flogging--even murder. The one light on the horizon is the captain's wife, Emily, who is also aboard and new to life at sea. During an action-packed two weeks, as HMS Brilliant chases a French privateer across the English Channel, Pearce discovers the British Navy is a world in which he can prosper, and he and the Pelicans form friendships that will last a lifetime.

Horatio Nelson was 12 years old when he arrived at Chatham to join his first ship the Raisonable (moored next to his last, the Victory). On the same day, Emma Hamilton was taken to the house of her mother¿s employer to be educated. On a Making Tide takes Nelson and Emma to 1798 and the battle of the Nile, the crushing victory which secured Nelson¿s fame. Following both Nelson¿s exceptional career and the spirited progress of Emma, it is a story of talent and character overcoming tradition and expectation; a story of a society on the cusp of the liberal 18th and conservative 19th centuries and the fate of two people caught in the middle of the change. From Arctic ice flow to Neapolitan courtroom, from single ship actions in the dank English channel to fleet actions in the mouth of the Nile, this is the story of a great hero, a doomed love affair and a war that stretched across the world.

"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 fall into 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"-- Provided by publisher

Set in 1795, the story follows Lieutenant John Pearce as he confronts new adversaries while navigating personal challenges, particularly his complicated feelings for the recently widowed Emily Barclay. Serving aboard HMS Flirt, Pearce joins a squadron under Horatio Nelson, participating in a successful reconnaissance mission that leads to the destruction of a French battery. Amidst raids, divided loyalties, and fierce naval battles, Pearce must rely on his courage and determination to survive and reunite with Emily.

Set in 1796, the story follows Lieutenant John Pearce and his enigmatic companion, Oliphant, as they navigate the dangers of Gravelines, a smuggler's haven in France. Seeking a way back to England, they encounter a treacherous journey complicated by the presence of Pearce's old adversaries, the Tolland brothers, who may have a sinister connection to the murder of Catherine Carruthers. The narrative unfolds with themes of betrayal, survival, and the quest for justice amidst perilous circumstances.

Volume #1 in The Last Roman trilogy. It is the sixth century of the Byzantium Empire. When Flavius Belisaurius witnesses the death of his father and the irretrievable tarnishing of his reputation, his life changed for good. Flavius swears vengeance on the man who betrayed his father and begins a journey from which there is no virtuous way back.

Fourteenth-century Italy: a country in upheaval as desperate cities struggle against both each other and venal Papal rule. Unable to rely on their own citizens to fight their battles, cities and Popes are forced to pay vast amounts of money to mercenary captains to fight on their behalf. Hawkwood, a valiant Englishman, shrewd and relentless on the battlefield, finds himself fighting for and against any state of Italy prepared to pay handsomely.

"1935: Forced to leave Hamburg, where he helped Jews flee the Nazis, Cal Jardine is recruited by a secretive British committee to smuggle guns to Abyssinia, a country threatened by Italian invasion. But the Ethiopians are ill-equipped to face a modern Italian army using tanks, bombers, and poison gas. Trained for war, can Jardine simply walk away?"--

"A wonderful epic of eighteenth-century warfare, by land and sea, this first novel introduces 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. The death of his commander provides him with an early opportunity for glory. As the winter of 1793 comes to the Mediterranean coast of France, Markham will have to prove he is a worthy officer of Marines . . . or die in the attempt"--

"1938: While Hitler sets his sights on the Sudetenland, not everyone in Britain is willing to appease him. Convinced that the Fuhrer's land-hunger is insatiable, the head of the SIS recruits Cal Jardine to help him prove that Czechoslovakia is threatened with invasion"--

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 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. Lucius and Aulus soon find themselves on very different sides of the conflict – perhaps the prophecy of the eagle will come true after all.

Volume #3 in The Last Roman trilogy. Sixth-century Byzantium is a hotbed of intrigue. Count Flavius Belisarius, the empire's most successful military leader, must navigate a world infested with too many enemies and few friends--and fight and win battles along the way.

"Lt. George Markham of Her Majesty's Royal Marines has earned his reputation for trouble. So his superiors assign him to a suicide mission battling the French over the island of Corsica. Surrounded by spies, traitors, and rivals--including a jealous husband--Markham's only hope lies in the men under his command, whom the top brass believe are the scum of the earth. Enemies abound, in both French blue and British red"--

"Justinian, a paranoid leader, desperately wants the lost provinces returned to his rule but must first dispatch his brave general, Belisarius, to fight the Persians in the East. Justinian grows concerned that Belisarius will grow successful and courageous in his feats, thus becoming a threat to his power and person. He subsequently dispatches him on a near-impossible mission to North Africa to take back from the Vandals what was once ancient Carthage. Meanwhile back in Constantinople, Marcus Donatus has found favor with Empress Theodora, wife of Justinian, in the hopes of being able to influence Justinian himself"--

Volume #3 of the Markham of the Marines trilogy. As the war with France drags on, the Revolution is turning on itself. Markham and his men are assigned to the sloop Sylphide under the impetuous Captain Germain and must escort a group of French Royalists behind enemy lines. It is not long before Germain's foolhardy hunt for glory throws Markham into the midst of a desperate ship-to-ship action.

Fugitive Billy Houston, keen to bring about a Nazi-run Britain, needs money. Intent on burglary, his victim has in his possession the entire anti-invasion plans for Southern Britain. Billy must get the plans to the German delegation. Will he succeed? If he does, Hitler will lead Britain to a German invasion.

"1936: Cal Jardine finds himself caught up in the Spanish Civil War, his new compatriots a group of athletes who are in Barcelona for the People's Olympiad. Together, they make an effective team; however, with a communist fanatic in the ranks, trouble is brewing and a murderous betrayal lies ahead"--

After a number of months, a whirlwind of the press gang, service at sea, wild storms, bitter battles with the enemy and a promotion, John Pearce finally finds himself free to follow his own wishes, rather than being forced to serve any longer in King George's Navy. The same does not apply for the trio of Pearce's closest friends who, with him as their leader, call themselves the Pelicans. Unaware of this, and arriving in Portsmouth, Pearce feels certain he can free his comrades. However, on arrival and seeking to liberate his fellow Pelicans, Pearce is informed that the trio have been shipped out on another vessel, condemned to service because of Pearce's over-indulgence in the arms of a woman. Still haunted by his father's execution at the guillotine, and his guilt at arriving too late in France to save him, Pearce is determined to keep to this vow of liberation. When help is refused from all higher powers and Pearce refuses to surrender, he embarks on an adventure to free his friends with or without aid.

Entwining historical facts with fictitious characters, David Donachie has once again created a masterpiece of nautical adventure fiction

"David Donachie was born in Edinburgh in 1944. He has always had an abiding interest in British naval history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as well as the clandestine services during the Second World War. He has 51 published novels to his credit. David lives in Deal, the historic English seaport on the border of the English Channel and the North Sea, with his partner, the novelist Sarah Grazebrook"-- Provided by publisher

A high-seas adventure that will delight fans of Patrick O'Brian

Three fearless men are drawn into the endless battles of ancient Rome's fiery war, fighting for power, for victory, for survival--and above all, for honour. Brennos, the barbarian leader of the Celtic tribes, faces bloody personal consequences when his enemies hatch a vicious assassination plot. Aquila, now fighting for Rome, carries with him his lucky talisman: a golden amulet shaped like an eagle in flight, the only clue to his true identity. And Marcellus, son of Rome's most powerful senator, must find within himself the ability to lead men into battle--and to win.

At the head of the de Hauteville family stands Robert, who has only one aim: to expand his power by military conquest. Roger, the youngest of the brothers, is a great fighter and canny politician. In company--and sometimes in conflict--with Robert, he will seek to raise the family to become rulers in their own right. Their chosen enemies are the mighty Saracen Emirs of Sicily, and conquest comes before all . . . even if the path is not easy.

Rome has lost its greatest warrior - for Aulus, the doom-laden prophecy of forty years earlier has come to pass. It is now left to Lucius to defy the oracle's curse alone, and the corrupt and powerful senator leaves nothing to chance in his bid to survive. But one boy, alone in the world, holds the key to his fate - and the future of the Roman Republic.

The loyalty of brothers . . . the betrayal of warriors. In eleventh-century Italy, William de Hauteville, oldest of the mercenary de Hauteville brothers, and his men are the Lombards' greatest hope of overcoming the might of Byzantium.

The second volume in the powerful Crusades trilogy 1096: The Pope has called for a crusade to free Jerusalem, and half the warriors of Europe have responded. Among them is the Norman Count Bohemund, one-time enemy of Byzantium, whose help is required if progress is to be possible. His first task, pushing back the infidel Turks from the holy places of Christendom, calls for an uneasy alliance with old enemy Emperor Alexius. But can the crusaders trust the wily emperor? With past tensions and grudges arising, Bohemund is faced once again with the opportunity to gain power, land, and riches for himself – but will the risks of doing so outweigh the rewards? The crusaders must contend with sieges, open battles, hunger, and want on their journey to mighty Antioch, where they face the stiffest test of their mettle. As defeat threatens, only Norman discipline can save the day.

Volume #1 in the Crusades trilogy. Under Robert Guiscard, the de Hautevilles have grown in importance and power throughout Italy and, through the Papacy, all of Christendom. Now it is Robert's son Bohemund's turn to take up arms. The opportunity to fight under the papal banner in the Holy Lands could bring him the glory and riches he desires, and which have been cruelly denied him elsewhere.

1033, on the Normandy border: Six brothers, trained since birth to become great warriors, prepare to experience their first taste of battle. Following in their father's footsteps, the sons of Tancred de Hauteville are knights with but one true purpose: to fight. Nothing matters more to a Norman of noble birth than skillful swordsmanship and victory in battle--and the de Hautevilles are used to winning.

1795: Aufgebracht von der Fregatte Endymion, die von einem sadisten kommandiert wird, verliert der Freibeuter Harry Ludlow nicht nur die Hälfte seiner Männer und seinen treuen Freund Pender, sondern muß auch zusehen, wie diese illegal nach Westindien verschifft werden. Als er sich an die Verfolgung macht, geraten er und sein Bruder mitten in die Kämpfe zwischen Franzosen und Briten um die Kontrolle über die einträglichsten Handelsschifffahrtsstraßen der Welt...

1794: Nachdem Kaptitän Ludlow während seiner letzten Reise nur knapp dem Tod entronnen ist, erwarten er und sein Bruder, in England eiune vergleichsweise ungefährlcihe Ruhepause einlegen zu können. Doch schon im Ärmelkanal finden sich die beiden plötzlich in die Machtkämpfe zwischen rivalisierenden Schmugglerbanden verwickelt. In ihrer Not versuchen sie mit ihrer Fregatte den Hafen von Deal anzulaufen und landen in einer Gesellschaft, in der Verrat niemals vergeben oder vergessen wird.

Freibeuter-Kapitän Harry Ludlow und sein Bruder James sind im Jahre 1793 unfreiwillig Gast an Bord eines englischen Kriegsschiffes. Als der 1. Offizier ermordet und James verdächtigt wird, setzt Harry alles daran, dessen Unschuld zu beweisen.

Genua, 1794: Die Brüder Ludlow werden mit der Aufklärung des Mordes an einem englischen Kapitän beauftragt. Vor Ort stossen Harry und James auf ein Netz voller Intrigen, Heuchelei und Geldgier.